Are You Hiding From Me?

Psalm 13: 1 – 6

Are You hiding from me?

1 How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? 2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me? 3 Consider and hear me, O LORD my God; Enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; 4 Lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed against him”; Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved. 5 But I have trusted in Your mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. 6 I will sing to the LORD, because He has dealt bountifully with me.

In our lives we came to a time when things were too much for us to bear. We called upon our Holy God for help and since we did not get an instant response from Him disappointment was added to our panic. Our prayers seemed to be of no benefit from our Holy God. Was He ignoring us or hiding from us. What is He silent in coming to our rescue. In truth, though, our Holy Lord God Is not silent toward us. What looks like silence and inactivity to us is God allowing us the opportunity to listen to the ‘still small voice’ and wait and see His provisions. In Psalm 46 verse 10 He tells us, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

The prophet Isaiah teaches us in his book chapter 55 more about our Holy Master, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. 10 “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; t shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”

In truth we can never figure our way out of or over things. We tend to mess up most of the time. However, but just trusting our Great and Loving Holy Lord to deal with our problems we can look at what He did and always recognize that it was the best solution.

I find it very interesting as I look at certain scripture I wind up in some way experiencing what I am reading. Does it happen to you? For example, just today a brother came up to me with a book and asked me my opinion of it. He is counseling this heartbroken guy whose wife is committing adultery and wanted to give this guy something to read to encourage him.

Some people have labeled me a white-collar guy with a blue collar disposition. In counseling I like to say to couples or individuals that I can give them my opinion in one of two ways. I can sugar coat my observation or I can tell them ‘straight up’ that is the truth, in what I see as the problem. Most people faced with this choice opt for the truth.

My answer to this caring counselor is that I thought the book was garbage. I told him that I have come to see that most books are just a waste of time for Christians. I told him that many books are like astrology. In them you can find something that may hit home. I said that the one book I would give to this hurting brother is to stay in his bible and read the Psalms. Many of the emotional trials we experience was also dealt with by those who penned the Psalms. We all know the Scripture reference listed in the book of Hebrews chapter 4, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” The Word of God is the surgical instrument which we need to surgically correct us.

What I love about the Psalms is that they normally begin with some painful experience and ends with praise to the One Who Is in control of everything.

I know you will see my point exactly as we look at this wonderful Word of God.

As often with the Psalms this is the cry of someone in dire trouble. It would fit many periods in David’s life, but it would also fit the same in many of his godly successors. It would also fit Israel at various times. In the end it is a message that sometimes fits us all. And that is the genius of the Psalms. They apply to the psalmist, they apply to those who sing the psalms, and they apply to all who read them today. But the psalm also ends on a note of confident assurance. The psalmist refuses to believe that our Father God will leave him in his distress.