By Not Known
Suffering, failure, sin, illness, loneliness, and disappointment, they all come in a seemingly endless variety of shapes and sizes. At times, there seems to be no way to turn, either backward or forward. There is no light at either end of the tunnel. In the midst of all these, three common questions come to mind:
Why has this happened to me?
When will this ordeal end?
Has God abandoned me?
Many Christians today encounter similar experiences and ask themselves these very same questions.
As a believer, regardless of the degree of our spiritual maturity, it is possible for us to reach a point so low we actually feel that everyone, including God, has abandoned us. That was exactly David’s condition, when he wrote Psalm 13. This psalm expresses David’s extreme distress. His days were filled with anxiety because of Saul’s pursuit of him, in order to kill him. You can imagine how uneasy David must have felt as the threat of death was constantly at his door. Besides, David had to face the Amalekites, Israel’s enemies. Naturally, David despaired and complained to God:
How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? (Ps. 13:1-3)
David, however, did not stop there. The final two verses of this psalm deserve our attention and emulation:
But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the LORD’s praise, for he has been good to me. (Ps. 13:5-6)
Despite his dire circumstances, David’s trust in God multiplied! He trusted in God’s steadfast love for him. That was the key that enabled him to survive far beyond the limits of a mortal being in such dire circumstances and emerge victorious in the end. Likewise, in the midst of the storms of life, you and I can trust in God’s steadfast love for us and count on His faithfulness. He will not let us down, and He will not let us stumble. Instead, He will let us witness His power, and He will help us and strengthen us.
Are you facing dark stormy clouds today? Take heart. Your greatest praise to God can be sung in the darkest days of your life!
Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will act. (Ps. 37:5)