Thy TRUTH continually preserve me.

Truth in Psalms

{40:1} I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.

Patiently waiting, in our day and age that almost seems to be an oxymoron. We don't want to wait patiently, we want action, results, satisfaction and we want it now, or as some would say, 'and I want it yesterday', indicating they want it faster than is really possible and yet as fast as they can get whatever it is they're after.

Patiently waiting.

I don't think I'm a very patient waiter at all personally.

I think about having to wait for doctors and I'm always chanting in my head, 'hurry up, call me, hurry up, me next'. I think about waiting in a fast food drive thru going on about how it's *supposed* to be FAST food, when in reality it's a lot faster than food ever should be. I think about standing in line at the grocery store looking about complaining, they should open more lanes or darn it, I got in the wrong line again! Why is the cashier being so chatty? Doesn't she realize I just want to go, go, go!

Waiting patiently for the Lord.

No, we want instantaneous with the Lord too. Hurry Lord, hear my prayer, hurry Lord do this, hurry Lord do that, hurry, hurry... if I don't see results soon then what's this all about. Hurry and come Lord, end the world so we can be with you in heaven . Hurry, hurry, hurry.

'I waited patiently for the Lord.'

The Lord wasn't instantaneous here in this psalm was He? Someone had to wait on Him. Wait on Him and they could have done so impatiently but they didn't, they waited patiently on the Lord- we've no idea how long the wait full of patience was, could it have been one hour? Two? Five days? Ten? A month? A year? We do know that the patience paid off because of this-- '...and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.'

A cry to the Lord and a patient waiting. Again an oxymoron? When we cry out for something it's usually something we want instantly, not something we want to wait on. A cry denotes need, an urgent need and yet to cry and wait patiently, that truly is amazing. For the state of the world I can imagine myself crying to the Lord daily and hopefully waiting patiently, see I said 'hopefully'. To wait for the Lord is a lifetime endeavor, something we have to be willing to wait for patiently and not get discouraged. In this world of instantaneous response and gratification, we have to realize that something’s truly do involve a lifetime of waiting.

Let's go on...

{40:2} He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.

How often do we find ourselves despairing? Our lives are fraught with challenge after challenge and we want to give up? We're stuck in a horrible place in life and it seems as if there is no getting out of it? Hopefully we don't find ourselves in that 'pit' too often. God can get us out of it, He can and He will make it so we are back on solid ground and headed in the right direction.


{40:3} And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.

Amazing, simply amazing. When we are saved we want to sing the praises of the one who saved us. I just saw recently an article in the news where a father and son were rescued from the ocean after being lost at sea for 12 hours and the father was so happy when his son was rescued as well as himself (the two having become separated in the night) that he went about hugging and kissing the rescuers. Was he singing their praises? Oh yes he was. We do get a new song in our mouths, our praise does go unto God who saves us. Others can witness this change in us and they too will find a place with God.

{40:4} Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
{40:5} Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

Amazing.

{40:6} Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.
{40:7} Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me
{40:8} I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.
{40:9} I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest.
{40:10} I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy TRUTH from the great congregation.

Thy lovingkindness and thy truth.

Read this again how it's all tied up together-

'I have not hid they RIGHTEOUSNESS within my heart; I have declared thy FAITHFULNESS and thy SALVATION: I have not concealed thy LOVINGKINDNESS and they TRUTH from the great congregation.'

Righteousness, faithfulness, salvation, lovingkindness, and truth.

Amazing.


{40:11} Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy TRUTH continually preserve me.

So amazing.

We need God's tender mercy in our lives. We need God's lovingkindness and the truth in us, preserving us, keeping us unto that great day when we are with Him finally. We need this so desperately now, just as man has always needed this. Why? Read on...


{40:12} For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me.

Sound familiar? It does to me. We are so sinful. Only God can save us, we can't save ourselves.

Remember the patiently waiting- well read on and see how that has slipped a bit here as deliverance is sought.


{40:13} Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me: O LORD, make haste to help me.
{40:14} Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it; let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil.
{40:15} Let them be desolate for a reward of their shame that say unto me, Aha, aha.
{40:16} Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified.
{40:17} But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.

Make haste.
Make no tarrying.

I waited patiently.

Patiently - perseverance? In it for the long haul, determined to wait forever if necessary and yet even with patience, with perseverance the longing for God and His world made new, the longing for salvation is something alive and desperate within us. Willing to wait as long as it takes, but wanting the wait to not be so long. Willing to wait, willing to hope and cling to the promises even when it seems like forever and a day. Faith in our darkest hour, faith to wait and believe, to trust and hope and yet I can't help but cry out... 'Make haste to help me,... make no tarrying, O my God!.'

I recently caught bits and pieces of a movie about prisoners of war in Vietnam and how ten years or so later people were going to find them. They showed a part where a captor was telling the pows that if they'd only admit to their wrongdoing they'd go free, but ten years of hardship in the most deplorable conditions would not make them admit to the wrongdoing, they were holding fast to their faith so to speak through conditions unimaginable. This was just a movie and I'm sure I don't have the facts of it all straight, but the gist of it was holding fast through all of the hardship. We have to holdfast, and like those POW who never gave up hope of being rescued and didn't give in to their captors, we have to be patient. We might die, as some did in that movie, but we can't give up this fight we're in, we can't give in to the enemy. We have to cling to Christ and His mercy and pray that He comes soon to save us. It's through Him we can find our hope, through His grace and mercy we can find salvation through faith, believing on Him and knowing no matter how awful everything in our lives seems, no matter how dark the night is, our light in Christ will shine forth. While the enemy surrounds us with thoughts demons of our own seeking to pull us down into despair we have to pray, 'lead us not into despair but deliver us from evil'.

May God bless all of us as we seek to hold on through each of our own personal dark hours as evils surround us and our sins take hold of us so we can't even look up to God and our heart sinks in our chest...let us hold on to the promises of God. We have a deliverer in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior now and forever.

Amen.