When Suffering Drags On and On…
David cries out in Psalm 13, “How long Lord?”
Four times we hear this same plea. Do you think his cries got louder and angrier with each “how long”?
Maybe I’m just projecting my own angst onto his words…
Lord, how much longer? Life hurts so much right now. This season of grief and angst drags on and on. Friends, do you feel it too?
Does God answer David with a date it will all end? No. And goodness, I struggle with this. Why doesn’t God tell us how long our suffering will endure? There’s something about knowing our pain will end that gives us the strength to endure. But God doesn’t give David that comfort here. And that’s hard to line up and justify with a God who promises good to his people.
God doesn’t give a future expiration date for pain. He is not put off by David’s importunate questioning. Here we see it is safe and right to turn towards God and ask hard things. And while God often does not answer in a way we might hope, he does give a precious gift—He leads his hurting child to remember. To recall. To look backwards to the past.
David has a turn of heart by looking back at his God’s faithfulness and steadfast love.
And I think we can look at this and see that God’s answer of memory of his faithful care and steadfast love is more valuable than a future end date. God is after our hearts. He desires for us to see and know deep in our souls that he has been faithful in the past. His love has remained steady and true. He longs for us to recall these truths, speak them to our souls, and choose worship. Sorrows will continue while we walk this earth. Would an expiration date for this current season of pain be nice? Yes. Will it prepare me for the next wave set to strike? No. The only thing that prepares my heart to walk as a pilgrim in a sorrow-trodden world is to bury these truths deep into my heart: God is faithful. He loves me with steadfast, unending love. He is worthy of my trust and worship. As I recall these truths, my heart is comforted and I am further equipped to walk forward, come what may.
May our “how long Lord” lead us to trust and worship our faithful God today and for all our tomorrows.
