I am at one of the definite low points in my life. After six years on the job market, I have yet to land a permanent teaching position. I have done adjunct teaching and one semester sabbatical replacements, while my one long term position did not come with a paycheck. I have been getting somewhat irate at God lately because of my situation.

A number of people have been telling me to be patient, that God will work things out in God’s time. Some have said that God is doing this so I will learn to trust God and others have urged me not to focus on the problem but count the blessings God has given me.

Fortunately, the daily lectionary reading for yesterday included Psalm 70, which had this wonderful line:

But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God!  You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay! (Psalm 70:5)

It is always conforting to read the psalms and know that the biblical authors had no problem telling God to hurry up when they needed help. They didn’t wait around and piously count their blessings. They knew they needed things and they needed them immediately! For instance, I have rent coming up at the end of this month. If I don’t get it, I am in trouble. I am poor and needy! Hasten to me, O God! Stop your stalling and help me out!

I think it is very telling that the most common form of psalms is the lament psalm, a prayer to God in time of need. God not only wants us to tell God about our needs. God’s own word even gives us permission to tell God to hurry up. The psalms are the prayer book of the Bible, and we can’t do any better than praying this words.

[N.B. This post is not intended to be taken as a plea for donations. I have found some temporary work, so it is likely that I will be able to earn my rent. The focus of this post is on the psalms, which provide us with the words to tell God that we can’t afford to wait sometimes. It is just nice when our situation and the words of Scripture line up so neatly.]

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