Psalm 40:1 I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry
Most of the time you can only see humor, irony, or profundity if you are paying attention. So many times, we see someone who may be deadpan or understated and totally miss what is happening because he is not giving a neon sign pointing towards what he is saying. Maybe you have an uncle who has a really dry sense of humor. He can say something absolutely hilarious, but everyone misses it unless they are paying attention. Sometimes you can be talking to people when someone basically carpet bombs the conversation and no one even knows it has happened because they are not paying attention.
In Psalm 40 I am reminded of this in the sense that there is some profundity here and maybe some irony and humor. In Psalm 40:1 David says, “I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.” So, this is about patiently waiting. You can hear David saying, “Ahh, I patiently wait,” and you can hear the peace and lack of rush and hurry and anxiety in his voice. Well, before the psalm is over you read verse 13, “Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me; O LORD, make haste to help me.” The end of the psalm in verse 17 says, “But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.” David seems to be saying, “I’m patient. I’m patiently waiting, but, God, hurry!”
How do you account for this? I think it is evident that patience does not mean indifference, meaning that is there is no difference, lack of interest, enthusiasm, and concern, no special like or dislike, no good or bad. Patience does not mean indifference. Notice what was behind David. In verse 1 he says he cried and God heard his cry. That is not indifference. Something significant was happening in David’s life. In verse 2 he says that God brought him up out of a horrible pit. Those are strong words. Verse 3 talks about the fact that he has a new song that God put in his mouth. There is a wide range of emotions. He cried to God; he sang a song from God. In the meantime, God pulled him out of a horrible pit. So, you look at what was behind David and it wasn’t indifference.
You see what was within David in verse 10, “I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness.” He goes on to say the same thing in other ways. In other words, David could not bottle this up. There was a fire brewing and he had to say something. He was not indifferent. Patience does not mean indifference.
Notice what was before David. Verse 11 says, “Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD; let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.” Now he is looking to the future. In verse 12 he says, “For innumerable evils have compassed me about.” He was surrounded by threats. Then he basically says, “God, in the future let those people be ashamed. Let them be desolate. And let the people who trust in You rejoice.” So, notice what was before David. Patience is not indifference.
What is patience? Patience is continually accounting for God in your prospects. It is looking to the future and not counting God out. It is looking at tomorrow and the future and seeing God there. Now, I don’t need patience if I am already sufficient, but David was not sufficient. In the last verse he says, “But I am poor and needy.” Was David constrained financially? No, but there is more than one way to be poor and more than one way to be needy. David had a number of ways that he was poor and needy. He needed God. David was not self-sufficient and therefore he asked and received what he needed from God. He says, “God heard my cry, and I know that he will hear my cry.” There is some urgency there. “God, please hurry! But I am patiently waiting.” Patience is not indifference; it is continually accounting for God in your future prospects.
I don’t need patience if I understand everything. There were many times when the psalmist said, “Lord, how long? How long until I receive relief or hear an answer? How long will my life be full of turmoil and enemies?” I don’t understand even the things I think I understand, and I am not sufficient even in the things for which I think I am sufficient. How often should I be looking to God for my future? Continually. David said, “Continually preserve me,” The New Testament says, “Pray without ceasing.” So, how often should you pray? As often as you need it. How long do you circle the Walmart parking lot looking for a spot? It is until you find one. How long do you pray? As long as you need to. Friend, we are always needy, but we just don’t always know it. So, continually we should be praying.
Then the Bible says, “In everything give thanks.” Continuous praise and prayer kind of go together. Today, it may be there is a sense of urgency in your heart. It may be there is a sense of neediness in your heart, maybe a sense of lacking understanding in your heart. Just remember that patience is not indifference. Patience is accounting for God in your future.