Day 79 with David: Be quiet when waiting for God’s help.

“Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my salvation. My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expectation is from Him.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭62:1, 5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

I saw on the news recently that at a sporting event, somehow or another the word got around that there was a threat (an active shooter, a bomb, something). Well, you see the people running and screaming, pushing and shoving, as they try to escape the stadium. But, this time there was no active shooter, there was no bomb; but many people were injured. Why? Because—in their panic—the people hurt themselves and others! As a matter of fact, any kind of sudden crisis situation in groups of people, will yield all sorts of clamorous behavior.

Think about it, it’s the way we start out our lives: if we need something (we’re hungry, we need a diaper change, we’re afraid, etc.), we cry, yell, scream, and make a commotion. But let’s face it, unless you’re screaming out for help or to warn other people, all that yelling and screaming and running around in panic, only makes things worse.

Several years ago, a nightclub caught on fire, causing the people to all rush the exit at once. Tragically, they literally created a human logjam, causing many needless deaths. So, yes, it is human nature to panic in sudden crisis and to express that verbally and physically.

Additionally, even when a crisis is not sudden, we are still tempted to be “noisy” with the expression of our angst and suffering. But again, unless you are sharing your heart to ask agreement in prayer, all that feedback is accomplishing is compounding your trouble.

Now, in our relationship with the Lord, there are times when we do cry out to Him with our voice and our spirit. But then there comes a time, when waiting for the answer, we must not be noisy with complaints, foolish statements, or anything else that impedes the process of deliverance.

I’m thinking of the time when the children of Israel stood with the Red Sea on one side of them and the approaching army of Egypt on the other; there is literally no route of escape. And yet, as they begin to panic, Moses instructs them to be still.

“Then Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid! Take your stand [be firm and confident and undismayed] and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for those Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you while you [only need to] keep silent and remain calm.””

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭14:13-14‬ ‭AMP‬‬

Had they panicked, they surely would have been destroyed!

In our portion from Psalms today (as well as at many other times) we see David expressing his resolve to wait for the Lord, quietly. He has made his need known to the Lord; he has cried out to Him; now it’s time to show his faith and confident trust by being quiet and still.

Full disclosure: I’m one of those people who screams easily when suddenly frightened, so I get being noisy. But when our noisiness and clamorous behavior are indicating a lack of trust in the Lord, we may soon find ourselves in a worse situation because of our own drama.

For today let us know and understand what David knew:

Be quiet when waiting for God’s help.

#100dayswithdavid