READ Psalm 69:13–18. 13 But I pray to you, LORD, in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation. 14 Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters. 15 Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me. 16 Answer me, LORD, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me. 17 Do not hide your face from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in trouble. 18 Come near and rescue me; deliver me because of my foes.
GOD’S TIMING. David continues to pray, begging God to hear him not because of his own goodness but because of God’s goodness and mercy (verse 16). He asks God to deliver him quickly (verse 17) and uses highly emotional language (“Do not let the . . . pit close its mouth over me. . . . Rescue me.”). However, he recognizes that God will answer “in the time of [his] favor” (verse 13). Whenever we pray, it is appropriate for us to be passionate and desperate but also willing to wait for God’s timing. Nothing makes us dependent on God’s sovereign love and wisdom like having to persevere in prayer and wait for the time of his favor. “Unbelief talks of delays; faith knows that properly there can be no such thing.”57
Prayer: Lord, you let Abraham, Joseph, and David wait decades before you answered their prayers, and your delays were always perfect in their wisdom. Help me as—I must admit—I struggle mightily to trust and rest in your judgment and your timing. Amen.