Psalms 40:1 “I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me and heard my cry.”
I remember hearing stories of some old line Pentecostal groups that had what they called tarrying services. They would stay up all night waiting for the Lord to make a visitation. After all that is what is instructed in Scripture in verses like Psalms 40:1 and Isaiah 40:31 which talks about waiting for, or more correctly upon the Lord. I tend to think it is more God waiting for us than we waiting for Him. During these tarrying services the faithful would spend hours praying to God, confessing sins, just really getting down and heavy with God.
You see the word wait, as most of you know from paying attention in class, is the Hebrew word, qava’, which is more than just sitting back waiting like you are waiting for a bus or train. This word is the same word use for making rope. Rope is made today much the same way it was made in ancient times. The binding together of thin strands of fabric that would easily break on it’s own but when tightly bound together with hundreds of similar strands of fabric, the one resulting rope becomes unbreakable. In Psalms 40:1 David is saying he is waiting patiently. Actually, the word qava’ is repeated two times which is why the translator added the adverb patiently. Generally the repetition of a word indicates emphasis, but not always. The word patiently is implied, it is not found in this verse in the Hebrew. David is saying that when he has completely bound himself to God, then God inclined. The root word for inclined is natah. This has the idea of stretching out, or reaching out to embrace. It is at this time that God heard the cry of David. The word cry here is shava’ which is a calling out for help. The grammatical structure of this verse indicates that even before God hears the cry of help from David, God is already reaching out to embrace him. It is important to get the right progression here. Before David found himself in trouble where he had to call on God for help, God was already reaching out to him and as He was reaching out David then began to cry out for help.
There is a story in the Talmud illustrates this with a story of a rabbi who crossed a street and head a small child silently sob for his mother who had left him to go to the market. The rabbi told his disciples that the mother had left some time ago, for had the mother just left and was in the child’s sight, the child would wail loudly for his mother, but now that she was out of sight, the child only sobbed to himself. So, to are we with God. David’s cry was not a silent cry, for he knew his heavenly Father was reaching out to him. Knowing this and knowing the nearness of God he wailed to him. He cried to Him for the protective, secure embrace of His heavenly father as that little child longed for the secure protective embrace of his mother.
There is an old song, written by Gary Paxton who wrote such novelty songs as Alley Oop and co-wrote the Monster Mash with Bobby Pickett. After many years of successful song writing Gary Paxton found Jesus and began to write more serious music, such as:
Time after time I was searching for peace in some void,
I was trying to blame all my ills on this world I was in
Surface relationships used me till I was done in
But all the while someone was begging to free me from sin.
He was there all the time
Waiting patiently in line,
He was there all the time.
I think maybe this is what David was talking about here in waiting patiently that is repeating the word qava’ (waiting) two times in relationship to God. This double use of the word qava’ was really indicating that God was there waiting patiently for David, as David was slowly through prayer, confession, praise, worship binding himself to God. You see the word wait is spelled with a Qof which represents sanctification, sacrifice, receiving. This is followed with a Vav which represents transformation through unification and a connection to heaven. The next letter is an Ayin which represents spiritual insight and transformation. God is patiently waiting for us to sacrifice our lives to Him so we may be unified with Him and be spiritually transformed. Our time of tarrying is not a time of just sitting back twiddling our thumbs waiting for God to come, it is God waiting for us to lay aside all the hindrances, all the foreign thoughts and fleshly desires so that we become one is spirit with Him. Let’s look at this word qava’ another way. Note that the Qof is the number 100 which represents God’s patience, the Vav is six the number of man and the Ayin is 70 the number of restoration. Waiting or qava’ is God patiently waiting for man to be restored to Him.
I have heard people desperately beg for God, cry out to feel the presence of God. When according to Psalms 40:1 He is standing right there all the time, just waiting patiently in line until you have stopped looking to all your good works, your Bible study and your prayers to reach Him and just simply believe, simply used your faith or positive imagination that He is standing right there with arms wide open to receive you. You are not going to feel His hug until you actually believe He is hugging you. That is what faith is all about. Faith is the substance of this hoped for (Aramaic – positive imagination) and the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 1:11). You imagine something you do not see, you imagine a hug you do not feel but by this faith you receive the evidence of this hug.
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