God’s Delays Are Not His Denials – Psalm 70

“This psalm is titled to the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. To bring to remembrance.”

This psalm of David, as others was set to music, and sent by him to the Chief Musician. He asked God to remember and deliver him from all the challenges that were being waged against him.

“Make haste, O God, to deliver me! Make haste to help me, O Lord!” Psalm 70:1

David asked God to respond quickly to his prayer. He believed God was listening to Him, but felt that a slow response to his request would be more than he could endure. In his first, “make haste” he uses the Hebrew word “Elohim” (God) while in his second, “make haste” he uses the word “Yahweh” (Lord). In 1 Timothy 1:2, Paul wrote, “Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.” I see David addressing the Father and the Son in this prayer (knowingly or unknowingly) by God’s Spirit. David wrote of God’s Son in Psalms 2:12 and 89:27.

The Lord is pleased to deliver us, and to do it quickly. Have we asked Him to intervene?

The Lord says in Hebrews 11:6, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

In Job 21:15, Job described the wicked as those who say, “Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him? What profit do we have if we pray to Him?” We must reject those thoughts.

Our Lord Jesus was beaten, flogged, crucified and buried, and then, three days later He was up and walking among His disciples and telling them to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords. He is our Savior. Saving is what He does!

In 1 Corinthians 15:57, Paul wrote, “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” In 2 Corinthians 2:14, he wrote, “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ.”

“Let them be ashamed and confounded who seek my life. Let them be turned back and confused who desire my hurt. Let them be turned back because of their shame, who say, ‘Aha, aha!’” Psalm 70:1-3

David gave those who desired his hurt over to God. He asked God to turn them back. He asked

God to shame and confuse them. James Boice wrote, “The kindest thing we can pray for people who do wrong is that their plans will fail, for it may be that in their frustration they will see the folly and true end of evil and be reached for God.” [1]

David’s enemies exclaimed, “Aha! Aha!” “It was bad enough that David’s enemies wanted him dead. They also poured ridicule on him.” [2]

“Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You. Let those who love Your salvation say continually, ‘Let God be magnified!’” Psalm 70:4

“David thought that to praise God was to magnify Him – that is, to make Him larger in one’s perception. Magnification does not actually make an object bigger, and we can’t make God bigger. Still, to magnify something or someone is to perceive it as bigger, and we must do that regarding God.” [3]

“But I am poor and needy; make haste to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer. O Lord, do not delay.” Psalm 70:5

David was poor and needy because he lacked the means to protect himself from the relentless attacks of those who hated him. He needed God to intervene before his enemies overwhelmed him. Thus, he asked God to hurry up.

We have various sayings about God’s timing. For example, “God’s timing is perfect.” “God’s delays are not God’s denials.” “God has three answers, ‘Yes,’ ‘no,’ and ‘wait.’

In 2 Peter 3:8, Peter wrote, “With the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” God’s existence is eternal. He is not impatient. In John 11, even in the case of His friend Lazarus who died before Jesus got to him, Jesus resurrected him. In this incident, our Lord’s delay was for His glory. Lazarus had been dead four days. Who could cast doubt and say that his resurrection was just a coincidence?

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says that “He [God] has made everything beautiful in its time.” God says in Isaiah 60:22, “I, the Lord, will hasten it in its time.” Habakkuk 2:3 says, “Though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.” Lamentations 3:25-26 says, “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him... It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”

God responded to David’s complete dependence on Him. He did so before it was too late.

Since our Lord is a Savior, why not give Him the opportunity to save You? In whatever way you are poor and needy, ask God to be generous with you. God fills our gaps with grace.

In Ephesians 3:19, Paul prayed that we would “be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height... of the love of Christ.” In Ephesians 3:20-21, Paul gave glory to God because God is the One “who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” God is for us! He loves us!



[1] Enduring Word Commentary
[2] Ibid
[3] Ibid