Closer Day 16 | Psalm 40:1-10
Read: Psalm 40:1-10
1I waited patiently for the Lord;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
2 He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the Lord.
4 Blessed is the man who makes
the Lord his trust,
who does not turn to the proud,
to those who go astray after a lie!
5 You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
none can compare with you!
I will proclaim and tell of them,
yet they are more than can be told.
6 In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted,
but you have given me an open ear.
Burnt offering and sin offering
you have not required.
7 Then I said, “Behold, I have come;
in the scroll of the book it is written of me:
8 I delight to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart.”
9 I have told the glad news of deliverance
in the great congregation;
behold, I have not restrained my lips,
as you know, O Lord.
10 I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart;
I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness
from the great congregation.
Reflect:
Waiting on the Lord is no easy task. At times, the longer we wait, the more we begin to doubt God’s goodness and His desire to provide for us. This is especially true in difficult seasons of life when we are facing hardships, trials, and uncertainty over our future. In these times of waiting and uncertainty, it is important that we realize that waiting is not a passive act but a proactive act of surrender where we choose to trust God with our lives more than we trust ourselves.
Fear and anxiety arise when we try to take life into our own hands and figure everything out. Peace and hope arise when we put our lives in God’s hands because He already has everything figured out. The encouragement of this Scripture for us as believers is to not waste our waiting but to take advantage of the times when we are ultimately dependent on the Lord to provide for us in situations that are outside of our control. In this psalm, David talks about how he waited patiently on the Lord and delighted in His will for his life as the Lord set his feet upon a rock. The rock here is Christ and the victor. He defeated sin, death, and the enemy, ultimately securing for us an eternal hope. No matter what happens in our current situations and lifetime, we can proactively wait with peace and hope by choosing to fix our eyes on our Savior rather than our situation, knowing that in the end, because of Jesus, we will win. Today, don’t waste your waiting; instead surrender your timeline to God, allowing Him to mold you and grow you, and set your feet upon the Rock.
Prayer:
Thank you Lord, for being worthy of my trust and surrender. I ask that today, that You help me fix my eyes on Jesus and not my situation and to grow my faith in the midst of difficult seasons as I delight in Your will and your ways. Thank you for giving me hope, peace, and purpose beyond my pain.
This devotional is part of our Closer: 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting. Our hope is that this will assist you in focusing your heart each day. To learn more or to get caught up, click here.