Long Enough, God!

The psalmist, David, fears that the outcome to his current trouble could be death. Perhaps a serious illness threatens him and is giving comfort to his enemies. It could be arousing the memory of the earlier struggle with King Saul, or the later trouble with Absalom (1 Sam. 19; 2 Sam. 15-19). That God seems to be ignoring him is more troubling than any pain (1-2). Yet he prays, confident that God wants only the best for his servant. The “I” of verse 5 is emphatic. Do we pray as boldly as that?

We know that God allows adversity and can use it in our lives. It is often the occasion of our deepest learning, the molding of our character, the place where we learn best to trust the good God. I see this in the people I have the privilege to mentor. Early difficult experiences seem to give them a sensitivity and empathy they might otherwise not have, especially in those with strong leadership gifts. Many testify afterwards to finding value in the desolation of a dark night of the soul when God seems to have turned his back (1), or even to what they have gained through the premature loss of a loved one, trusting in God’s “unfailing love” (5).

David himself honed both his survival skills and his reliance on God in his days as a shepherd and as a fugitive from Saul. Yet now, after all that, something else threatens. How long (again) must he wait for God to intervene? How long before he can sing again? Some people are afraid to be as honest with God as this, but prayer and faith are intertwined. Prayer expresses our trust that God hears, indeed wants to hear from us. Are you trusting him with your deepest desires and your cries of pain?

“My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will” (Matt. 26:39). Jesus prayed this prayer in Gethsemane. Can you pray this prayer? Why or why not?