2011 Jan 17 Monday After Second Sunday of Epiphany
Waiting Patiently. Takes every bit of effort and concentration, but the end results are good.
Psalm 40:1-11
1I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
2He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
3And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.
4Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
5Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.
6Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.
7Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,
8I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.
9I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest.
10I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy loving kindness and thy truth from the great congregation.
11Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy loving kindness and thy truth continually preserve me.
Patience has never been my strong suit. More often my prayer would be something along the line of “Lord, grant me patience and hurry up about it okay?”
Yet, the Psalmist starts his song with “I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. 2He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
” Waiting on the Lord, and knowing that he has heard my cry emulates the Psalmist. I deal with physical challenges. As the physical pain increases, my cry is often more desperate. Waiting patiently as the Psalmist writes is not an act of desperation.
So we must learn by example. The writer points the way. Patience will allow God to demonstrate His love and grace. Patience in the midst of trial gives God a chance to shine. The eleventh hour rolls around and all hope disappears in the looming threat. Then God, with a still small voice speaks and teaches us faith.
As children of God, we are more akin to the racer who jumps the gun. We place the outcome in jeopardy because we are too impatient to wait on the Lord. The runner who plunges ahead before the starting gun, must return to the starting line and the challenge becomes greater.
A race where one leapt before the gun, often ends with the loss of the race for the very one who was certain s/he could start.
One of the great leaders of the American Civil Rights Movement was Martin Luther King, Jr. His letters from a Birmingham Jail demonstrated his infinite capacity for waiting on the Lord. He gave his life serving the Lord as a Baptist preacher and a citizen devoted to changing a world divided into one of equality for all.
We celebrate his life and gift to us this weekend and hold him up as another example of one who waited upon the Lord’s transforming power. The results of his patience and allowing the Lord to work changed the world and we are the better for it.
So, the question becomes: What must I do, to make this a better place, O Lord? How can I wait upon Thee best? (I use the ‘Thee’ form the way Martin Buber used when he wrote in I and Thou)
What say you? What can you do to wait upon the Lord, patiently? On the mark, get set. Go!
