“How long, O LORD?” Have you found that to be the question behind much of your communion with the Lord recently? What are you waiting for right now? Healing? Provision? Resolution? Fulfillment of God’s promises?
Anyone who has that question in their soul can very soon feel as the Psalmist in Palm 13: “Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?” When you find yourself in that state it feels as if the only counsel you are receiving is the echo of your own thoughts: “How long shall I take counsel in my soul?” (v. 2). In such a situation the sorrow can be unbearable: “Having sorrow in my heart all the day?” (v. 2). For the Psalmist the question as “How long will my enemy be exalted over me?” (v. 2). For you it may be “How long will this sickness continue?”; “How long until I see financial provision?”; “How long until my marriage improves?”; “How long until my child turns back to Christ?”; “How long until my loved one turns to Christ?”; “How long until there is relief at my job?”; or “How long until I can retire?” etc.
In that situation have you come to the point that you can verbalize your total dependence upon the Lord? The Psalmist did:
Consider and answer me, O LORD my God; Enlighten my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death, 4 And my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” And my adversaries will rejoice when I am shaken (v. 3-4)
And as He took those disturbing thoughts to the Lord and acknowledged His total dependence upon the Lord he came to have a conviction in his soul. It is the conviction of faith:
Psalm 13:5 But I have trusted in Your lovingkindness; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. 6 I will sing to the LORD, Because He has dealt bountifully with me.
“But I have trusted in your lovingkingness” (v. 5). Do you hear the transition in his soul? “But”
In other words…
“This is how I feel Lord, BUT. This is what is going on in my heart as you know, BUT I have trusted in your lovingkindness. I have trusted in Your faithful covenant love. I feel as if You are not being faithful right now, but I trust that You are. At this moment my soul is fogged up and I can’t see Your faithful love, but I know You are faithfully loving toward me because of your covenant of grace with me. You are so faithful and glorious and good in Your love that You are worthy of my trust even as I feel this way. And the more I focus in on the fact that I know You are full of covenant love toward me, the more convinced I am right now that though I feel forgotten, though I am tired of waiting and though I don’t see any way out of this, I trust in your covenant love toward me. And as I do I am more convinced that you will deliver me and I will rejoice in the salvation you bring about for me in this situation. I am more and more convinced that I will sing one day to You. I will sing of your faithfulness that I don’t feel right now, but know by faith is there. I will sing because even now, even when this is not yet resolved I am starting to know and see and feel that You have and are and will deal bountifully with me in this situation. I trust in Your lovingkindness.”
What are you facing right now? Can you trust in God’s lovingkindness in that situation even though you cannot see the resolution yet? Can you trust a God who knows the resolution and will bring about deliverance on His timetable not yours? Do you believe that He knows best? Yes, you may feel forgotten and alone, but can you walk by faith and trust in God’s lovingkindness and wait for that day when you will be able to see more of how He has dealt bountifully with you even in this situation? You feel forgotten, BUT trust in the Lord’s lovingkindness.
