How Long Oh, Lord?

How Long Oh, Lord?

Have you faced situations in your life when you speculated, “where is God in all of this?” There are circumstances we all face when we feel very far from God and His promised blessings. In Psalm 89:46, the writer asks a question that every believer asks of the Lord from time to time.

Psalms 89:46 How long, LORD? wilt thou hide thyself for ever?

In your life, you will experience conditions that contradict the explicit promises of God. At times these frustrations can be prolonged, and you must posture yourself toward the Lord so as not to find yourself in a stuck place with no easy way out. Jesus Himself went through such things as the following verse from Hebrews demonstrates:

[Heb 12:3 KJV] 3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

In the above verse, we see what God desires of us in times of hiddenness when we don’t see the blessing of God manifesting according to the promise of His word. We are to endure the contradiction. That means we take the attitude that what you are going through may not line up with God’s promise, but you refuse to change God’s word or give in to hopelessness.

What am I referring to when I say, don’t change God’s word when you are in trouble? It is common for people to alter their thinking about God to fit their circumstances. They get sick and conclude that God sent the sickness into their life from some particular reason (allegedly because “God loves them so much or wants to teach them something.”) That is entirely contrary to God’s word. The Father will NEVER put on you what the Cross intends to take off of you, including sickness, poverty, oppression, etc.

Contradiction to God’s promise also causes us to become weary and faint in our minds. Do you ever find yourself repeating over and over, “I’m tired”? That is a sure sign you are giving in to the pressure of the enemy against you. I remember going through a situation for months when I told God over and again, “I don’t think I can take any more of this.” Finally, He gave me an answer:

“Ok, we’ve established that you can’t take any more, now what?”

I was speechless. I realized I had allowed a mindset of oppression to influence my thinking, and in reality, I was blaming God for not acting sooner to help me. In Matt. 16:24, Jesus said:

[Mat 16:24 KJV] 24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

What does this verse mean? What Jesus is saying is if you are going to follow Him, you’ve got to put your “self”, your “psuche” or soul in check because allowing your emotions and your mind to pass judgment on what’s going on around you will derail your faith and you won’t make it.

I’m here to tell you that pressures come in life, and there are times that God does not seem near, and His promises are not manifesting on our timetable. Be patient. If you persevere, you will come out on the other side, and life will look much different from it does now. I can testify to that truth.

Thirteen years ago, I came out of a years-long time of difficulty and challenge into a place in God that I’d only dreamed about. Every day I thank God for His patience with me and His determination to bring me through despite myself. Everything we teach is slanted to bring the things that God has taught us to those who are longing for more of God’s fullness in their lives. We don’t get many takers, mostly because of unbelief. Folks hear our testimony, and no matter how much we water it down, they find it unbelievable and go on their way, continuing in the failed coping strategies that will never make anything different. I understand. I was that person in times past. Then one day, God showed mercy on me despite myself. My prayer is that God will show you mercy and bring you into your blessing place in spite of the wrong ideas and unhelpful attitudes that would hold you back.