Be Brave in the Waiting – Psalm 59: When Saul sent men to watch David’s house in order to kill him.

Have you ever prayed and prayed for God’s rescue and nothing happened? Or at least it seemed like nothing happened? Yeah, me too. During our early years of marriage, my hubby was a high school varsity boys’ basketball coach in Indiana. For those of you who don’t know, “Hoosier Hysteria” is all about basketball and plays out its greatest insanity at the high school level. When my husband’s first year had way more losses than wins, our house was vandalized, our two little girls were screamed at and threatened at the games, and after one especially horrendous game, my husband had to be escorted home by the police. I prayed for God to do something. Anything! Being a basketball coach was all my hubby had ever wanted to do. Please, Lord! Yet when it came time for the school board to vote, he was fired.

I felt as if God hadn’t heard a single one of my prayers.

Imagine how David and his wife, Michal—Saul’s daughter—felt as they realized King Saul had sent spies to watch David’s house to kill him. At first glance, 1 Samuel 19:11-12 seems as if Saul’s spies went to David’s house one night, and Michal lowered him from the window right away. However, Psalm 59 tells a different story.

Psalm 59:1-7 – David prays, “Rouse Yourself!” and “Spare none!” Then he reminds God, “Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.” David, like many of us, wanted God to rescue him right away! He was becoming more frightened every night the spies returned.

Psalm 59:8-10; 15-16 shows us how David dealt with his rising fear while waiting for God’s direction or intervention. After David confides his fear and frustration to God, he follows with a “but” statement or two. “But you, O LORD, laugh at them…Oh my Strength, I will watch for you; for you, O God, are my fortress. My God in his steadfast love will meet me.” It’s important that we express our very raw feelings to the Creator, but it’s equally vital that we remind ourselves—and declare to Him—that we KNOW He is sovereign, all-powerful, and that His steadfast love for us NEVER changes even when we don’t understand His plan or purpose for our current circumstances.

After Roy was fired from coaching, he worked for a year in a factory and then felt the LORD calling him to full-time, vocational ministry. From there he went to seminary and served in a wonderful church that allowed him to further his education. After completing a PhD in education, he taught at a university and became a seminary academic dean. Could he ever have done any of those things if God had answered my prayers to keep him coaching boys’ basketball in Indiana? God’s plans, though not always easy, are always for our good and His glory.

• What prayers of yours have gone unanswered or been answered with a “no”? Can you trust in God’s goodness and in His steadfast love for you and for His plan that you may not yet understand? What can you praise Him for in the present that is proof of His love now?