...do not delay

Psalm 40

1 I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry.

2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.

3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the LORD.

4 Blessed is the man
who makes the LORD his trust,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.

5 Many, O LORD my God,
are the wonders you have done.
The things you planned for us
no one can recount to you;
were I to speak and tell of them,
they would be too many to declare.

6 Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but my ears you have pierced,
burnt offerings and sin offerings
you did not require.

7 Then I said, "Here I am, I have come—
it is written about me in the scroll.

8 I desire to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart."

9 I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly;
I do not seal my lips, as you know, O LORD.

10 I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
I speak of your faithfulness and salvation.
I do not conceal your love and your truth
from the great assembly.

11 Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD;
may your love and your truth always protect me.

12 For troubles without number surround me;
my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see.
They are more than the hairs of my head,
and my heart fails within me.

13 Be pleased, O LORD, to save me;
O LORD, come quickly to help me.

14 May all who seek to take my life
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
be turned back in disgrace.

15 May those who say to me, "Aha! Aha!"
be appalled at their own shame.

16 But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation always say,
"The LORD be exalted!"

17 Yet I am poor and needy;
may the Lord think of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
O my God, do not delay.

In the past, when I had my quiet time with the Lord, I’ve chosen when, I’ve chosen the length, I’ve chosen the book…yeah, I have an ‘I’ problem! So, the other day, while reading a paper on blended families, the writer introduced me to the idea of radically changing my approach to prayer. He said ‘If we truly want radical change in our lives, our marriages/relationships, our families, or our children, we need to radically change our approach to prayer. Insanity has been described as “doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” The same is true of our prayer life. If we pray the same amount of time, with the same lack of zeal, with the same weak sacrifice and the same level of distraction, we CANNOT and WILL NOT experience change.’ That bowled me over! And it got me to thinking…what could happen, no…what WOULD happen if I applied that to my quiet time…what if I applied that to how I approach reading God’s word? God is challenging me to approach His word with a boldness and expectation. In James 4:2-3 it reads, ‘You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.’ So, that’s what I did today. I prayed in earnest before opening His word. I asked Him to lead me to were He needed me to read, to open my mind to His wisdom and to His teaching and to give me His heart so that I might have the compassion and humbleness to apply whatever teaching He brings to me to my life. The passage above is what He lead me to this morning.

Be bold! Be Radical! Approach God with zeal and a hunger! Approach His word with expectation…but let HIM lead you!

God is SO good!

~ V