 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me? 2 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? 3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, 4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken. 5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. 6 I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me. Meditation Our Father invites us to wrestle with Him in prayer, discovering the depths of His sovereign and steadfast love. Psalms of lament give language to engage life’s deepest questions to discover the height of God’ forever faithfulness. Language of lament guides prayer from fear to faith. The question, “How long?!” is reiterated four times. Has God forgotten? Is God hiding His face? Will evil and the enemy prevail? The bold prayer is a vehicle moving the Psalmist from frustration to certainty in God and His sovereignty. Lament lifts eyes of faith off of situations to focus on our sovereign, loving Father. Prayers of lament are “a voice of faith crying out in times of unanswered questions and unmentionable suffering.” Biblical laments are lyrics for people seeking God in the midst of a fallen and fractured world. Laments move believers from struggle to singing. Jesus lamented over Jerusalem, Jeremiah wrote a book of Lamentations empowering believers to move from “How?” to Hope!, and the prophet Habakkuk used Psalm 13 as faith fuel to move from the troubled times of “how long” (Habakkuk 1:2) to trembling faith that sings through suffering (Habakkuk 3). God invites you to use this Psalm and the pattern of lament, too, so your heart can move from trouble to trust and transforming your struggles to be soil for you to sing of God’s steadfast love. The work of Jesus both demonstrates and guarantees that God will redeem all He allows. Lament empowers us to see through our struggles to focus on God and His steadfast love. Richly Dwelling -What aspect of a lament prayer is most difficult- the bold honesty with your troubles, taking struggles to the Lord, or seeing His steadfast love through your struggles? -Why is it difficult for you to name your troubles and turn from frustration to faith, total trust in Him? -How does the reality of Jesus’ finished work fuel your faith, knowing Jesus defeated suffering, death, and the enemy to secure God’s sovereignty over the pain and problems of life? Key Verse 3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, Comments are closed.
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