It would appear to me that we all live in the land of hurried drivers. I've seen some incredibly stupid maneuvers, and maybe I've done one or two of those same silly things, but it seems the more I live the later people behind the wheel seem to get. They just can't seem to get there fast enough! And the speed signs posted on the side of the road are more like suggestions or guidelines and not necessarily laws if we are to believe how people drive. It's as if when we open the door to our cars we leave patience on the curb and we buckle in with hurry up. We speed off to wherever it is we don't want to go and get there early or late and still can't seem to remember where we left patience. The psalmist for all we know walked everywhere he went. Sometimes he may have ridden a horse or camel, but usually he took walks. And he seemed to be a man of patience for he begins this psalm about how patience is an important ingredient of prayer. He had a need and he took it to the Lord and he waited. We don't know for how long, but this version says, "At last He looked; finally He listened," and some of us would identify with that description of prayer as well. The key to remember is that God answered. And what an answer he gave to the psalmist for David writes that God lifted him out of the ditch and pulled him out of the deep mud. He stood him on a solid rock to make sure he didn't slip back into that mud and ditch. And as a bonus God taught him a new song, a song of praise. And David saw more and more people enter that mystery of faith, forgetting everything else and centering on God. It may be that patience is a God thing and when we hurry ourselves we may even be leaving God behind. David says to give ourselves over to God, to turn our back on the "sure things" of this world and to ignore the latest fads and gadgets and gimmicks; which, if we aren't careful could turn into objects of worship. The psalmist says that if we just look around we might see God-wonders and hear God-thoughts. We don't see much as we speed along and try to text at the same time, do we? Okay, I've gone from preaching to meddling. The point is that we have to listen. We need to make God the center of our lives to the point that He becomes the center of our being. Those who have tried putting other things as the center of their being soon discovered that idol or habit or addiction made you as sick as the idea of turning away from God.
We should not keep the good news of God's love to ourselves. It's too precious a message to keep to ourselves. It is a message we should share with all people. We are called to tell the whole story and how God took us from where we were to bring us to where we are. We may not yet be where God would have us be, but again, it's all in God's time, not ours. We hold nothing back, not love nor passion for God and God's people - we share all. And that brings about that which holds us together.
PRAYER: Loving God, as I reflect on my life I can see faintly where I used to be. Yes, You took me out of the mud and the ditch in which I found myself and You pulled me out and gave me a new chance to live. Help me to be the person that blesses You and blesses others. Hold me together and let me be patient in all things, especially my driving and my dealings with all people. I pray in Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.
Eradio Valverde
Here is the link to the video presentation of this devotional: (Copy and paste in your URL) https://youtu.be/0JyBJiGC9NM
