How Long, O LORD?

By Bonnie Ricks

Psalm 13 NIV

How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Look on me and answer, O LORD my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;
my enemy will say, "I have overcome him,"
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing to the LORD,
for he has been good to me.

Oh, how easily we can relate to David's feelings! "How long, O Lord?" How often does it seem that God has us "on hold," taking forever to respond to our prayers. so very slow in acting on our behalf. allowing evil to go unchecked. bills to go unpaid. pain to go on and on. loneliness to continue unceasingly. life to continue to be frustrating?
Take a look at the number of people in the Bible who had to wait YEARS for God's promises to come true. Look at Abraham. he was 75 years old when God first told him, "I will make you into a great nation." (Genesis 12:2 NIV), but there he was with a barren wife, and already well past his prime. Twenty-five years later Isaac was finally born! What a wait!
Remember, God does not wear a watch, nor does He pay attention to our calendar. He exists outside of time and space, and He causes things to happen in HIS time according to HIS eternal purpose. But even though we know that, we can become frustrated while waiting for God's promises to be fulfilled. I can remember one particular promise God made to me through His word, and it took five months for Him to begin to fulfill that promise, and He is still fulfilling it today, sixteen years later, one step at a time.
When we feel the same feelings that David expressed in this Psalm, we must also emulate David's commitment - to continue to trust in God's unfailing love for us. to rejoice in His salvation in the midst of our pain. to sing praises to God. to remember how good He has been to us already. to seek His purpose in our lives. and to continue to live for Him, no matter how slow He seems to be to act.
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 NIV