9 I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great congregation;
Behold, I will not restrain my lips,
O Lord, You know.
10 I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;
I have spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great congregation.11 You, O Lord, will not withhold Your compassion from me;
[g]Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me.
12 For evils beyond number have surrounded me;
My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see;
They are more numerous than the hairs of my head,
And my heart has [h]failed me.13 Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me;
Make haste, O Lord, to help me.
14 Let those be ashamed and humiliated together
Who seek my [i]life to destroy it;
Let those be turned back and dishonored
Who delight [j]in my hurt.
15 Let those be [k]appalled because of their shame
Who say to me, “Aha, aha!”
16 Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
Let those who love Your salvation say continually,
“The Lord be magnified!”
17 Since I am afflicted and needy,
[l]Let the Lord be mindful of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
Do not delay, O my God.
The psalmist starts out praising God, which I think is always a good thing to shift our perspective when we are tempted to despair. He is right in the middle of this struggle, but still reminds us of some constants to hold us steady through the storm.
In verse 11, we are reminded that God’s compassion, lovingkindness, and truth will preserve us. Not just sometimes, but continually God demonstrates His love toward us. Then, after baring his soul to God, there is one more call to praise God, followed by (vs. 17) “You are my help and my deliverer; Do not delay, O my God.” He doesn’t say “you will be…”, but that God is now, and always will be, our source of help and deliverance.
So it’s kind of ironic to say “do not delay” to the One who is our help and deliverer, yet I think it helps us remember an important truth: God is never late, and He is never early either. He is always right on time, and though we don’t know His timing, and we don’t know what’s coming around the bend, God does.
I mentioned this a while ago, but God really came through with the money we needed for an upcoming medical expense. And though I say “upcoming”, because it was supposed to be next month, it came faster than we thought, and here we are on the other side of it already. And because God’s timing is perfect, we were able to make the trip and have peace through the whole thing because He is our help.
If I’ve learned anything, it’s that my understanding is fallible, but God knows everything that has happened, and everything that is going to happen. So He knows exactly what we need, and when we’ll need it, and if He needs to carry us through a rough patch, we can trust that He is always our “help and deliverance.” There is no one else who is faithful like our God, and He never changes. Rest in Him, and let His peace flood your heart, your mind, and your soul today… and every day.