Especially For Women
Jenni Whiteside
"I Waited"
"I waited patiently for the
Lord, and He turned to me and heard my cry" (Psalm 40:1)
"Cain said to the Lord, ‘My
punishment is more than I can bear’" (Genesis 4:13)
If the Lord can have mercy on Cain, who had slain his own brother
Abel, whom God had brought to this earth and who loved the Lord and
sought His favor and love - then how much more mercy and
compassion will our Lord show to His beloved followers, who seek to
do His will?
When the baby is sick all night, and you still have to be at work
the next day, will He not give you the strength you need to complete
your tasks, if you would but ask?
I spent 10 days with very limited sleep, because my little girl
had a congested cough most of the night for all of those nights. I
tried everything to help her. The doctors can give her nothing
because it is viral, not bacterial. So she and I fought the symptoms
most of the night and we would finally find a temporary solution and
both fall into a short, exhausted sleep. During that time I was
having to work 6-days a week. I can’t tell you how much I would fall
to my knees and beg that the Lord would heal her right away. We made
it through, and last night we finally slept through the whole night!
"I waited patiently for the Lord, and He
turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire: He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm
place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to
our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord"
(Psalm 40:1-3).
I would like to point out that at the beginning of this passage
it says that the Psalmist (David) "waited
patiently", before receiving the answer to that cry.
Sometimes, the Lord has a purpose in our pain and discomfort and
allows things to go on longer than we would imagine that He would.
Also, may I say that the Lord allowed this person to be stuck in the
mud and the mire. That does not seem like it would be a very
pleasant place to be.
There is no mention of how long this situation had existed. I can
never remember being stuck in the mud and mire, but I do know that I
have felt that way, many times. Sometimes all we can do is to
ask for strength to go through whatever it is that He has allowed us
to be experiencing. That is a prayer (for strength) that He will
answer "Yes" to!
When we are at the breaking point and can bear no more, He will
hear our cry. It may not be the answer we expect. In fact, it is
often not as we would have done. The Lord’s ways are "not
(our) ways" (Isaiah 55:8-9). But
He will give us what we need to get through.
At the end of this passage it says that He put, "a
hymn of praise to our God…" in the psalmist’s mouth. This
promises us that He will not only get us through our trials, but He
will ultimately give us the solution to get through the next
trial. This is to give praise to the Almighty!
Jenni Whiteside is the mother of two children and she lives in
Arizona, USA, where she and her husband Tom are the owners &
operators of the Day/Nite Deli-Mart, located at Orange Grove and La
Cholla, in Tucson. Write to:
Letters@FridayStudy.org
Especially For Women
Friday Study Ministries
www.fridaystudy.org
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