How Long?

O. T. #1180  "How Long?
March 29, 2018
Psalms 13
But I trust in Your unfailing love. I will rejoice because You have rescued me. I will sing to the LORD because He is good to me. Psalms 13:5-6 NLT

LET IT GLOW

How long Lord must my enemies continue to persecute me? How long must my loved ones continue to suffer? How much long must we endure this pain and anguish? How long? David felt that way.

David ran for his life approximately 12 years from King Saul. He is at the point where his circumstances seem intolerable. Been there? In this psalm, he cries out to the Lord with 4 questions.
How long:

1. will You forget me? Forever? Sooner or later, we feel God has forgotten us. Even David felt that way.
2. will You look the other way? God sees and knows all that is happening to us. He does not hide His face from us. Jesus' throne is approachable 24/7.
3. must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? David has not been abandoned by God, though he thinks so.
4. will my enemy have the upper hand? David is so worn out from running for his life away from Saul. His emotions bring him to God.

God has a purpose for suffering, as we learned from Job and now David's life. If he had not suffered, we would not have these heart wrenching psalms for us to relate.

Dear one, we are meant to be overcomers in Jesus. He overcame death to be our Living Savior, living inside of us, so we would overcome death to live everlasting. Greater is He who is living inside of us than he who is in the world. His grace is sufficient.


LET IT GROW

Read our key verse. In spite of it all, David trusted in God's mercy and unfailing love. He knew what God had done in the past for him, with Goliath and Saul. Even when God does not answer our "how longs?" we can rejoice in His unfailing love. We are surrounded by God's shield of love (Ps. 5:12). I think that verse will be my promise from God this year.
Will we rejoice in Jesus' salvation that He provided for us by dying on the cross?
Will we sing unto the Lord because he has dealt bountifully, good, with us?
He has given us freedom from the chains of sin.
Help is on the way.
Stay in the fight.
Don't quit or give in.
Jesus is our Hope.
Hope is Jesus.

LET IT GO

Trust in Jesus' unfailing love.
Rejoice, for He will rescue me.
Sing unto the Lord, for He is good, no matter my circumstances.