I waited patiently for the Lord and He inclined to me and heard my cry. Psalm 40:1
The word “wait” evokes in my mind an image of twiddling my thumbs, and I don’t think I have a personal image of what adding “patiently” to that word would look like! “Waiting patiently” sounds like wasting valuable time to my task-oriented, planful & prepared, efficiency minded soul! I was not born with a patient bone in my body - so do I get a pass on applying this verse?
We all know the answer to that one, don’t we? No pass. But what I can offer is that maybe “ I think that word does not mean what you think it means”, to borrow a phrase from one of my favorite movies, Princess Bride. And maybe the meaning of the word can help in our application.
“Wait patiently” is neither idle nor wasteful - it is the Hebrew word “quavah” and it means to bind together (by twisting), to collect together, to be joined, to hope, to be confident and enduring. As opposed to the meaning of the English word “wait” - to delay action until something happens”. Wow this must hold some different than twiddling thumbs!
Turns out the meaning of the word can help us apply this to our lives. And the text gives us insight into how to do that. Let’s unpack it and see…
This psalm is written by King David during the time that he was waiting (as in the English definition of the word!) for God’s promise of his kingship over all of Israel to be fulfilled. If you know Old Testament history, you know it was quite the rocky road! After being anointed as God’s choice to lead Israel, David had to endure isolation and attacks on his life and rejection in his time of waiting. Many of the psalms he wrote were birthed out of the lessons learned during this time. Psalm 40, for example.
The psalm opens with the declaration that he “waited patiently” on the Lord but what that means (as we already gleaned) is not passive nor inactive. Instead, it an immersion into the character of God, a clinging to what he knows to be true about his Lord. As his heart overflows onto the parchment, we are mentored in the practical lessons of waiting on God. We learn that it is binding together by entangling ourselves in the arms of the Almighty. And it looks like this:
Right at the start, David wants us to be assured that God did indeed answer and rescue him, that his waiting was not in vain (and He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay - pretty desperate situation, I’d say! - and He set my feet upon a rock, making my footsteps firm- verses 1,2) I love that at the onset David encourages the reader that God brings victory!
Next, he points us to the fact that God is always up to more than meets the eye! He is, as John Piper loves to say, at work in a thousand different ways, in every situation. While we may be concerned with the outcome for us, God has a bigger purpose in mind: displaying His glory to those around us and bringing not only us but also others to the knowledge of Him and giving Him praise. (v3 - And He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many will see and fear and will trust in the Lord.) A helpful reminder that God doesn’t waste anything that happens to us…and that it’s not “all about us”.
Then, David helps us understand more about what this “quavah” looks like when it is manifested in our lives. It means that we don’t look to the wrong sources for help (v. 4 - How blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust and has not turned to the proud nor to those who lapse into falsehood) This is, in essence, acknowledging our tendency to get things a-movin’ when we feel like God is not making something happen fast enough. We can act in arrogance in thinking we can control the outcome and attain whatever it is we think will make our souls complete. And we can act in error by relying on what seems to be true but is not. We would do well to heed David’s caution! Acting on what seems right to us can end in disaster and verse 4 wastes no time in calling out such action.
Instead, the psalmist encourages, we will be better served by focusing on the beauty and power and faithful love of our Heavenly Father. Verses 5 and 11 help us direct our attention in the right and beneficial direction - Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders which You have done, and Your thoughts toward us, there is none to compare with You; if I would declare and speak of them, they would be too numerous to count and You, o Lord will not withhold Your compassion from me, Your loving-kindness and Your truth will continually preserve me. Oh what comfort and joy are ours when our minds are set on the faithfulness, the power, and the love of God towards us! Regardless of the circumstances we are in, when our eyes are turned towards His character, our hearts are filled with peace.
The psalm then declares that what God desires in HIs people is not outward expressions of religiousity (“sacrifices and meal offerings”) but rather a heart that is inclined towards His pleasure (“I delight to do Your will”). A heart which overflows in proclaiming the goodness of God - verse 10 I have not hidden Thy righteousness within my heart, I have spoken of Thy faithfulness and Thy salvation; I have not concealed Thy lovingkindness and Thy truth from the great congregation.
The psalm ends by circling back to his expectation that, as God has done in the past, he needs Him to rescue him again. He affirms that his trust is in God and only in Him, regardless of the difficulty of the situation and the derision of those around him. (verses 12-15) And his final thought is one of confident humility - v. 17 Since I am afflicted and needy, let the Lord be mindful of me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay o my God.
When you find yourself in need of rescue from a painful situation, in times that tempt us to be anxious or fearful, remember to WAIT. Not as in delaying action until something happens but as in QUAVAH - binding yourself to the Lord. Twisting up into the perspective that He is not wasting this situation, and into the knowledge of His faithfulness in the past, His power sufficient for today, and His persistent and unending love towards you. Let that focus cause your heart to delight in Him and look with expectation to His heart for blessing.