“Delay.”

One of my favorite songs by U2 is “40”, based off of Psalm 40:1-3 (watch them perform it here alongside another great U2 song, “Yahweh”). The lyrics seem simple enough. Yet, don’t be deceived. There’s amazing heart and honesty in this Psalm from David.

In our Night of Worship last Sunday night, I shared these three verses. As I have been pouring over these words lately, I have found each verse holds a very clear word that finds us at various places in our walk:

Delay. Deliverance. Delight. 

Let me take a couple days in this blog to look at these three truths. Today? —-> Delay.

I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. (Ps. 40:1)

Honestly, I am a terribly impatient person. Am I alone in that? Guessing not. Look, if I want a book, all I have to do is press a few buttons and Amazon will have it to me overnight. If there’s a movie I want to watch with the family? No problem. There’s on-demand viewing. A song I want to get? Yep. Got it covered. A few clicks and I own it. We live in THAT kind of world, right? If we want it, we can get it now — no hassle, no wait. That’s not quite how God works though, right? In Psalm 40:1, the actual translation of what David is saying is this… “In waiting, I waited“. It was a double dose of waiting for David. We don’t know the situation, but it was challenging. It was dark and it was difficult. The reminder here is that waiting is tough. Yet it doesn’t mean that God is distant.

There’s this scene in Daniel 10 where Daniel had prayed for a word from God and there was some serious delay in response. That is, until an angel showed up to say, “Hey, Daniel. God heard you.” Read the rest:

“¹²Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. ¹³ But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. ¹⁴ Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.” (Daniel 10:12-14)

I love this. The angel tells Daniel that, as he was on his way to deliver a word from God, he got caught up in a fight for Daniel. It must have been a difficult one as this fight lasted twenty-one days. Realizing this was not going to be easy, this angel calls in the big guns; Michael, the chief prince of angels to the rescue. So cool, right? THIS gives this angel time to get over to Daniel to say, “Hey. Sorry for the delay. I’m here. I was just fighting for you. This is what God says.”

Maybe it feels like God is distant in your life. Hold on. Your cries have not fallen on deaf ears. The answer may not come at this very instant. But let me assure you: God hears.

I love this passage from Isaiah for so many reasons. In this passage, God reminds His chosen people (reaching each of us today) that they are redeemed, known, and loved.

“But now, this is what the Lord says — he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1

What I know? The Lord is indeed fighting for you. You are known. You are redeemed. He knows your name. 

Deliverance is on the horizon, friends.