Great Plains Daily Devotional for 1/14/2020

Psalm 40:1-11 

To the leader. Of David. A Psalm.

I waited patiently for the Lord;
    he inclined to me and heard my cry.
He drew me up from the desolate pit,
    out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
    making my steps secure.
He put a new song in my mouth,
    a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
    and put their trust in the Lord.

Happy are those who make
    the Lord their trust,
who do not turn to the proud,
    to those who go astray after false gods.
You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
    your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
    none can compare with you.
Were I to proclaim and tell of them,
    they would be more than can be counted.

Sacrifice and offering you do not desire,
    but you have given me an open ear.
Burnt offering and sin offering
    you have not required.
Then I said, “Here I am;
    in the scroll of the book it is written of me.
I delight to do your will, O my God;
    your law is within my heart.”

I have told the glad news of deliverance
    in the great congregation;
see, I have not restrained my lips,
    as you know, O Lord.
I have not hidden your saving help within my heart,
    I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness
    from the great congregation.

Do not, O Lord, withhold
    your mercy from me;
let your steadfast love and your faithfulness
    keep me safe forever.

At the beginning of a new year, I find myself taken time to think about where I am in my life in all facets. One thing I’ve always been keenly aware of is that I’m not patient enough. I like to see results immediately and want to move onto the next thing on my list. This is especially true when I look at goals for the previous year and see where I am. Almost always, my hope is to be a lot further down the road than I am.
 
When I read the Psalmist’s words from Psalm 41, I’m reminded that almost every time God has done amazing things in my life, it has happened gradually and over the long haul. This true of my personal life and my ministry. God’s time has no relation to human time. God will use us and guide us through the plan set before us, but we will feel like nothing is happening. That is, until we look back and realize how much amazing work God has done around us, and in spite of us. 
 
The Psalmist declares, “He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.” God hears our cries, but we must wait patiently for God’s response. I need to keep my eyes, ears, and heart open to all the ways God may respond, and not just turned to my own vision of how it should be done. Looking back reminds that the greatest moments with God have been unexpected and totally not in the same realm as my ideas. I need to look back a little more in my life to be more open in the present. If I can find myself waiting patiently for the Lord, then I will be more likely to be singing a new song and sharing the blessings of God each and every day.
 

Prayer for Reflection

Isaiah 42:1-9
Psalm 29
Acts 10:34-43
Matthew 3:13-17