Suggested reading: Psalm 37
We have noted in two of our previous studies this week that impatience can take many different forms, including impatience with God. I suspect that most of us have lacked patience at some time or another with our fellow human beings.
In the days of King David, even the best of people, who were living good and upright lives, were allowing themselves to become obsessed and preoccupied with the apparent prosperity of the wicked. Impatience welled up within them; indeed, they became incensed with anger, verse 7 and even jealous, verse 1, of their prosperity! Their impatience with the injustice of it all had an adverse impact on their spiritual health, even though we can understand their anger!
It is interesting to note that David was old, when he wrote this Psalm, verse 25, and he had gained a great deal of wisdom by the time he wrote this Psalm. Hopefully, we get wiser and more patient in our spiritual reactions as we get older; sadly, however, this is not always true! Clearly, David passed on wise counsel in the midst of this growing tide of impatience. He tenderly touched the hearts of the angry and jealous righteous people and encouraged them to turn away from the evildoers. The antidote to this volatile situation, where there was wrong on both sides of the coin, was to focus on the Lord:
- TRUST in the Lord, verse 3
- DELIGHT in the Lord, verse 4
- COMMIT YOUR WAY to the Lord, verse 55
- REST in the Lord, verse 7
- WAIT PATIENTLY for Him, verse 7 – He is in control – He will deal with the evildoers in His own appointed time – they will not triumph!
The same antidote works today! ‘Lord, grant me patience to wait for Thee to act in Thine own time and way’.