Remember staying up late waiting for something you were anticipating? New Years. A season finale. Fireworks. A phone call. Meteorites. Christmas morning.
Inevitably, your eyes grow weary. They become heavy, blink and long for rest. What keeps you pushing through? Confidence and expectation related to the expected event.
This is the picture found in Psalm 119:123a.
Sometimes it can seem like God is not coming through when we need him to the most. Days, months, even years drag on. Hurts pile up. Disillusionment sets in.
The Psalmist experienced this too. He was unjustly oppressed. In spite of doing what was right and good, the arrogant were persecuting and harassing him. In the midst of this, he remained confident and expectant of God’s salvation. So much so his eyes grew weary waiting and watching for it to come.
What a beautiful picture to draw truth from!
Truths Distilled
Salvation is sure. This is the foundational truth that brings about all the others. The psalmist never doubts God will save. He doesn’t know when or how, so he keeps his eyes always alert. But if salvation wasn’t sure, there would be no reason to keep watch for it.
It reminds me of this song.
Salvation is not immediate. God doesn’t delay in responding, but sometimes the actual deliverance takes time to arrive. We see this in chapter 10 of Daniel. Daniel has been praying and in mourning for three weeks without an apparent answer. Why? Because the answer was delayed. Sometimes our salvation is delayed – because of God’s perfect timing or because of something happening in the heavenlies that we can’t discern. Either way, our hearts can remain confident that salvation is sure.
Waiting is active. The Psalmist doesn’t just go on about his life while he waits. He watches and looks. He is at attention, always alert, always wondering and hoping if today is the day. It reminds me of the picture of the father in the parable of the Prodigal Son. In order to see the son from afar, he had to have been in the practice of watching and looking. What a beautiful reminder that just as our attention is towards God, watching for his salvation, his attention is towards us, alert to every detail of our lives.
Truths Applied
Maybe today finds you waiting for God’s salvation in some aspect of life. If so, don’t lose heart. Keep waiting and watching for what God has promised – his promises are sure! When your eyes grow weary, know you’re in good company. And remember, weary eyes are a sign of a confident heart – a heart expectant that God’s salvation will come.
We’re working our way slowly through Psalm 119 this year. It’s not too late to join in! Find more details in this post or follow my FB page to find the verses for each week along with a meditation prompt.