Psalm 13
As a society we have grown increasingly impatient. In a world where we feel we deserve everything that we want when we want it, we become anxious when God decides to remain silent. In the book The Sensitivity of the Spirit, R. T. Kendall discusses the importance of God’ silence with us. It reveals to us our love and dedication to Him. In this psalm, although the author does not like or enjoy God’s silence, he still chooses to love and worship Him because of His goodness.
As a parent interacts with their child, we can notice that the parent does not usually give their full attention to their child ever waking moment. The parent goes to work to provide for the child, but does not spend that time talking to the child, do they? This is one human example of our relationship with God. Does the child think that the parent no longer loves them or does not have their best interests at heart because during 10 hours or more of the day the parent is involved at work? No, the child remembers that the parent will be home soon and make dinner and care for them just as the parent has always done. We may sometimes want to be able to play with the parent, but quickly learn the importance of not seeing our parent for hours of the day because it means they are working for our provision. Of course, there is always the opportunity for “an emergency call” to our parent should something go horribly wrong. They might not always be there but they are always available when needed.
God works in a similar way. It is good that we do not constantly feel His presence, lest we become over privileged and feel as though we deserve Him to be around all day. We begin to take it for granted and our love for Him becomes shallow simply because we would always be in His presence. Certainly, we want to always walk in His presence, but it is not always good for us. This is why He withdraws. “Distance makes the heart grow fonder,” they say and in regards to God’s silence, this is true. The psalmist accounts for times of struggle and difficulty even when we feel as though God has abandoned us but actually these are times when we are tested to rely on Him all the more! God is good in His presence and absence and we need to be ok with that. This doesn’t mean we should be ok not being with Him, rather we should still trust Him even if we feel as though we are not close to Him in the moment.
Do you trust God even though you don’t feel close to Him? What are the things you are crying out to Him today in regards to His presence in your life? How can you trust God more regardless of how you feel?
