WAITING ON GOD
September 3, 2019 | Psalm 5
DEVOTIONS
This Month’s Issue
Several years ago, passengers at a Houston airport were complaining about how long they had to wait at the baggage claim. So, airport executives hired more baggage handlers and cut the wait time down to eight minutes. However, the complaints did not stop. Airport executives then tried a different approach. Instead of trying to get the bags unloaded faster, they moved the baggage claim so it was a seven-minute walk from the arrival gates. The complaints stopped.
In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and await expectantly.
PSALM 5:3
Waiting can be difficult and painful. This is especially true when we do not know how long we will wait for an answer to our prayers. In today’s Scripture reading, David describes how he cried out to the Lord, laid his re-quests before Him, and then waited expectantly (v. 3). David’s particular problem was his enemies. Men were making false accusations against him (v. 9). These men were arrogant, bloodthirsty, and rebellious against God (vv. 5, 6, 10). It was a situation so difficult that it caused David to lament (v. 1). The word translated lament literally means “groan” or “sigh,” a kind of confused muttering that comes from the depths of an anguished soul.
In the midst of his suffering, David held on to hope. He knew God and trusted in His character. God was not “pleased with wickedness” (v. 4). He could not stand the arrogant and wrongdoer (v. 5). He detested the bloodthirsty and deceitful (v. 6). He had also made a covenant commitment to David (v. 7). David asked God to be true to His character. That He would denounce the guilty and protect the faithful (vv. 10–11). But it was just that, a request. God would be the one to act in his defense. As Eugene Peterson reminds us, “Waiting in prayer is a disciplined refusal to act before God acts.”
APPLY THE WORD
We have all experienced times when life feels desperate. In those times, we can do what David modeled in this psalm. We can be honest with God about our plight. We can pray according to God’s attributes. And we can wait for God to act. Our hope is grounded in the character of God. There is no more sure foundation than that.