Psalm 13 Continued…
Psalms 13:1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?
God had promised David the throne of Israel, yet that day of coronation seemed further and further away. Saul was doing evil things and God wasn’t judging him, and yet David was doing good things and felt abandoned by the Lord. David was certainly disturbed by what the enemy was doing, but he was more concerned by what the Lord was not doing.
How long? How long? How long? How long? It is David’s rhetorical way to say, “Here, lord! I’m talking to you. I’m trying to get through to you!” It is a question that even the saints in heaven ask— “They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” (Revelation 6:10).
It seemed to David that God had forgotten him: “How long will you forget me, O Lord? Forever?” David felt the Lord in heaven had forgotten him. Worse than that, he thought that the Lord had forsaken him: “How long will You hide Your face from me?” For the Christian, the worst thing that can happen is for them to be out of touch with God, for that brings the personality to the point of breakdown and leaves us at the mercy of foes, human and spiritual.
The phrase “Hide your face” suggests the withdrawing of God’s presence and help and normally implied discipline because of sin— “Then they will cry to the Lord, But He will not hear them; He will even hide His face from them at that time, Because they have been evil in their deeds” (Micah 3:4). David’s enemies may have drawn that conclusion, but he shows no consciousness of sin (cf. 6:1-3).
One thing we have to learn is that God is never in a hurry. The kind of work He wishes to accomplish in our souls can be accomplished only if sufficient time is given to allow His plans to ripen and mature. Our seeming abandonment by God, does not mean that we have been forsaken or forgotten. God knows what He is doing. The intensity of our trial is controlled from on high. He has something to teach us. He has an end product in mind. Things are moving forward but so slowly, from our impatient viewpoint, that we cannot see it. But He can.
PRAY
Lord, thank you that you promise never to leave us and never to forsake us. Help me have wisdom to see clearly that just because I don’t feel Your presence, doesn’t mean you’re not with me always. Help me have peace that comes from knowing the Truth of Your word to me today – you will never leave your children or give up on them. Help me live a life that honors You and points others toward You.