How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me? Psalm 13:1, 2.
Dear God and Father who inhabits eternity, we pray that You will keep us close to Your side and teach us lessons of faith and trust that will be our strength in times of trouble. This we pray in the holy name of Jesus Christ! Amen.
I wonder exactly what the psalmist meant when he said that he takes counsel in his soul. Did he mean that when he cannot see the face of God he comes to his own conclusions about what is happening to him? If that is what he meant I can fully understand why his days were filled with sorrow.
Our vision is limited. We see only what is before us in the here and now, and even that is not very clear. Besides, the Adversary is always doing everything in his power to have us believe that things are worse than they really are. Have you ever been in a situation where you did not have all the facts, and the little that you had, seemed to overwhelm you to the point where you believed that there was no way out of that situation? Chances are, you were taking counsel in your soul.
Within ourselves there are no answers that can bring us peace. Christ is our peace (Ephesians 2:14). Only as we ask Him the questions and wait on Him for answers can we have real and lasting peace. Notice that David asks the questions, but does not wait for answers. Could it be that, in his reckoning, God was not answering him as fast as He should?
If that is the case he is not the only one in this dilemma! I believe that more that ninety percent of the human race, at one time or another, have felt this way about God’s timing.. So often we try to bring God into our sphere rather than allow Him to lift us into His. In our sphere there are circumstances that frustrate us, situations that stress us out, and answers that take too long to come.
In God’s sphere there are no circumstances, no situations and no problems with time that can cause Him frustration or stress. He cannot be confined to boundaries. The prophet Isaiah could testify of that:
“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord,
The Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40: 28-31).
Within God’s sphere there are solutions. So if you are filled with sorrow all the day long, make sure you are not taking counsel within your soul. From personal experience I can tell you, it does not work! Ask your questions, then wait upon the Lord for answers. The waiting will renew your strength.
The conversation continues.