David was in desperate need of immediate help! God had chosen to wait until the very last possible moment before He delivered David. And, it was now the very last possible moment.
Based upon the similarities between Psalm 70 and Psalm 40:13-17, it appears that this was not the only time in David’s life that he felt himself to be in such desperate circumstances. Clearly now was the time to cry out: “Make haste, O God, to deliver me! Make haste to help me, O Lord! 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!’ 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!’ 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).
How often the battle between fear and faith can rage! How extreme and fierce the battle can become! David’s faith in God’s ability and desire to deliver was great. David’s fear that God’s deliverance would not arrive in time was also great.
The superscription of Psalm 70 indicates that David wrote this composition to the Chief Musician as a spiritual post-it note to remind him and us—“to bring to remembrance”—the lesson that he learned on the day in which his faith and his fears engaged in intense hand-to-hand combat: God’s never late.
