How Long, Not Long?

Psalm 13:1

How Long O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
There are seasons in our life when it feels like God is not listening. There are times when our prayers seem like echoes in an empty building, and we wonder how long will I have to go through this.

I was talking with two teen-age sisters after church the other night. They were upset because their mother forgot to pick them up on time from cheerleading practice. They waited over an hour while their mother was at church caught up in Bible Study. Do you remember that anxious feeling waiting on your mama or daddy? Everybody else’s parents have already picked them up and you are the last one to go. That’s a terrible feeling; it gives you an aching in the stomach like they might not show up. You have faith that your mother and father are coming, but you are wondering what’s taking them so long?!

Somebody this morning is wondering like David, How Long? David was anointed to be King over Israel but he was hiding in a cave. He had been faithful to King Saul, but Saul was jealous of David and was trying to kill him. He was in his own recession, fired from his job, evicted from his house, his wife was taken from him, and he was surviving in a cave. He was anointed, gifted to be King but now suddenly he was without a job, a house, and his wife waiting for God to fulfill his promise of making him King over Israel. How Long? How Long do I have to be unemployed? How Long do I have to live with substandard housing? How Long to have to keep running from people trying to kill me? How long?

David is specific with his questions:

1. How long will you forget me? God promised David he would pick him up after Saul was no more. But Saul is constantly trying to kill him, David even had a chance to kill him but he would not touch God’s anointed. God did you forget about me? When God doesn’t move on our times table it makes us anxious.

2. How Long will you hide your face? I know you are there but I just can’t see you right now. There are seasons when you know God is there you can see him in all the good that is happening, but there times when nothing is going your way and it feels like God is hiding.

3. How Long shall I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart. Sometimes I get tired of encouraging myself. I get tired of talking to myself. How Long must I feel like I’m talking to myself?

4. How Long will my enemy be exalted over me? How long are you going to let them walk around and think they have defeated me when in reality you are getting ready to promote me in the presence of my enemies? I know there is going to be a shift but watching them gloat over me is driving me crazy. But then David breaks up the Pity party and puts the devil out the house when he breaks into praise. Sometimes even when you ain’t feeling it you got to praise your way out of “How Long?” David does it in four ways:

1. I have trusted in your mercy. David says I put my stock in the fact that God will not put more on you than you can bear. He’s not just going to sit back and watch his children suffer forever. He’s merciful and mighty.

2. My heart will rejoice in your salvation. Salvation simply means that God has come to the rescue. If you are a believer and Jesus is your Savior, then you need to rest assured that he has me in his hands and he’s not going to let the enemy triumph over me.

3. I will Sing to the Lord. When you are going through seasons where it seems like God ain’t saying nothing, you need to start singing. That’s what Gospel music is all about. We sing until God shows up. We remind ourselves of who God is and what he’s already done. Keep you a song on your heart. I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free, His eye is on the sparrow and I know he watches me.

4. David could do all three of these because he looked back over his life at how God delivered him from the bear and the lion, he looked back over how God helped him defeat the giant Goliath, he looked back at how God favored him over all his brothers to be anointed King. He looked back over how he got a promotion to work for the King. He looked back at how he defeated 200 Philistines by himself. He looked back at how God let him marry the king’s daughter, and if God did all that then I can do all of this. He has dealt bountifully with me!

Dear God,
There are times when I feel so all alone, like you are not listening but I remind myself that you said, “You would never leave me nor forsake me.” How long, not long?! I know you will bring us through this recession. You will shut the mouths of our enemies. You are Sovereign. I bless your name. Cover our president and our country. Give jobs to the jobless, food to the hungry, shelter to the homeless, peace to the war torn lands. We need your Salvation Lord, thank you for coming just when we need you the most.

In Jesus Name,

Amen.