If you have ever traveled in a car with a child, or perhaps an adult
that acted like a child, you have heard the inevitable question of
impatience..."How much longer????" Sometimes it's a cry for
intervention in the middle of sibling argument. Sometimes it's an
admission of boredom from the back seat when all the movies have been
watched or games played. Sometimes it's a plea for deliverance when a
bathroom break is overdue. Sometimes it is just a sign of weariness and
the need for rest.
Our text today is attributed to David and asks the compelling
question, "How long, O Lord, how long?" He cries out in anguish, fearing
for his life, worn out by the tears that fill his long nights. He seeks
mercy and deliverance. He grows impatient waiting for God to act.
Have you felt that way at some time in your life...perhaps now? I talk
with people quite often who ask these kinds of questions of God. They
are people trying to walk the pathway of faith, burdened by their
circumstances, not quite sure how God is at work around and within
them. There are no easy answers to the question of "how long, O Lord?".
The Psalmists often ask such questions, struggling to find God in the
middle of their pain. Yet, they often reaffirm what they cannot always
see, hear, or touch... "God is an ever-present help in time of trouble,
therefore we will not be afraid." (Psalm 46)
The Psalmist answers his own query as he says in verse 9, "The Lord has
heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer." God isn't
threatened by your questions...but God is blessed by your faith.
I remember a song that Dina Church sang a few summers ago in morning
worship entitled, "Trust His Heart," by Babbie Mason. The last part of
the chorus to this song speaks well to our questions of God.
So when you don't understand, When you don't see His plan
When you can't trace His hand
Trust His heart
Trust His heart
Jim Abernathy
No comments:
Post a Comment