“How long, O Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their destruction, my precious life from the lions! I will thank you in the great congregation; in the mighty throng I will praise you.” -Psalm 35:17–18
It is a familiar human experience to wonder how long before the Lord intervenes. Sometimes the burden is so great we wonder why God could be aloof and look on our plight without doing nothing to change our circumstances. Our prayer becomes more desperate the more we realize we can do nothing to change our circumstances.
From David’s perspective, his oppressors destructive like lions and his own live, being most precious to him, is fragile. The imagery is something from a nature documentary that follows a pride of lions on the prowl for precious food to feed on. They will often attack and kill the young, the most fragile in the pack, to meet their need.
Finally, David pleads with God to save his life from the destructive throng and he promises to praise the Lord’s name in the mighty throng, the congregation of his people. Then they will hear of God’s goodness and salvation and worship him alone.
Sometimes it seems as though God delays to answer our prayers but the testimony of God’s people through history seems to be that God is seldom early, never late, and always right on time in responding to our needs.
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” -Galatians 6:9 (cf. Luke 18:3-8)