How Long, Lord, How Long?

How Long, Lord?

“Have mercy on me Lord, for I am faint: heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in deep anguish. How Long, Lord, how long? Turn, Lord, and deliver me; save me because of Your unfailing love”

Psalm 6:2-4 NIV

Psalm 13]

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

1How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

2 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?

3 Look on me and answer, Lord my God.

Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,

4 and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”

and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

5But I trust in your unfailing love;

my heart rejoices in your salvation.

6 I will sing the Lord’s praise,

for he has been good to me.

I’m pretty sure we can all relate to the agony of spirit that the Psalmist conveys in these verses. We’ve cried, we’ve prayed, we’ve questioned and perhaps we have even shaken a fist and got angry at God, only to tumble exhausted to the floor and sob uncontrollably. I know I have. It feels like the enemy is winning. It feels like we have no strength to carry on. We can't help but ask, why are some seasons so inexplicably long and to that end, hard?

Verses 5 and 6 of Psalm 13 offer insight into our ability to endure the toughest of times. To trust in God’s unfailing love means one has to know Him and to have deep relationship with Him. Knowing that God is always trustworthy and is always good, shapes our response in the wildernesses of life. In the above Psalm, the writer sings praises even though he has yet to be rescued or relieved and he still acknowledges that God has a track record of being good.

When was the last time you worshipped God in the midst of your agony? When was the last time you recalled His Goodness in your life? Yes, the trial you are in seems endless and unsolvable but miracles happen when we take our eyes off the problem and focus them squarely on the problem solver.

Psalm 6 uses the phrase “deep anguish”. It doesn’t get any more real than that. The writer needs relief. He also recognizes God’s unfailing love for him and it is because of that love, he will be rescued. Not on his merit, but God’s.

Reading Psalms 6 and 13 in full will give you a glimpse of the trial and hopefully some comfort and hope that you are definitely NOT forgotten. I can’t tell you when it will be over but I can remind you to press in. Worship God. And never give up hope in Him.