10 Minute Tuesdays

Alicia over at Faithful Chick has started 10 Minute Tuesdays. Click here for directions.

Today's verse is Psalm 40:11-17

"Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD; may your love and your truth always protect me. For troubles without number surround me; my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails within me. Be pleased, O LORD, to save me; O LORD, come quickly to help me. May all who seek to take my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace. May those who say to me, "Aha! Aha!" be appalled at their own shame. But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, "The LORD be exalted!"Yet I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; O my God, do not delay."

I've read over this verse several times today and the parts that keep sticking out to me (kind of like a Holy Highlighter has marked them) are "come quickly to help me" and "do not delay."

David is desperate for God to act, to be present, to make Himself known. He is especially desperate because not only do his own sins seem to be overwhelming him; he is feeling attacked by others at the same time. (A double whammy.)

This is so how I feel on some days. My sins are so overwhelming and Satan and others are eager to point that out. I become discouraged and doubtful. On those days I am desperate for God to act, to be present, to make Himself known, to rescue me. However, the thought I had today when I read this verse was that I want to be desperate to see God act, to feel his presence and make Himself known everyday, in every circumstance even in the mundane every day tasks of life... not just when I feel like I am drowning and need Him to lift me up out of the pit. I want to seek Him, rejoice in Him and be glad in Him in everything. In other words, I don't want to wait until I am desperate to be desperate for God. I want to have an attitude of "come quickly God" and "do not delay" in everything.

The other reason these phrases stuck out is that sometimes God has a purpose for His delay. He requires a "holy wait" from us. This is a lesson I am still learning and have been for some time. I want to say "Hurry God" "Take care of this quickly" "Let's check this off and move on" but His timeline does not always match mine. I have to rest assured that whenever He acts, it will be in His perfect timing. And if he requires me to wait... it is for a purpose.