Lessons from David | The Long Wait

I cry out loud for help from the Lord. I beg out loud for mercy from the Lord. I pour out my concerns before God; I announce my distress to him. When my spirit is weak inside me, you still know my way. But they've hidden a trap for me in the path I'm taking. Look right beside me: See? No one pays attention to me. There's no escape for me. No one cares about my life.

Psalm 142:1-4 (CEB)

Waiting rooms are the worst, aren't they? Whether it's at the doctor's office, the DMV, or the auto repair shop, there's something about not knowing how long it will take, or how things will turn out, that makes time feel like it's moving backward. But at least those waits are measured in hours, maybe days. David's wait was measured in years.

When the prophet Samuel anointed David to be Israel's next king, David was about fifteen years old. And when that anointing oil was poured on his head, David probably thought it wouldn't be long before he was sitting on Israel's throne. But it took fifteen years before that promise was fulfilled. 

That’s fifteen years of waiting. And for more than a decade of that wait, David was running for his life.

Think about that for a second. David had been chosen by God. He'd been anointed by God's prophet. He knew what God had promised him. But instead of living in a palace, he was hiding in caves. Instead of being honored as king, he was hunted like a criminal. Instead of ruling Israel, he was just trying to survive.

That's where Psalm 142 comes from. The superscription tells us it's "a prayer of David when he was in a cave." And you can hear the desperation in these words. He says things like, "I cry out loud for help from the Lord." "My spirit is weak inside me." "No one pays attention to me." "No one cares about my life."

This isn't the confident David who faced Goliath. This is the exhausted David who's been running for years. And this is the David who's wondering if God's promise will ever come true.

And honestly? We've all been there. Maybe not hiding in literal caves, but definitely in seasons where we're crying out to God, "How long do I have to wait?"

It would be easy to skip over this part of David's story. To jump from the anointing straight to the crown. To tell a story about God's promises coming true quickly and easily. But that's not David's story. And it's probably not your story either.

The reality is that there's often a long wait between God's promise and its fulfillment. And during that wait, we can feel like no one's paying attention.

But here's what David learned during those years in the cave: God heard him. Even when it felt like no one was paying attention, God was listening. Even when it seemed like no one cared, God cared. Even when the answer was delayed, God was working.

Maybe you're in a cave season right now. Maybe you've been praying about something for months or years. Maybe you've been asking God for help, and it feels like the answer is never coming. Maybe you're exhausted from waiting.

If that's where you are, I want you to know something: It's okay to cry out. It's okay to pour out your concerns. It's okay to tell God you're weak and desperate. That's not a lack of faith. That's honest prayer.

David didn't pretend everything was fine while he was hiding in caves. He cried out to God with desperation and honesty. And God heard him…it just took longer than David wanted.

So keep crying out. Keep praying. Keep asking. Because this week, we're going to see what David did when God finally answered. And it's going to challenge us to think about how we respond when God comes through for us.

Prayer

God, I feel like David in the cave. I've been waiting so long. I've been crying out to you, and sometimes it feels like you're not listening. I'm tired. I'm desperate. I'm wondering when, or even if, you're going to answer. Help me to keep praying even when the wait is long. Help me to trust that you hear me even when I can't see the answer. And help me to remember that delay doesn't mean denial. You're working even when I can't see it. Give me strength to keep waiting, keep trusting, keep crying out. Amen.