LEARNING DAILY

 

Psalm 13:1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?

 

Sooner or later each of God’s people have the feeling that God has forgotten them. In writing this psalm, David is depressed, and discouraged because he is in desperate trouble; he believes God is not there and has intentionally forsaken him. Even the Lord Jesus said this same thing as He hung on a cross (Matthew 27:46). Have you experienced this as you have walked the narrow way to His kingdom? To David this feeling of being abandoned would last forever. Read the verse again. Don’t you hear the agony in his writing?

 

David is writing this during a period of time that Saul was pursuing him. Perhaps David had extra time on his hands and the thoughts of God abandoning him were able to grow larger in his mind. Time on our hands can do that. We wait and do not understand what is going on and our mind creates all sorts of scenarios. I wonder if David was hiding in a cave or some other isolated place and had little else to do but wait on God to act.

 

I don’t like to wait. That gets me into trouble because I am in a hurry to get an answer or get something accomplished. Yet, God never is. I seldom seem to be on His timetable. Lord, teach me patience and teach me now! The prayers of God’s people are often not answered immediately. Does that mean God is ignoring or does not hear our prayers? We need answers to sickness or financial matters, or some important matter and God does not seem to be hearing. What do we do then? The answer lies in the need to trust completely and deliberately in the fact that God loves us with a love that never fails; He never leaves nor forsakes us even when He seems to be doing so. If we are sincerely and diligently seeking God’s help and we are walking faithfully on the narrow way in faith with Jesus Christ, He has not forsaken us.

 

How long did Joseph stay in the prison before the cupbearer remembered he interpreted dreams and told Pharoah about him? How long had David been running from Saul after David had been anointed king? Why didn’t God do something earlier? There will be a day, you will find yourself wondering about where God is or why He delays in answering your prayers. You will probably wonder what is going on in your life that might be causing God to “not hear them”. How can you get out of whatever it is you think might be causing the delay – but nothing works.

 

I want to suggest two things for you to consider. First, God has not forgotten you nor has He closed His ears to your prayers! God is helping you to grow up, to mature in your Christian walk with Him; we have to learn to trust Him. It often takes time to build the characteristics or godly qualities needed to be a faithful and effective follower of Him.

 

That brings me to the second point I think is important. I believe that some gain great faith immediately. But for most of us it takes time to become a godly person. David was anointed king as a teenager but did not become a king for many years. Oh, he had great faith, faith to kill a giant and save his flock from a bear and a lion; but he learned to wait on God as he hid in caves from Saul. We live in a world where we get so many things right away, next day delivery. But, with God timing is His. Those who never learn to wait on Him give up and go back to following the world. We need to learn from David; David did not give up nor turn away from God. He diligently sought God when He seemed to be distant. Our faith is tested most when God seems far away. It’s like the times everything seems good in our life, we are on the top of the mountain but not being stretched in our faith. Growth happens when we are in the valley. So it is when God seems distant. That is the time God helps us to get rid of depending on self and learn to depend on Him.

 

Read the rest of this short psalm and see David’s problems were still the same at the end of it; he still sat in the cave. But his focus had shifted from himself and his problems to God’s mercy, love and salvation. We, also, must remember that God’s lovingkindness will come in His time. Until then, we worship Him and remember “all things work to good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).