He’s An On Time God

BIBLE PASSAGE

Psalm 70:1–5 KJV 1900

Make haste, O God, to deliver me; Make haste to help me, O Lord. Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after my soul: Let them be turned backward, and put to confusion, that desire my hurt. Let them be turned back for a reward of their shame That say, Aha, aha. Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: And let such as love thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified. But I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God: Thou art my help and my deliverer; O Lord, make no tarrying.

INTRODUCTION — "Have You Ever Needed God Right Now?"

Have you ever need God to show up for you right in the midst of your circumstance?

Not tomorrow.

Not next week.

Not in His timing —

but you needed Him right now.

Maybe it was a phone call that changed everything.

Maybe it was a doctor's report.

Maybe it was a relationship that was unraveling.

Maybe it was your finances hitting rock bottom.

Maybe it was your mind turning against you in the middle of the night.

(Pause)

You didn't need a devotional.

You didn't need a commentary.

You needed God —

and you needed Him fast.

Well, church —

I came to tell you today

that you are not the first person to pray that prayer.

Because thousands of years ago,

a man named David

picked up his pen,

opened his heart,

and wrote the shortest,

most urgent,

most desperate

prayer in the entire Psalter.

Five verses.

Five short verses.

But every verse is on fire.

Every verse is dripping with desperation.

Every verse is a man on the edge —crying out to a God he was not sure would get there in time.

This is Psalm 70.

And I want to preach to somebody today

who is living in a Psalm 70 moment.

You are in a moment of urgency.

You are in a moment of uncertainty.

You are in a moment where the enemy is closing in and heaven feels like it's taking its time.

But Im here to declare tonight that we serve an on time God!

NARRATIVE AND HISTORICAL CONTEXT

In the text we find the writer David, and David was no stranger to pressure.

This is the same man

who fought a giant with a slingshot.

This is the same man

who ran through the wilderness

while King Saul hunted him like an animal.

This is the same man who praised God while his enemies were plotting his funeral.

Biblical scholars tell us that Psalm 70 is nearly identical to a portion of Psalm 40.

David pulled from an older prayer

and made it new.

Why?

Because some seasons call for the same cry.

Some situations will bring you back to the same desperate place.

And David didn't pretend.

He didn't dress it up.

He didn't spiritualize his pain.

He said,

"Make haste, O God."

That's not a hymn.

That's a cry.

That's not a theological statement.

That's a man sweating.

That's a man shaking.

That's a man struggling.

And yet —

this same man

ends this same prayer with praise.

Five verses.

Desperation on one end.

Declaration on the other.

And between the two —

there is a God

who is never late, but he is always on time.

MOVEMENT I — "The Audacity to Ask God to Hurry"

Verse 1 says “Make haste, O God, to deliver me! Make haste to help me, O LORD!" — Psalm 70:1

I need you to feel the weight of that first verse.

David opened with urgency.

Not with theology.

Not with ritual.

Not with formality.

He opened with desperation.

He said, "Make haste."

He said, "Hurry up."

He said, "Lord, I do not have time to wait."

And here is what I want you to understand —

God was not offended by this prayer.

God was not put off by the urgency.

God did not say, How dare you rush Me."

Because David knew something that some of us need to learn again today.

You can be honest with God.

You can be real with God.

You can go to God not just with your Sabbath voice —

but with your Monday morning panic.

Not just with your organized prayer —

but with your desperate, unedited cry.

God can handle your "hurry up."

God can handle your "I'm running out of time."

God can handle your "Lord, I need You right now."

(Pause)

Somebody on this platform is afraid to be that honest with God.

You've been praying polished prayers.

You've been praying refined prayers.

But what you really want to say is —

"Lord, WHERE ARE YOU?!"

David said it.

And God heard him.

You don't have to pretend with God.

You don't have to perform for God.

He already knows what you're going through.

He just wants you to come to Him.

Real.

Raw.

Desperate.

And honest.

Because the person who prays the honest prayer —

gets the real answer.

The person who cries out from the deep place

touches the heart of God.

Make haste, O God.

Five words.

And heaven moved.

Five words can change your situation.

Five words can shift your season.

Five words of honest prayer

are worth more than five hundred rehearsed ones.

So open your mouth.

Tell God what you really need.

Tell Him how you really feel.

And watch Him show up.

MOVEMENT II — "I See My Enemies Celebrating Too Early"

Verses 2 & 3 says: “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 70:2–3

Now David gets specific.

He doesn't just say,

"Lord, help me."

He says,

"Lord, deal with these people."

He talks about enemies who are seeking his life.

He talks about people who desire his hurt.

And then —

& this is the part that stings —

he talks about people saying,

"Aha! Aha!"

