Psalm 70: 1, 5 (NIV)
Hasten, O God, to save me; come quickly, LORD, to help me. But as for me, I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; LORD, do not delay.
Do you have a hard time waiting? In these fast-paced days of instant, 5G satisfaction (remember dial-up internet?), it seems to be one of the last things any of us wants to do. Have you ever been to a drive-thru at a fast food restaurant and heard those dreaded and infuriating words, “Please pull forward and we’ll bring your order out to you in just a few minutes”? I never react to that well. I’m polite on the outside…but frustrated on the inside. “Is this a ‘fast-food’ restaurant, or not? Who is running this place? This is going to cost me an extra 3 or 4 minutes! Praise the Lord for my 5G smartphone!” Hopefully, you have more patience than I do.
David never seemed to be afraid to be straight-up with God…nor should we. He knows what you are thinking and feeling, anyway, so just be honest with Him in your prayers…and it’s ok to include a timeline. Some prayer requests are more time-sensitive than others and should be voiced accordingly. Hasten, O God! Come quickly, Lord! Come quickly to me, O God! Lord, do not delay! Have you ever had to cry out for assistance when trying to handle some heavy or difficult task, only to have your help arrive AFTER you managed to pull it off on your own…or failed to do so? Your help’s intention was nice…but worthless, practically speaking. Perhaps you are crying out to God right now regarding something that needs His help RIGHT NOW, but your prayers seem to be falling on deaf ears. Your sick loved one doesn’t have much time left. The divorce papers are almost final. Your child ‘s next bender may result in a fatal overdose.
C.S. Lewis once wrote that, “God operates in the unbounded now.” The Creator of the Universe operates outside of space and time. He would have to in order to be the Creator of everything. And while that thought may be awe-inspiring, it also may bring with it a little bit of fear when it comes to the urgency of our earthly requests. God’s Word says, “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness” (2 Pet. 3:8-9). These words point out the stark reality that our Lord simply does not live by our timetable…but does that mean He ignores it altogether? Certainly not. Just think of Jesus’ last days. First, the triumphal entry when the crowds cry out, “Hosanna in the highest!” Days later, Jesus agonizes in the garden, asking if there is any possible way to avoid the cross. Next, a public sham of a trial in multiple arenas. Then, his agonizing death, followed by three days in the grave. Silence. Hopelessness. Despondency. Failure. All seems lost. The mission is out of time.
BUT…then comes the resurrection. Could it possibly be true? Yes. Jesus is risen…in the flesh. While it seemed that all was lost, behind the scenes of space and time God was fashioning a way that all could be saved. In Jesus’ death was found the seed of eternal life. It had to happen that way. A week of highs and lows was translated into an eternity of joy and fullness, but it was on God’s timetable rather than man’s. If you have an urgent prayer, PRAY URGENTLY. God does care about the timing of it all, and he does care about how hard it is on you and the people or person you are praying for. Like David did, so should you. Come quickly! Help me! Do not delay! Cry out honestly and urgently for what you need right now, while fighting to trust that even if God doesn’t answer on your timetable, his timetable will yield an even greater outcome…one day. Cling to that hope. Trust in that love. Rest in that truth, even though it may be in a bed soaked with tears.
