“I do not know why God ever made me,” he cried in deep despair. “God has not made you yet,” said his friend. “He is making you and you do not like what is going on.” That story neatly summarizes the tenth Psalm.
Whoever wrote this psalm was asking the same question. “O Lord, why do you stand so far away? Why do you hide from me when I need you the most?” But is this a question or an accusation? If God is distant or hiding, could there be a reason? What is going on here? Is it God’s doing or the Psalmists? Who is responsible for the feelings of isolation or separation? Is it doubt or is it distrust? Or is it neither?
This psalm does not end where it begins. It concludes with a bold proclamation, “The Lord is King forever and ever!” And a short time later we read, “Lord You know the hopes of the helpless. Surely You will hear their cries and help them.”
Is God ever absent from the lives of those who look to Him for salvation? It surely seems so. When the ones who claim they do not need God seem to prosper and we who worship Him are forced to go without, where is He?
The author does not speculate about what God is doing nor why He does not respond to our cries immediately. He simply reminds us of the grace of God and that in His time and in His way He will hear us and comfort us. Our faith only grows through adversity.
Prayer: Give us courage, Father, to be patient while You work within us to shape us into Your likeness. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Scripture for Today: Psalm 10:17 You LORD, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry.
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