“LORD, how long must I wait? Will you forget me forever? How long will you turn your face away from me? How long must I struggle with my thoughts? How long MUST MY HEART BE SAD day after day? How long will my enemies keep winning the battle over me? LORD MY GOD, LOOK AT ME AND ANSWER ME. GIVE ME NEW LIFE, or I will die.” (Psalms 13:1-3) As a believer, regardless of the extent of our spiritual maturity, it’s possible to reach a point so low we actually feel that everyone—even God—has abandoned us. That was David’s desperate condition when he wrote Psalm 13.
King Saul was trying to kill David, so he fled alone, to the wilderness to live in the cave of Adullam, crying out to God, “How long will you turn your face away from me?” For now, David was in his “Cave time.” Cave times usually make us feel depressed and all alone. Because others no longer seem as supportive or as friendly, an ABANDONED FEELING leads into the downward spiral of thinking: No one cares for me! Like David, we may then conclude: God has also abandoned me! Think about it, this is the same David, who just 10 Psalms later wrote “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will FEAR NO EVIL; FOR YOU ARE WITH ME; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalms 23:4)
The angel of the Lord spoke these words to Joshua, The Word of God, “…shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall MEDITATE in it day and night, that you may OBSERVE TO DO according to all that is written in it. For then you will MAKE YOUR WAY PROSPEROUS, and then you will have GOOD SUCCESS. Have I not commanded you? BE STRONG AND OF GOOD COURAGE; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for THE LORD YOUR GOD IS WITH YOU WHEREVER YOU GO.” (Joshua 1:8-9)
David came to this conclusion, “I HAVE HIDDEN YOUR WORD IN MY HEART THAT I MIGHT NOT SIN AGAINST YOU.” (Psalms 119:11)
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham