I waited patiently for the Lord… (Psalms 26, 40, 58, 61-62, and 64)

I think one of my favorite Psalms is 40.  U2 put it in song form and I was introduced to it through Starfield's cover of it, which you can find on iTunes.  I was so moved by the lyrics that I wanted to know where they came from.  Low and behold they were straight from the Bible!  When I was younger I used to joke that one of the prayers God likes to answer is the prayer for patience.  It sure seems like if you pray for God to give you patience then you'll find yourself in situations that require you to develop that virtue.  What I love most about these words, though, is that when we wait patiently for God He does lift us up out of the pit and set our feet on firm ground.  I think sometimes we forget that it's through those "pit" situations that God establishes us into the individuals He wants us to be.  A key part of that, however, is having patience.  God does hear our cries for help, and His delay is for our benefit rather than His convenience.  Remember when Jesus' friend Lazarus was sick, and Lazarus' sisters sent word for Jesus to come?  For some reason, Jesus didn't come right away, and Lazarus died.  Jesus could have kept the death from happening, but He didn't.  It would have been easier for Jesus to show up than to go through the grief He went through at the loss of His friend.  Even so, Jesus took the hard road for the benefit of others.  Could it be that this moment when you're asked to be patient is for the purpose of eventually setting your feet on a rock?