That's ancient language for —

"I told you so."

"Look at him now."

"He's finally finished."

"He thought God was with him."

Have you ever had an "Aha, aha" enemy?

Somebody who watched you go through and secretly smiled?

Somebody who was waiting for you to fall apart?

Somebody who thought your situation was the end of your story?

David knew that feeling.

David had people who were rooting for his failure.

People who were counting on his collapse.

People who were celebrating his crisis.

And here is what David did —

he didn't fight them.

He didn't plot against them.

He didn't make one phone call.

He didn't send one message.

He took it to God.

He said,

"Lord, let them be ashamed."

He said,

"Lord, You confound them."

He said,

"Lord, You turn this around."

(Pause)

Church, your enemies are not your problem.

Your enemies are God's assignment.

When people come against you —

don't lower yourself to their level.

Don't match their energy.

Don't waste your strength fighting what God is already handling.

Take it to the altar.

Leave it with the Lord.

Because here is what I know about God —

He has never lost a case.

He has never had a situation that defeated Him.

He has never looked at your enemy and said,

"I don't know what to do with this one."

He looked at Pharaoh and parted a sea.

He looked at Goliath and picked up a stone.

He looked at a grave and called a man by name.

Your enemy is no match for your God.

And those who are saying "Aha! Aha!" right now —

let me tell you what's coming.

They will be turned back.

They will be confused.

They will be ashamed.

Not because you fought them.

But because God showed up.

And when God shows up on your behalf —

the ones who laughed

will have nothing left to say.

Your testimony will silence their mockery.

Your breakthrough will answer their "Aha."

Stay faithful.

Stay focused.

And let God fight this one.

MOVEMENT III — "While I'm Waiting, I'm Still Worshipping"

Then verse 5 says “Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; and let those who love Your salvation say continually, 'Let God be magnified!'" — Psalm 70:4

This right here —

this verse right here —

is one of the most powerful shifts in all of Scripture.

Because just one verse ago,

David was talking about enemies.

Just one verse ago,

David was in the middle of a warfare prayer.

But now —

in verse 4 —

he pivots.

He stops talking about the enemy

and starts talking about the worshippers.

He says,

"Let all those who seek You rejoice."

He says,

"Let those who love Your salvation say continually — Let God be magnified!"

Wait.

David is still in trouble.

The deliverance has not yet come.

The enemies are still in the field.

The situation has not yet changed.

But David's praise has already shifted.

That is the warfare move the enemy cannot handle.

He can handle your tears.

He can handle your silence.

He can even handle your doubt.

But he cannot handle your praise in the middle of the pain.

He cannot handle your worship in the middle of the waiting.

He cannot handle you saying

"Let God be magnified"

while the situation is still unresolved.

(Pause)

There is somebody in this room

who has been waiting.

You've been waiting on a marriage to be restored.

You've been waiting on a child to come home.

You've been waiting on a diagnosis to change.

You've been waiting on a door to open.

You've been waiting on a promise to be fulfilled.

And the enemy has been trying to turn your waiting room

into a weeping room.

But I came to tell you today —

your waiting room can be a worship room.

You don't have to have the answer to give God the praise.

You don't have to have the breakthrough to lift your hands.

You don't have to have the victory in your hand to declare the victory in your mouth.

Praise Him before the deliverance.

Praise Him before the healing.

Praise Him before the breakthrough.

Because when you praise Him in the waiting —

you are telling the enemy,

"I already know how this ends."

When you praise Him in the middle —

you are telling heaven,

"I trust You even when I cannot see You."

And when you praise Him continually —

heaven starts to move on your behalf.

Let God be magnified.

Not when it all works out.

Right now.

In the middle of it.

Continually.

Say it like you mean it.

Say it like your life depends on it.

Say it like it's your weapon.

Because it is.

Let God be magnified!

MOVEMENT IV — "I Know What I Am — and I Know Who He Is"

Then verse 5 ends by saying: “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

In this verse, David does something that takes more courage than fighting any enemy.

He tells the truth about himself.

He says,

"I am poor and needy."

Now, David was a king.

David had armies.

David had resources.

David had influence.

But in this moment,

in this prayer,

David strips all of that away.

He takes off the crown.

He lays down the sword.

He says,

"God, without You — I am nothing."

"Without You — I have nothing."

"Without You — I cannot do this."

Church, that is not weakness.

That is wisdom.

That is the posture that moves the hand of God.

God resists the proud.

But He gives grace to the humble.

And when you come to God

with nothing but your need —

when you strip away the performance

and the pretense

and the appearance

and you just say,

"God, I need You" —

that is when God shows up strong.

Some of us have been trying to handle things on our own.

We've been trying to figure it out.

We've been trying to plan our way through it.

