Psalms 40:1-3

“I waited patiently for the LORD”

Psalms 40:1-2, “I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He 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.” One of the teachings that is emphasized and repeated a great deal in the book of Psalms is waiting on the LORD. One reason this teaching is emphasized is because men tend to be impatient by nature. Impatience is directly connected to the sinfulness of man, the self-will of man, the selfishness of man. This is one reason there is always more to learn about waiting on God.

In Psalms chapter 38 the life of man is compared to a moth. A moth lives for about only two weeks. How short is the life span of man. Man lives for about 100 years then dies. But Jesus Christ, whose Old Testament name is Jehovah, means the eternally existant one. This is the name used for God here in Psalms 40:1. Hebrews chapter 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to-day, and forever.” If you think you understand waiting on the LORD, if you think you have patience, then compare your short life span to the alpha and omega existence of God and you will realize there is always so much more to learn about waiting on God.

Psalms 40:1-2, “I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He 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.” Here in these verses waiting on the LORD is talked about in connection with prayer. Prayer is talking to God. Prayer is based on believing the promises of God. One of the very important things to remember about prayer is waiting on God to answer your prayers. God’s timing is always perfect. God has an everlasting loving kindness, a passionate mercy, especially for those who have repented of their sins to Jesus. God loves to answer the prayers of His children.

God always answers the prayer of salvation when a person who is lost in their sins turns to Christ who died for their sins. God answers the prayer of a lost soul for salvation. He can certainly answer any other prayer you pray to him. So pray to God and wait on God to answer your prayer. That is what these verses are saying when they say in Psalms 40:1-2, “I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He 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.”

Perhaps one of the greatest verses in the Old Testament regarding prayer is Jeremiah 33:3 which says, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”

In talking about waiting on the LORD for answers to prayer one of the most important things to remember is that God loves to answer prayers. God is a God of grace. There is one prayer that a person will never have to wait on the LORD to receive an answer for and that is the prayer for forgiveness of sins. This is why the Bible says in I John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

There is no doubt that every one of God’s children desires to see God do a great and mighty work in their lives just as Moses desired to see the glory of God. The greatest work of God, the mightiest work of God is the forgiveness of sins that is found in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ came to this earth 2000 years ago and died on the cross for the sins of the world. He was buried. He rose again the 3^rd day. This is why the Bible says concerning the mighty works of God in Ephesians 1:18-20, “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.”

Psalms 40:1-2, “I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He 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.” In Some ways a Christian is just serving the LORD by waiting on God to fulfill all of his promises that He has given in the Bible. There will always be things in life that you will pray to Christ for and he will perhaps have you wait a very long time on. Some people wait years, some wait all their lives for answers to prayer. There are some Christians in this world who pray years for the lost souls of the world, or lost souls that are their family. In waiting on the LORD for answers to prayer when you are tempted to doubt or to have impatient on waiting on the LORD all you need is to remember what the Bible says in Ephesians 1:19-20, “And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.”

This is why, in talking about waiting on the LORD for answer to prayer, Psalms 40:2 speaks of the redemption form the slavery of sin by saying, “He 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.” Jesus is the rock of Salvation. Jesus can bring the lost souls of men out of the horrible pit of darkness and sin, out of the miry clay and into the righteous of God by grace through faith and not of works. This eternal redemption from sin is something that no one has to wait on. all you have to do is repent of your sins and turn to Christ for salvation. If you are waiting on the LORD for answers to prayer then just remember what Christ did when he died on the cross for the sins of the world. Christ answers the prayer of lost souls for forgiveness of their sins when they pray to Him and Christ will answer other prayers. How do I know that Christ will answer my prayers? Because I know that Christ forgives me of my sins.

Psalms 40:3 says, “And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even a praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.” Sin destroys. Sin is a horrible pit and miry clay. But Jesus is the rock, the rock of salvation. Romans 1:17 says, “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” A Christian’s faith in God and in the promises of God is a Christian’s testimony to the lost people of the world who are lost in the miry clay of sin. What a testimony it can be to pray to Christ, to wait on the LORD for answers to prayer, to repent of sins and turn to Jesus Christ of Nazereth, of the seed of David, of the seed of Abraham, the Holy one of Israel. From faith to faith it says in Romans.

These verses in Psalms 1-3 describe for us one of the ways in which a God touches the heart of a lost person to turn to Christ. The repent of sin, the changing of one life, the bringing up of sinner from the miry clay into the redemption from sin that is in Jesus Christ of Nazareth often results in others repenting of their sins and turning to Jesus. This is why for revival to take place in a country all that is needed is for a little prayer, for the Word of God to be preached and for the lost to repent of their sins. It is Christ that is the faithful witness because it is Christ who died on the cross for the sins of the world 2000 years ago, was buried, and rose again the 3^rd day. Psalms 40:1-3 says, “I waited patiently on for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and hard my cry. He 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. And 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.”

$Description: C:\BibleGemsDoc\Image37.gif$

___________________________________________________