God Came

I waited patiently for the LORD to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.

Psalm 40:1-2

“HELP!”

Anytime that cry fills the air, people turn to look. “Help!” means a person has reached the end of his or her abilities. It’s a call for reinforcements—right away! It is usually a desperate pleading.

Probably the shortest prayer any of us has prayed at one time or another is, “Lord, help!”

Psalm 40 gives meaning to that prayer. Here, David experienced perilous circumstances, though we don’t know what, and he cried out to God. Perhaps this psalm was written while David was on the run from King Saul, who was trying to kill him. Maybe it was in days of despair over family problems. Perhaps it was amid battles David led. David had apparently waited patiently for some time. But he told himself to keep the faith.

Then God acted. He pulled David out of the depression, which might have felt like being stuck in mud or being pulled under by quicksand. God moved him onto solid ground and steadied him as he walked away, the problem apparently dealt with.

You can count on God to do the same for you. You might have to wait for a while. But God’s relief and help will come.