When our daughter was 15, she ran away. She was gone more than 3 weeks. Those were the longest 3 weeks of our lives. We looked everywhere for her and sought help from law enforcement and friends. During those desperate days, my wife and I learned the importance of waiting on God in prayer. We had come to the end of our strength and resources. We had to rely on God.
It was on a Father’s Day that we found her. We were in a restaurant parking lot, on our way to dinner, when the phone rang. A waitress at another restaurant had spotted her. Our daughter was only three blocks away. We soon had her home, safe and sound.
We have to wait on God when we pray. We may not know how or when He will answer, but we can put our hearts constantly before Him in prayer. Sometimes the answers to our prayers don’t come when we would hope. Things may even go from bad to worse. But we have to persevere, keep believing, and keep asking.
Waiting is never easy, but the end result, whatever it is, will be worth it. David put it this way: “Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you” (Ps. 9:10). Keep seeking. Keep trusting. Keep asking. Keep praying.
James Banks is an author who has written several books, including Prayers for Prodigals.
Psalm 9 is a song of David that captures the stress and pressure he was under at the time he composed it. While we are not given the specific incidents that triggered the writing of these words, we can feel the heat of the trials he was experiencing. In the first section of the song (vv. 1-12), David is praising God for His rescue and protection. These are words of faith directed to the listener of the song. The second half of the psalm (vv. 13-20), however, shows a heart filled with fear and speaks directly to God Himself. Bill Crowder
