“Now would be a good time!”

 

I remember praying these
words to God many years ago.  I was in a
tight spot and I was being attacked for something I didn’t do and although my
own reactions didn’t help the situation, my heart testified to my innocence.  “Now would be a good time, Lord,” I would
pray.  “Now would be a great time to rise
up and defend me…”  He never did it like
I wanted Him to.  And I’m not surprised.

 

God doesn’t move on our
timetable and yet we are told we can call on Him and He will answer.   King David certainly understood this
feeling.  No, he wasn’t perfect but there
were times he knew he was innocent of the charges hurled against him and he
prayed, “Lord, now would be a good time to rise up and defend me.”  But if I had to bet, I’d bet David learned a
lot about the Lord’s sustaining power while waiting.  I know I did.   

 

Psalm
69:13–18 (NIV)

13 But I pray to you, Lord, in the time of your favor; in your
great love,

O God, answer me with your sure salvation.

14 Rescue me from the mire, do not let me
sink;

deliver me from those who hate me,

from the deep waters.

15 Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or
the depths swallow

me up or the pit close its mouth over me.

16 Answer me, Lord, out of the goodness of your love;

in your great mercy turn to me.

17 Do not hide your face from your servant;

answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.

18 Come near and rescue me;

deliver me because of my foes.

 

 

The Psalmist is very aware
of what’s going on around him.  He’s
aware of the rising tide around him.  The
floodwaters of trouble seem to be engulfing him and he feels like he’s being
closed up in a pit.  But in the midst of
this turmoil, David takes the opportunity to renew his commitment to the Lord.

 

In verse sixteen, as he’s
calling to the Lord to answer him, the inspired Psalmist confesses the
greatness of the Lord’s love and his great mercy.  Then in verse eighteen, he seeks the Lord’s
closeness and deliverance.  This is a
renewal of his commitment to the Lord because he is not seeking some other
source of rescue but only the deliverance the Lord can give.

 

In doing this, David also
reasserts the Lord’s character.  It is
the Lord’s favor (verse 13), great love (verse 13), pure salvation (verse 13),
goodness (verse 16), and mercy (verse 16) David falls on.  There are overtones to Exodus 34:5-8 here
too:

 

5 Then
the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his
name, the Lord. 6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming,
“The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger,
abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands,
and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty
unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the
parents to the third and fourth generation.”

8 Moses
bowed to the ground at once and worshiped.

 

Although there are times
the Psalms are very raw and harsh, there is always this hope in the Lord.  There is a reminder of the faithfulness the
Lord had in the past and a request for Him to repeat it again.  There is a reminder to himself that this is
the Lord He is addressing—this is his Deliverer he addresses!

 

When you pour your heart
out to God in sorrow or distress, remember that: it is your Deliverer you
address.  It’s not that He can’t take
your abuse.  It’s just that He shouldn’t have
to.

 

Tommy Walker’s 2005 worship
song might help focus you a bit in those rough times:

 

Verse 1

Lord I surrender all

To Your strong and faithful hand

In everything I will give thanks to You

I’ll just trust Your perfect plan

 

Verse 2

Lord I surrender all

Though I’ll never understand

All the mysteries around me

I’ll just trust Your perfect plan

 

Chorus

When I don’t know what to do

I’ll lift my hands

When I don’t know what to say

I’ll speak Your praise

When I don’t know where to go

I’ll run to Your throne

When I don’t know what to think

I’ll stand on Your truth

When I don’t know what to do

“When I Don’t Know What To
Do”

© 2005 Doulos Publishing
(Admin. by Maranatha! Music)

Tommy Walker

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