“How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord forever How long wilt thou hide thy face from me.” Psalms 13:1 NKJ
Sometimes, after we have prayed for many days or even months and years with frequent fasting, trusting God to honour our faith, we see no answer. As humans, we get distressed and discouraged. At such moments, David’s question, ‘How long, oh Lord,’ becomes very real, and we can easily relate with it!
Psalms 13:1-6 was a prayer of lament in which David, the psalmist, brings four areas of lament to God. Each of them begins with the phrase, “How long,” and builds in intensity.
First, the psalmist describes feeling neglected and abandoned by God – “Will you forget me forever?”
Secondly, “How long will you hide your face from me?” David accuses God of not just passively “forgetting” to care for him but actively choosing to withdraw His faithfulness.
The third “how long” describes the psalmist’s continual internal anguish, which seems to worsen “day after day”; the perceived abandonment appears to go on ‘forever.’
The fourth “how long” describes the experience of one whom the enemy has triumphed over.
He then ends the psalm on a note of confidence and trust in God’s love and ability to deliver.
Father, please teach me like David to daily have a confident trust in your love and power to deliver IJN.
Shalom!
