Ready:
“I waited patiently for the LORD, and he turned to me and heard my cry for help. He brought me up from a desolate pit, out of the muddy clay, and set my feet on a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and they will trust in the LORD.” – Psalm 40:1-3
Set:
“Patience is a virtue”—but it can also be a struggle in many situations as an athlete or coach. Maybe you’re not yet getting as much playing time as you hoped. Perhaps the wins aren’t coming as quickly as you thought they would. Maybe your team is not improving at quite the pace you want.
It’s not easy to be patient, yet often this is exactly what’s needed—in sports and in life. In the opening verse of Psalm 40, the psalmist says he “waited patiently for the Lord.” To wait for the Lord is to trust God to carry out His work in His timing. It’s believing that our all-knowing, all-wise, and all-powerful God knows what is best and will do what is best at the time that is best.
There are wonderful rewards as we are willing to trust the Lord and His timing. Because he patiently waited for the Lord, the psalmist experienced God’s work of bringing him from a pit of struggle to a place of security. While circumstances might still be hard, patient waiting can grow us in having unshakable confidence in God. Our security is in Him, not in things going how we want them to go. The Lord also “put a new song in [his] mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.”
Waiting can lead us to greater closeness with the Lord and a renewed desire to worship Him—even while life is still filled with challenges. In addition, the psalmist knows the impact he can have: “Many will see and fear, and they will trust in the Lord.” As we trust God and His timing, this can cause others to be drawn to the Lord as well.
You will continue to encounter situations—whether in sports or in other areas of life—in which it feels like a struggle to exercise patience. Recognize these times as opportunities to experience God’s greater work in you and through you. Keep trusting the Lord and waiting patiently upon Him.
Go:
In what current situations are you struggling to patiently wait for God?
Among the rewards for waiting that we see in Psalm 40, which encourages you to trust the Lord and His timing in your situation?
Workout:
Overtime:
“Lord, I desire to wait patiently for You, trusting You and Your work in the situations I’m facing. I praise You because Your knowledge and wisdom are perfect. Thank You for the security of knowing You always do what is best at the time that is best. Amen.”