God is Good (Even When I Don't Get Answers)

This year has been a crazy year. If you are like me, you just keep wishing and wanting the troubles of our times to blow over and go away. “Can’t we be done with this yet” is a common refrain that I find running through my mind. Can’t Covid19 just go away? Can’t we go back to work and normalcy? Can’t our kids go back to school and enjoy playgrounds? Can’t people all over stop being destructive and treat each other with love and dignity? Can’t the stock market stop playing yoyo? Can’t we just get back to full church assembly with all the people I love and miss?

Many like me are asking “How long, how long, how long?” David asked God the same thing in Psalm 13.

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?

David’s questions moved to the next logical step. “If God is allowing this than He must not be loving me right now.” The first reason that David questioned God in this Psalm was because of the solitude of his sorrow—David felt like he was alone with his pain. The second reason was that bad people appeared to be winning.

David’s prayer to God is quite simple: “Don’t let me die, and don’t let the bad guys win.”

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.

How appropriate for David, and how appropriate for today! The need is great, but it is not complex. My desires can be complex, but my need is simple. God preserve my life, and don’t let the wicked win.

In this Psalm we don’t read about any spectacular or even specific answers to David’s prayers. We do however read about David’s renewed faith in the God Who does answer.

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

No matter what stage of the “how long” we find ourselves in, we have this truth from God—He has dealt bountifully with me. This bounty demands three responses: trust, rejoicing, and singing. Even when we haven’t got the answer, God is still good.