I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies.
Psalms 18:3 NIV
God hears the cries of His children, even when His answer seems delayed. Psalm 18 records David’s song of deliverance, written when God rescued him from the hand of all his enemies, especially from Saul. The verses that follow reveal the intensity of his distress: “The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress, I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears” (Psalm 18:4–6).
What stands out is that right in the middle of overwhelming circumstances, David refused to lose hope. While others might have surrendered to despair, he chose instead to rest in God and rely fully on Him for victory. His confidence was not misplaced, for God hears the prayers of His people and responds in His perfect timing.
However, David’s testimony that he had been saved does not suggest that deliverance came instantly. Often, God’s rescue unfolds over time. While David waited for intervention, his focus never shifted. His song continued as one of praise, and his trust remained firmly anchored in the Lord. He had no “plan B.” Once he placed the matter in God’s hands, he looked nowhere else for help. He refused to believe that God could fail him.
This same pattern appears in the story of Israel. In Exodus 2:23–25, the people groaned under the weight of slavery in Egypt and cried out to God for help. Scripture says: “God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.” Clearly, God hears the desperate prayers of His people. Yet their deliverance did not come immediately. It took time before Moses rose as their leader and Pharaoh’s grip broke. God acted on their behalf, but His work took longer to manifest than they expected.
Therefore, this lesson remains vital for us today. When we cry out to God, He always hears us. A delay in visible answers never means He has abandoned us. His silence does not equal absence, and His timing always proves perfect. What appears to us as a delay often shows that He is preparing something far greater than we imagined. Truly, He is the God who never puts anyone to shame.
Because of this, we can confidently bring every worry, challenge, and burden to Him. We can rest assured that He hears, He cares, and at the right time, He will answer. Our role is to remain steadfast in faith, to keep praying, and to hold on to hope while we wait.
Living It Out
Are you in a season where God seems silent? Do not give up. Keep calling on Him, keep trusting Him, and let your song remain one of praise even while you wait. In His time, God will answer, and His deliverance will prove worth the wait.