How Long, O Lord?
?How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?
How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
Having sorrow in my heart daily?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me??
Those are the words of David in Psalm 13. Can you relate? Have you been waiting years or decades for answered prayers or a change in your situation? It is very easy to lose hope in these situations believing God does not hear us or see us.
Have people told you that if you have enough faith things will work out or if you do x,y or z then God will answer your prayer? Or do you feel if you could find just the right words to pray then God will hear you?
I have felt all these things and actually been mad at God for not answering my prayers soon enough. One day the Holy Spirit told me that healing and answered prayers happen but not because of what I have done or said. Christ did it all on the cross. The Holy Spirit showed me that I allowed myself to become burned out and stop believing because I had been ‘doing’ all these things I thought were right in my own strength. I made it about me and not about Him.
In Zechariah 4:6, God says that it is not by might or power but by HIS Spirit that the mountain in front of you becomes flat. It is not about us. We lose hope, become exhausted, full of doubt and unbelief when our focus becomes us and our efforts. I find it is easier to believe for something if I am in control or if the outcome is the result of my efforts. Our Heavenly Father asks us to just believe and trust in Him. His ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9)
David concludes Psalm 13 with
“But I have trusted in Your mercy;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me.”
Do you trust the Lord’s mercy? Do you believe the Lord has dealt bountifully with you?
My Prayer:
Heavenly Father thank you for dealing bountifully with me. Thank you for Your steadfast love. Please show me if I am relying on my own efforts in this situation ___________. Help me to rely on You alone. I declare that it is not by my might or power but by Your Spirit that prayers are answered. Lord search me and know my heart, show me areas of my thinking that need to be renewed. Help me to place my hope in you, not me.
Scripture:
How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?
How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
Having sorrow in my heart daily?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?
Consider and hear me, O Lord my God;
Enlighten my eyes,
Lest I sleep the sleep of death;
Lest my enemy say, ?I have prevailed against him?;
Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.
But I have trusted in Your mercy;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me.
Challenge Questions:
- Have you placed your hope in you and your efforts?
- Are you tired and burned out?
- How can you place your focus on Jesus and not your situation?
- How does resting on Him change your perspective for your situation?
Please contact me using the form below if you are struggling with hopelessness, depression or despair. I believe there is hope for you!
For Further Reading:
- Introduction: 4o-Day Journey to Find Hope
- What does it mean to REST in the Lord?
- How to Find Hope in the Valley
- Get Started on Your Journey to Find Hope
Please share your testimony with me, I love testimonies! We overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. (Revelation 12:11)