PSALM 13 – How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken. But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.”
THEME OF THE DAY: THE SIN OF IMPATIENCE PURGED. Oh, how we relate to David in today’s scripture! Who has not displayed the sin of impatience in life’s situations and relationships? Oh, by the way, yes, impatience is sin and that affirmed by two things. First, when we are impatient it is an attitude or emotion of irritation of what is currently happening in our lives. And that is rebellion either by verbally complaining or inwardly grumbling against the sovereignty of God – a serious crime against the Judge and Orchestrator of all things in our lives. Another reason why impatience is a sin is relational. When we are impatient with people, we are displaying a lack of love to them. Remember part of the definition and act of love described by the Apostle Paul? Check it out in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 and when we do, notice the very first quality of love – “Love is patient” making its opposite also true – impatience is lack of love.
Back to David and his cries of impatience. For him, this is not a small issue. He cries out to the Lord, not once, twice, not even three times, but four time, “How long, how long, how long, how long”? with an intensity basically saying, “Lord, where are You? I have been praying and praying with no answers, no sense of Your presence, Why are You not responding? I am weary and growing quite impatient of pleading with no response.” This is bold, not presumptuous, but bold, and that is an insight to the quality of his relationship with his God.
Well, as we progress through the Psalm, pay close attention to the shift in David’s attitude and action. He goes from impatiently complaining to the Lord in the beginning to a patient submission to Him in trust and praise – But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me. Nothing has changed. His circumstances don’t appear different, but David is different. He could not, neither can we, change the people and circumstances in our lives tempting us to be sinfully impatient. And that is the lesson for us. God will often delay in answering prayer or intervening in a situation to teach us patient and glad submission, trust, and the spiritual resolve to get our eyes off ourselves and on to Him through praise. So when the temptation to be impatient comes up, and it will, stop and be David-like. Submit to God’s sovereignty, trust His love and start praising Him. All three of these attitudes and actions will produce the opposite of impatience – the fruit of patience!
PRAYER: “Father, forgive me when I become impatient and rebellious when You do not act according to my desires.”
QUOTE: “Impatience must be purged from the believer. It hinders spiritual growth and reveals lack of love.”
Because of Him,
Pastor Jim