How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I take counsel in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Psalm 13: 1-2
David cries out to God four times in this Psalm with the same phrase, “ad matai,” how long (also translated “until when). It is a common plea throughout the Bible. When God asks His people, it is a rhetorical question as He expresses His disappointment at their sin. But when asked by His people of God it reflects a desperate longing, sometimes even grief and lament.
I’ve asked the same question at times. How long, Lord? Until when is this going to continue? While there is frustration and pain behind the appeal it is a matter of faith that it is directed towards God, the One who knows and has the power to bring an end to the hardship.
One commentator said it this way:
“(ad matai) captures the tension between divine promise and human experience. Its recurring question threads through Scripture until the New Testament reveals God’s definitive answer in Christ, assuring believers that no waiting is wasted in His redemptive plan”.[1]
That’s where the rubber of our faith meets the road. We trust God because of His power, character and love for us, even as we have yet to experienced His relief.
God reminds us of His sovereignty as He reiterates His promise to Israel.
The smallest family will become a thousand people,
and the tiniest group will become a mighty nation.
At the right time, I, the Lord, will make it happen.” Isaiah 60:22
As we plead with God, we also are trusting in an eventual action by Him (even His soon return). God alone knows the right time. Maybe it is tomorrow, or maybe in the life to come. How long O Lord? Keep present with us while we await Your redemptive hand.
