JANUARY 17
Psalm 13:1, “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?”
“I was sure by now
God, you would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
And once again,
I said, “Amen” and it’s still rainin’.”
—Casting Crowns, “I Will Praise You in this Storm.”
Whenever I hear this song, I think of Laura in her cancer situation. Diagnosed to have cancer in January 2017, she’s carried the burden of a terminal illness and chronic pain for almost eight years now. In that, there’s the temptation to assume that God has hidden his face or forgotten her situation. But He’s not forgotten!
The exact circumstances of David’s situation are unknown to us. But it’s fair to say that his thoughts have echoed through the centuries in the lives of others who likewise found themselves in a longstanding difficulty. That David asked, “How long?” four times speaks to his intense desire for deliverance and great despair in hearing no answer from God. As Charles Spurgeon put it, “Time flies with full-fledged wing in our summer days, but in our winters he flutters painfully.” I’ve witnessed the “painfully” part in the day-after-day anguish experienced by some of our hospice patients. They’ll asked, “how long?” with respect to the days until God takes them home.
David asked, “how long?” but was refreshed and encouraged by recalling God’s steadfast love (Psalm 13:5). No matter his circumstances, the fact remained that the Lord had “dealt bountifully with (him)” (Psalm 13:6). The cross serves as an ongoing reminder that no matter how troublesome our circumstances or deep our sorrow, nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39). He cannot and will not forget us!
“But Zion said, ‘The Lord has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.’ ‘Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.”—Isaiah 49:14-15
Application Questions: Have you ever felt as if the Lord has abandoned you? Have you ever felt as if your prayers were bouncing off the ceiling? How can focusing on the steadfast love of God, and his faithfulness, help? What can help to shift your focus?
LookingtoJesus 