John Stanko

"I waited patiently for the Lord;
    he turned to me and heard my cry.
Blessed is the one
    who trusts in the Lord,
who does not look to the proud,
    to those who turn aside to false gods" (Psalm 40:1, 4).

The first thing to notice in these verses is that David had to wait patiently for the Lord. God does not operate according to your timetable. There is a song that says, "He may not come when you want Him, but He always comes on time." Even while he was waiting, however, David kept on crying out to the Lord for help. The second thing is that while you are waiting, there can be a temptation to take a shortcut to look to the proud or for help from those who trust in false gods. Those who do not give in to that temptation are blessed because they maintain their trust in the Lord, even when the Lord doesn't seem to be moving in their direction. Moses was a good example of this kind of trust, as described by the writer of Hebrews: "By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible" (Hebrews 11:24-27). Are you trusting in the Lord, all the while praying to Him for deliverance or direction? Are you resorting to shortcuts, as Moses could have done, or are you doing what he did, and that is trusting in the Lord with your whole heart? Do you see the One who is invisible and persevering in your faith?

Today's reading - Psalms 36-40