Day 171

Continue to Wait for God

Read: Psalms 38-41

Psalm 38 is the third of the penitential psalms. The expression of repentance should have a significant place in our lives. Having acknowledged the sad consequences of his sin, the psalmist waits for the blessing of God which he knows will come to those with a penitent spirit.

In Psalm 39, David is overwhelmed by his frailty, but his response is, “And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you” (v. 7 ESV). Our sin and our weakness need to be very real to us, but praise God, they are not the last word. That last word is the intervening grace of God. Praise the Lord!

The theme of waiting is found in Psalm 40, which begins, “I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the desolate pit” (vv. 1-2). Our patience will pay off. God often tests us by not giving us what we want as quickly as we want it. But the result is spiritual growth. In this life, deliverance is not permanent. At the end of the psalm, David is again in distress, but he knows that the gracious God who has helped him in the past will help him again.

Throughout most of Psalm 41, David expresses disappointment with his circumstances, but he ends with praise. The psalms are divided into five books, each ending in praise.

PRAYER
Father, how we need patience, and faith that in the end all will be well, because of Jesus. Amen.