2024 Fasting Devotional

I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth— Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the Lord.

Psalm 40:1–3

Most of the problems we have in life come as a result of our lack of patience.  Whether we are experiencing financial issues, relational problems, or spiritual difficulties, it’s usually as a result of our impatience.

Our lack of patience shows up differently in our lives as we experience different stages of life. When we are younger, we struggle with wanting to have everything quick and immediate. As we get older, our impatience increases.  We don’t like waiting for answers or results and this often shows itself in our relationship with the Lord. We want what we want from the Lord, when we want it.

Many times, when we think of waiting patiently on the Lord, we have no real practical idea of what that actually should look like in our lives.

In our desire to prove our sufficiency, we often neglect to cry out to the Lord for help. We believe that we can manage on our own, not realizing that we really can’t. This is what made David a “man after God’s own heart.” David is an example of having a proper view of himself as well as others, and a highly exalted praise for the Father.  David understood that he was to cry out to the Lord and wait to witness what He would accomplish in him.

In our culture today, suicide is on the rise and antidepressant prescriptions are at all-time highs, so it’s obvious that there isn’t a simple, natural answer to this problem that we face as humankind.  The problems we face are much larger than simple answers; therefore, we must give it the one who has already overcome all of the weight of the world instantaneously—the Christ of God.  When we pour out our cares and pains upon Him, crying out to Him in humility, He promises to bring us up out of the horrible pits of life, and set our feet upon a firm, sure and solid foundation.