Praise You in the Storm

Not sure if I have posted this or not, but I am posting it again.  This was first published in First Press newsletter.  If I already posted then I am putting it up again... It's very relevant with Hurricane Irma coming in a few hours.  

Read PSALM 13
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David begins his Psalm by asking God “How long?” four times.  The repetition shows that David is at a point of being unable to bear or endure the situation(s) he is facing.  He asks God, “How long YHWH will you forget me, how long will you hide your face from me, how long must I take counsel in myself and how long must I watch the enemy exalt over me?”  Initially one would think David is having a crisis of faith as he wonders if God is even around or even cares.  
 
Questioning God was a practice of many men and women of the Bible throughout the centuries. For example, Abraham questioned God when He promised Abraham’s wife would one day bear a son.  Job questioned God when he lost everything that was precious to him. Elijah questioned God’s whereabouts when he flees from Jezebel.  The Israelites continually questioned God in times of calamity.  
 
There are people who think questioning or complaining to God is wrong, disrespectful or irreverent.  I could not disagree more.  God is not taken back, intimidated or offended when we bring our raw unfettered emotions to him.  I believe He welcomes our cries of despair that we express to him. 
 
David, the Psalmist, is voicing his concern to God by asking, “How long do I have to endure before you will intervene and take control of the situation?”  He feels alone and abandoned by God and he is in despair as he faces his enemies.  The last thing anyone wants when they are facing a trial or calamity is the feeling of being alone and abandoned.  Yet, this is how David feels and he is begging God for divine intervention. 
 
He begs, “God, hear my prayer!  I have made my request known and I implore you to give it consideration.  Give me the hope I need to know that I will emerge victoriously over my enemies for your name sake; lest my enemies think they have won.”  However, in his despair he does not have a shallow hope that God may pull through for him; he is expecting God to hear his prayer and respond in the appropriate manner.  This is hard to do, because I often allow my feelings to dictate my relationship with God.
 
Gerald H. Wilson writes in his commentary of Psalm 13 of three helpful responses to the question “How we can regain a sense of God’s presence when we feel as though we are all alone and far from his presence.” 

1. Voice your complaint.  Be honest with God.  When you are feeling overwhelmed, alone, abandoned or completely disconnected from God, tell him.  This can be done through prayer, journaling, or writing your own Psalms, poems or songs.  Wilson even suggests that do this audibly. 
2. Take the focus off yourself.  When you begin to have the feeling of abandonment and despair then turn your attention to others and serve them.  When you focus on your problems they are always before you.  When we take the focus from self and begin serving and praying for others then we grow closer to God and bless others.

Keep connected to the body of Christ.  Nobody should ever face life or difficulties alone; this is why Jesus established the Church.  We are called to love and encourage one another, and we are to bear one another’s burdens.  When we gather together we can pray together, worship together, cry together, laugh together, and lift one another up.