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?

A Dynamic God

"In my distress I called to the LORD;

I cried to my God for help.

From his temple he heard my voice;

my cry came before him, into his ears.

The earth trembled and quaked,

and the foundations of the mountains shook . . .

He reached down from on high and took hold of me;

he drew me out of deep waters.

He rescued me from my powerful enemy. . ."

Psalm 18:6,7a,16,17

There is no deeper longing in the human heart than to be heard.  Arguments often times are generated by each side desperately trying to make their case known while neither seeks to understand.  I often search for a listening ear, a compassionate shoulder on which to cry, someone who cares.  Meanwhile, marriages crumble, relationships collapse and the heart is estranged.  Does anyone hear?

God is not far-removed and disconnected from His image-bearers, stuck in one place and hopelessly one-dimensional.  He is intertwined and intimately involved in our lives, complex and dynamic.  He desires relationship as much as I do, yet He is perfectly equipped to maintain such a bond.  He always hears, never fails to understand my heart's cry, and responds in a way that will bring goodness and blessing into my dry and broken spirit.  He is the One I've been searching for all this time.  He is the One who can fill this deepest need.

Receives.  He is a holy God.  He is on the throne in heaven on high.    He must be far too busy and way too hallowed to listen to lowly me, or so I think.  In reality, I was made to live in relationship with Him.  I was not meant to go it alone, bear my own burdens and solve every problem I face.  He wants me to come to Him as a daughter approaches a loving Father who desires nothing more than to care for His child (Matthew 6:32-33, Hebrews 4:16).

Our God, the Maker of heaven and earth, is not an aloof God who is consumed with power and stingy with His gifts.  No.  Through faith in Jesus Christ, He is welcoming and approachable.  He listens to my desperate cries for help.  My petitions never fall on deaf ears, but always reach His consciousness where He is grieved for me.  My sufferings move the heart of God.

God always hears my prayers.

Responds.  It is good to know that I am heard and fully understood.  My heart longs for such love, and I have it through Christ.  Even more astounding than such a powerful God being attentive to my cries, however, is a mighty God who actually does something in response.

My Father doesn't just hear me, but my voice moves Him to action.  When I am wronged He burns with anger.  When my heart hurts He is grieved as a Father who wants nothing more than to take His child's pain away.  When I am in distress He leads me to a place of safety (Psalm 18:16-19).

God is always at work on my behalf.  He doesn't just leave me to my own devices, but constantly meddles in my life, giving me more than I could ever have on my own.  Sometimes this kind of attentiveness hurts as He molds me into the shape of His Son.  Other times it makes my heart sing as I see His love in action.  Still, I can trust in Him always, knowing He is on the job and will never let me down.

God responds to my prayers.

Reflects.  God hears me always, then responds in ways only He can.  But there is more.  The Lord is a God of order, of government, of symmetry.  He is not a random God, but One who cannot be mocked.  Therefore, I can expect to reap what I sow, to receive what I give (Galatians 6:8).  In other words, God reflects back to me what I think of Him and the way I live my life.

It reminds me of a parable I once heard of a wise man posted at the gates of a great city.  A traveler approached and asked the elder, "What kind of people live in this place?"  

The man replied with a question of his own, "What were the people like from where you came?"

"Oh, they were nasty and cruel, always looking to make a buck."

"Then that is what you will find here as well."  

The newcomer went on his way and entered the city.

Soon, another weary traveler approached the sage.

"Tell me, sir, what kind of people live in this place?"

He countered again by asking how the people were in the place from which he came.

"Oh, they were wonderful!  Kind and thoughtful, generous and caring."

"Then you will find the same here."

The moral is that I find what I seek and my perception is colored by my expectations as well as my own attitude.

This is similar with God.  He does not change, but it is I who determines the side of Him I will see.  If I'm faithful, trusting in Him as my only hope, I will see Him as faithful.  If I live with integrity, He is to me a God who cares about how I live.  If, however, I live to please myself, not caring if I deviate from His best for me, He will appear as my antagonist.  I will soon grow angry at Him, wondering why His hand always seems against me, while in truth, it is I who is contrary to Him (Psalm 18:25-28).

Therefore, I have a responsibility to constantly check my attitude, to ask God to show me where I'm off, to test my own motives (Psalm 139:23-24).  The minute I sense a change in the way I view God, it is necessary that I stop and take inventory of my heart.  How am I doubting Him?  Where am I becoming lax, thinking sin is not a big deal and giving myself a pass?  How am I sowing seeds of the flesh?

God reflects my own attitude back toward me.

Thankfully, God is nearby, intimate and approachable, not stagnate, dead or unresponsive.  As such, I can trust Him to always hear my cries, to respond in a way that is best for me, and to reflect what I give to Him.  Yes, let me relate to Him as the living, responsive and dynamic God He is!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God enough to spill my heart out to Him, no matter how ugly it may seem.

How do I expect less from God than what He is able to give?

When do I think God does not hear me, turning bitter and angry in response?