The Quick Fix or the Long Wait?
When you make a mistake, which approach do you take? Will it be the quick fix or the long wait?
In Psalm 25, David prays about a dumb mistake. In doing so, he compares two approaches.
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me. Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. Psalm 25:1-3
Wait or wantonly treacherous? What's the difference?
Wantonly Treacherous
Wantonly treacherous describes me with tools. If my wife ever sees me with tools, she wonders what I am about to destroy. She describes my mentality as cut twice, measure once. It's very much a shoot, ready, aim approach.
We no longer own the home, but there is a house in Birmingham, AL with a lot of holes in the hardwood. My apologies to the current owners, but if you're curious, let me explain how it happened.
I was attempting to run some wires under the floor to tie together our entertainment system. Everything was going well until I drilled through the hardwood and into a floor joist. Instead of taking a moment to realize my mistake, I quickly backed out the bit and drilled another hole - into the same floor joist. With the second hole, I realized the problem. At this point, a reasonable person would have gone into our basement and taken some measurements. But there were no reasonable people around and I didn't want to bother one, so I drilled another hole. "Drill baby drill!" And I did, right into another floor joist.
Oops.
But what are the chances of hitting a floor joist four times in a row?
With the fourth hole, I found out that the chances are very high. The good news is that it didn't take me six tries, only five.
Wantonly treacherous!
Wantonly treacherous describes the person who wants to do it their way. They want the quick fix. They refuse to wait. They do not consult God's Word.
The worst thing you can do when you make a bad mistake is to make another one. But that's what the wantonly treacherous do. And they end up "ashamed."
Wait on the Lord
When we choose to wait on the Lord, we are making the choice that we had rather our mistakes be cleared up rather than covered up. We are taking the long view and trusting God with what comes in the short run.
And the immediate may be messy, but it's worth the wait. So what do we do while we wait? Notice David's requests.
Verse 4 - Teach me.
Verse 5 - Lead me.
Verse 11 - Forgive me.
Verse 16 - Turn to me.
Verse 20 - Guard me.
Verse 22 - Redeem me.
Notice, he never says, "Fix this." Nor does he say, "Fix them." He asks the Lord to lovingly, patiently, mercifully work with "me" while I wait.
And so we wait while the Lord works. And we are not "put to shame."
Bible Study
Read Psalm 37.
- What does the Psalm say about the character of the righteous?
- What does the Psalm say about the character of the wicked?
- What promises does the Psalm make about the Lord?
Challenge
Today, get in the longest lines. Take a few opportunities to let others in front of you. Place yourself in a few circumstances today where you have to prolong your wait. Don't kill the time by getting on your phone. Look around. Strike up a conversation. Pray. What does the Lord show you/teach you while you wait? What would you have missed if it were not for the wait?
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