I waited patiently for the Lord;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
The word “waited” is used 47 times in the OT and 17 times in Psalms. It means waiting with a deep longing…so there is a deep sense of intimacy in David’s mind and heart as he waits for the Lord. Literally it reads: “Waiting, I waited.” This is the Hebrew Bible’s way of emphasis.
This is not easy for us, is it? Sometimes we wait and wonder if the Lord’s presence, blessings or answers to our prayers are coming at all. It just could be THE great challenge and hardship of the Christian life. We can conclude among other things that apparently; the immediate satisfaction of our desires does not accomplish the Lord’s purposes in our lives.
And let’s be candid: It seems that God has so ordered our lives that it can seem for a long time, maybe even years, that we wait and the Lord does nothing. We wait for Him but he doesn’t show up, at least not in a way that proves his presence or puts our doubts to rest. So, what then?
Richard Sibbes was right when he wrote: To live in hope, in confidence in God’s word no matter the circumstances of our lives, is the largest part of what it means to believe. We throw such words, faith, trust, belief, around a good deal, but what we are really talking about is being sure that God’s going to keep his word when it doesn’t look like he will.
Here, David is waiting…but there is an intimacy in his waiting…I am not sure I have figured that out…sometimes I think I have and at other times, I am waiting but not so sure it is all that patient.
The Lord inclined to David and heard his cry. This is the most uncommented part of the text, folks just run by it. I want to know why, why did the Lord incline himself to David? Why would the Lord listen…why would the Lord care about whatever it is that has David so distressed?
Literally it reads, the Lord bent toward me.
We could stop right there. The Lord bends toward us, why? Why would the Lord bend toward you or me? You may remember in Deuteronomy 7 the Lord gives the reason why He loves His people and He simply says, “I love you because I love you.” That is it! God pitches His love upon a person for reasons locked up to God Himself.
And now He comes and there is a deliverance.
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.
There are all kinds of opinions as to what David is referring to. But perhaps it is a mistake to think we have to settle on one or another. Maybe the imagery is broad because our “pits” can be quite broad.
Maybe it is physical, or maybe it is external circumstances, people or just what is going on in your world. Or, maybe you are finally beginning to experience freedom from certain sins…you are seeing yourself clearly, your sin clearly…oh it is hard, quite painful, but the Lord is answering your prayers…He is drawing you out and what is he going to do with you?
He is going to make your footing sure. You have steps to take, but now, they are different, they are sure, the Lord has ordered them. This is repentance when your steps used to be toward the pit, they had you stuck in the miry bog, but this is true no more.
But it is more than just a new path, as glorious as that is, but you are becoming a different person, because the Lord has bent toward you.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
David’s words were cries from the heart, and now, from the heart there is singing…singing of praise.
*We are becoming a church that sings gloriously and well. However, this is not just so we ‘can’ sing…but that we have something to sing about!
Men, if you don’t sing, if WE don’t sing, one might conclude that we have nothing for which to sing and give praise. This is not to be a devotion on singing, but I will say that there is a spiritual vacuum, a void and maybe even a problem if we are not a singing people. God is a singing God, and we are to be imitators of God.
This is a new song, there are always new songs because God is always doing something new for us!
Prayer: Father, for endurance to persevere in the face of trial, suffering and sorrow, I humbly ask. To continue to fight against indwelling sin that brings much grief to my life, I pray. To humbly embrace whatever You send for the testing of my faith, that it may be pure and that I might be faithful, Father for this I submit myself to You and Your wisdom, through Jesus Christ my Lord, Amen.
Hymn: My Song is Love Unknown.