I Had Fainted
Psalm 27:11-14
Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies. Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty. I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
It was many years after Samuel poured the anointing oil on his head that David finally became king of Israel. Those intervening years were far from peaceful. David was hated and hunted, literally running for his life from the jealous rage of Saul. Yet through all that he endured, David never turned away from following God. He kept his faith, even in the most trying circumstances. David believed that God would do what He had promised, even when it seemed to impossible. When we patiently wait on God in the face of opposition and hardship, He will renew our strength. God does not work on our timetable, but on His. We must trust Him for both the fulfillment and the timing of His promises.
If our faith falters and and we take matters into our own hands because of our impatience, bad things always follow. It is when things are going the worst that we most need patience. A. B. Simpson wrote, “Beloved, have you ever thought that someday you will not have anything to try you, or anyone to vex you again? There will be no opportunity in heaven to learn or to show the spirit of patience, forbearance, and longsuffering. If you are to practice these things, it must be now.” The world presents us daily with opportunities to trust God patiently while we wait to see Him work. If we do not, we will faint rather than stand firm. It is from our faith in God that we draw the strength we need to follow Him.
Growth Principle:
Faith and patience work together to strengthen us to overcome the challenges of life.