“It Was Messy but I Made It Through”
Psalm 40: 1-2 (NIV)
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.
I have been in rough places in my life that I placed myself in. It wasn’t God, it was not the actions of any person but it was me. It is only when we realize the error of our ways that God can rescue from our mess. The good news is God does not leave us destitute. (In a state of poverty)
Observation 1: Embrace the Process of Waiting.
a. We do this by being patient.
I personally had to learn the process of remembering what God had done earlier in my life. Being patient begins with our attitude and our ability to delay our gratification. It just like when you go to the store and you get in a line that you thing is shorter but the cashier is slow so you make a move to get into another line and it is just as slow.
Then the line that you get out of starts moving quickly. We have to learn the process of waiting!
b. Believe that your deliverance will come.
We have to come to a place of believing that God is going to bring us out of the messy places and situations. David began to think about what God had delivered him before and he became encouraged. God wants to encourage you to not give up. Just because it has not happened yet, does not mean that it won’t happen. Tell your neighbor to hold on until happens!
c. God will strengthen you while you wait.
David began to get his strength back as he waited. As he became encouraged, he became less aggravated. The enemy has aggravated many to the point where they don’t believe anymore and have been defeated.
This is the same David who poured out his heart in Psalm 37:1-3 (KJV) 1 Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. 2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
Psalm 33:20-21 (AMP) 20 We wait [expectantly] for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. 21 For in Him our heart rejoices, Because we trust [lean on, rely on, and are confident] in His holy name. God is trying to relay to us that our blessing will come through our patience and waiting with the right attitude. Get yourself together and get back on track!
Observation 2: Be Confident That God Will Be With You During Calamity.
a. God hears your plea when you call Him.
You may not think that God does not hear you but He hears your faintest cry. He hears your groaning and your intercessions. That’s why we don’t have to go through any other person or source. God said call me and I will answer you! The enemy is after your peace. He is after your praise and your worship unto God. He wants to take your testimony. Don’t give in to the enemy but keep calling on the name of the Lord.
b. God sustains you through your faith.
Heb. 11:1 (KJV) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
We cannot allow ourselves to worry about things we don’t have control over but concentrate on what you can control. You have the ability to speak something into life. The Bible tells us this in Prov. 18:21 (NIV) The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
c. Don’t faint when your request is delayed.
This just means that God is working on it! He has not forgotten about your prayers and petitions. He knows you by name. Put your trust in the Lord! Why because He has a track record. He has performed before and you just have to praise while you wait. Sing a new song to yourself to keep your encouragement up.
Don’t isolate yourself from your brothers and sisters but engage them in your process. Find somebody who will pray with and for you and then go back and pray yourself! The enemy wants you to check out and depend on alternative facts but place your trust in the Lord. Why? Because, Psalm 40:4 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.
d. God perfects your faith through the process of inactivity.
God does this by giving you provision while you wait. He gives you just enough to sustain you until the promise is fulfilled. He’ll stretch what you have until it runs out and then He will give you a refill!
God wants us to realize that our process is not meant to destroy us but to elevate our faith even when it does not happen like we want it to be.
God is working on you so you can be perfected in the process. Don’t give up because it is painful but bear down and buckle down until your change comes.
Observation 3: Be Confident That God Will Bring You Out!
The a clause of vs. 2, says that “He brought me up out of a horrible pit and out of the mire clay.”
This passage reveals another instance of David being confident in the ability of God to rescue him from a place of distress. The word confidence has implication of one’s feelings or the consciousness of one's powers. The faith or belief that one will act in a right, proper, or effective way.
Being confident in God allows us to draw upon the strength of past victories and from others who have had similar situations. He wants us to rely upon the fact that He is able to do what needs to be done at the right time!
I believe this is a result of our intimate relationship with God. God desires that we grow in our faith and persevere through the roughest circumstances.
God wants us to bring us to a level of maturity that will bring glory to His name and will cause those who may not believe that there must be a God. God is going to bring many of us to an established place that is secure and the plot of enemy will not be able to destroy you or your testimony.
Psalm 40:4. Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods. False gods of doubt, false gods of materialism, false gods of selfishness, falsehood of being average.
Elevate your faith through the messiness of your situations. Elevate your mind to see beyond the barriers that are in front of you.
It may be messy right now but place your confidence in God. It may not look good right now but believe your heart that God can perform a miracle in your life. God Can, God will renew your strength just like an eagle!
