Prayer for Help against Persecutors.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David; for a memorial.
70 O God, hasten to deliver me;
O Lord, hasten to my help!
2 Let those be ashamed and humiliated
Who seek my [a]life;
Let those be turned back and dishonored
Who delight [b]in my hurt.
3 Let those be [c]turned back because of their shame
Who say, “Aha, aha!”4 Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
And let those who love Your salvation say continually,
“Let God be magnified.”
5 But I am afflicted and needy;
Hasten to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
O Lord, do not delay.
As this psalm begins, the psalmist asks God to hasten (hurry) and come to his rescue. He seems to be in great danger, and the threat must seem imminent. Yet this psalm is “for a memorial” or a “psalm of remembrance”, which means the psalmist is still alive and made it through the danger.
Perhaps he was in danger again, and was remembering a previous instance where God rescued him. Whatever the case, I think we can all identify with this, and we have times where we wish God would hurry up and save us! Whether we’ve waited a long time, or the danger has appeared suddenly, we have a sense of urgency, and we can be puzzled by God’s “dilly-dallying”
But like the psalmist, we know that God cares for us, and we know that he sees us. So if there is a delay, what is the reason? If God doesn’t hasten, why not? A familiar scripture says “Your ways are higher…” and we often don’t understand what God is doing as a result. God sees things we cannot, and He literally knows the end before we have begun.
Perhaps hastening would ruin the plan, I’ve heard many stories of people being saved because of delays. Seconds sooner, and they would have been in an accident, or worse. God’s timing is perfect. Think about that for a second, pun intended, though perhaps we should think about it longer and more often.
Once more, know that God cares for you, and he sees you. By all means, like the psalmist, “let your request be made know to God” and don’t be afraid to ask God to “hurry please!” Then rest your mind, let yourself relax, wait and listen. Be ready when He is ready, but do not be anxious because God seems to delay. Trust and know that you are in His hand and God is always in control.