My Deliverer

"I waited patiently for the LORD to help me,

and he turned to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the pit of despair,

out of the mud and the mire.

He set my feet on solid ground

and steadied me as I walked along.

He has given me a new song to sing,

a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see what he has done and be amazed.

They will put their trust in the LORD."

Psalm 40:1-3 NLT

I hate waiting.  There, I've said it.  I try to be patient but if I'm honest with myself I realize that I want results and I want them now.  I am a product of our fast-food, world-at-our-fingertips smart phone culture.

God, however, is a God of perfect timing.  He transcends time itself and is not influenced by the calendar at all.  To Him, things will occur when He wants them to take place.  What will happen when I enter into His sense of timing, His world of perfect pace, and wait on Him?

Hears Me.  There is nothing that hurts my feelings more, and quite frankly annoys me, than being ignored.  I've been in situations when a story I'm telling is interrupted and no one cares to hear the rest, or when I call out to someone and they keep walking because they probably didn't hear me, or when I ask a question and the answer given does not address the concern I have.  Being ignored makes me feel unimportant and as if I'm not significant enough to be heard.

God, however, never does this to me.  He values me as His child and always hears me when I cry out to Him.  Even if I never sense His presence or His tender listening ear, I always have His attention.  What a comfort to know that He is not deaf to my concerns!

God is a Father who always hears me when I pray.

Acts.  I recently heard a new definition of laziness that knocked me off my high horse.  I was with a group of ladies listening to a lesson by Chip Ingram from his powerful Bible study called "True Spirituality." I heard him say that laziness is when you don't do what you know you need to do right when it needs to be done.  Hmmm.  I realized I'm quite lazy even though I'm pretty industrious and driven.  There are many times when I let things slide, or procrastinate, or turn a blind eye to a need in my midst.

God is never lazy.  He acts according to His perfect plan, never tarrying or dragging His proverbial feet.  When I fall into depression, He pulls me out, reminding me of the hope I have in Jesus and the many reasons I have to carry on.  Other times He rescues me from a state of confusion or deception, when I've fallen into faulty beliefs, let my priorities get all out of whack, or begin to follow the wrong teaching.  He reminds me of the truth and sets me right-side-up again with my feet on solid ground.  God never fails to act when action is necessary.

God is a Father who does what needs to be done to help me in my walk with Him.

Gives.  I used to see things differently.  Before I got to know God more intimately, as a Father who loves and cherishes me, I used to think He was a bit standoffish, as if He was on the outskirts of my life, watching and observing but never really getting involved.  It wasn't until recently that I really embraced the truth:  God is a loving, doting Father who wants nothing more from me than my attention and devotion.  He longs to walk with me every step of the way, never leaving my side or getting distracted by other concerns.  He is wholly devoted to me and desires that I be the same to Him.

This kind of God blows my mind.  How can He love me so intimately and cherish me in such a personal way?  He is just that powerful!  And as I enter into His embrace, I see things differently from His arms.  I am treasured as a well-loved child and there is nothing I can do to make Him love me more or to give Him reason to reject me (Romans 8:39).  My place in His heart is secure and is not based on my performance or faithfulness.

As I grow closer and observe more and more of His character, He gives me a new reason to carry on.  My motives for living well are different.  Instead of trying to prove my worth, I sink deeper into His arms and release a sigh of contentment.  In the place of extolling the virtues of righteous living, I sing a song of praise to a God who has transformed my heart and shown me my worth as His child.  While I used to love what He had done for me, I now adore Him as a God who is rich in character and deeply loving; it is Him I love for who He is.  He has given me a new lifesong!

God is a Father who generously gives me a fresh outlook and a new song to sing.

Even though I despise waiting, when I trust God enough to let Him have His way in my life I find that He always hears me, never fails to act when necessary, and liberally grants me more than I can imagine.  In these ways God is my deliverer in whom I rejoice!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God enough to let Him choose for me.

When do I act as if God doesn't hear me when I need Him most?

How do I try to help myself instead of letting God do what He does best?