We've been trying to be strong

when what God is waiting for

is for us to be honest.

God is not moved by your strength.

He is moved by your surrender.

God is not impressed by your performance.

He responds to your dependence.

David said,

"I am poor and needy."

And then immediately —

without embarrassment,

without hesitation —

he said,

"YOU are my help and my deliverer."

Did you catch that?

He went from "I am nothing"

straight to "You are everything."

That is the prayer that heaven cannot resist.

When you stop trusting yourself

and start trusting God —

something shifts.

When you put down your own plans

and pick up your faith —

things change.

When you confess your need

and declare His nature —

deliverance begins to move.

He is your help.

Not your backup plan.

Not your last resort.

Not the One you call after you've tried everything else.

He is your HELP.

He is your DELIVERER.

He is the One who was there before the problem started.

He is the One who saw this moment before you were born.

He is the One who already has the answer

before you even formed the question.

Do not delay, Lord.

And guess what?

He didn't.

He never does.

He was already on His way.

Closing

"O LORD, do not delay."

Church, I need you to hear this now.

David started this Psalm in desperation.

But he ended it in declaration.

He started this Psalm with "Make haste" —

but he ended it with "You are my help."

He started with a need —

and he ended with a name.

The name of the One who answers.

The name of the One who delivers.

The name of the One who is never late.

He's on time every time.

You said He was too late for your marriage —

but He's on time.

You said He was too late for your healing —

but He's on time.

You said He was too late for your finances —

but He's on time.

You said He was too late for your child —

but He's on time.

You said He was too late for your mind —

but He's on time.

He was on time for Abraham

when the knife was raised and the ram was in the bush.

He was on time for Moses

when the sea was in front and Pharaoh was behind.

He was on time for Daniel

when the lions were hungry and the den was sealed.

He was on time for the three Hebrew boys

when the fire was seven times hotter

and there was no way out —

but then there was a Fourth Man.

He's on time.

He's always been on time.

He will always be on time.

Not early —

so you learn to trust Him.

Not late —

so you know He hasn't forgotten you.

Right on time.

Every single time.

And right now —

whatever you are going through —

whatever feels like it's too far gone —

whatever looks like it's too late —

I need you to hear this in your spirit:

He is already on His way.

He heard the cry you prayed in secret.

He heard the tears you cried alone.

He heard the prayer you whispered at 3 in the morning

when nobody else was listening.

He heard you.

And He is on His way.

So hold on.

Hold on.

Hold on a little while longer.

Because the same God

who moved for David —

will move for you.

The same God

who turned shame into praise —

will turn your situation around.

The same God

who answered the desperate prayer —

is listening to yours right now.

And His answer is coming.

His deliverance is on the way.

His breakthrough has already been dispatched.

He said, "I am your help."

He said, "I am your deliverer."

He said, "Do not delay" —

and He agreed.

He didn't delay.

He doesn't delay.

He won't delay.

Because His timing is not our timing.

His clock is not our clock.

His calendar is not ours.

But His record speaks for itself.

He has never been late.

He has never missed a moment.

He has never dropped a case.

He has never lost a battle.

He has never abandoned His people.

Never.

Not once.

Not ever.

So when it feels like He's taking too long —

lift your hands and praise Him.

When it feels like He hasn't heard you —

open your mouth and call His name.

When it feels like the enemy is winning —

let God be magnified.

Because the enemy's "Aha" is about to turn into shame.

Because your valley is about to turn into a victory.

Because your midnight is about to turn into a morning.

Because your mourning is about to turn into dancing.

Because your test —

is about to become your testimony.

He's on time.

He's on time.

He's on time.

He was on time in the garden,

when He made a promise to a broken people.

He was on time at Calvary,

when He settled the debt we could never pay.

He was on time on that third day morning,

when death thought it had the final word —

but the stone was rolled away

and the grave was empty

and He walked out in victory

and He said,

"I am the resurrection and the life."

He was on time then.

And He is on time NOW.

And if you are in a Psalm 70 moment —

if you are crying "Make haste, O God" —

I want you to know

that He already has the answer.

He already has the plan.

He already has your name in His hand.

And He is moving.

Right now.

On your behalf.

He's on time.

Every time.

Every season.

Every situation.

Every storm.

He's on time.

So let God be magnified.

Let God be magnified.

LET GOD BE MAGNIFIED!

CLOSING DECLARATION

(For the congregation to feel, remember, and repeat)

"I may be in a hurry — but God is never late.He's my help. He's my deliverer.And He's on time — every time."

Psalm 70:5 — "You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay."

Huntington SDA Church | 21 West 9th Street, Huntington Station, NY 11746 Pastor Casey Adams | Journey Through Psalms Series