June 24, 2020 Midweek Devotional
Scripture: Psalm 13
Meditation: When God Seems Distant
Psalm 13 is a psalm of lament written by David. He is praying for relief from despair and his question to God is this, “How long will you forget me and look the other way?” In other words, this was written during a time when God seemed very distant to David. Perhaps David even felt abandoned by God. Of course, in the end, David proclaims that he will continue to trust in God’s unfailing love.
Now I have talked to people who tell me that God always feels near, and that they have never experienced a time in their whole life when God seemed far away. I myself have felt that way, and like David, I have asked God, “How long will you forget me?” During one of these times, a pastor told me, “If you expect nothing from God, you will get it every time!” In other words, the source of my dry spell was my lack of expectancy and faith. The older I get and the more I grow in the faith, the more I believe this to be true.
But how do we make the jump from feeling abandoned by God to trusting him as David did?
At those times when it seems as if God has turned His back, we must deliberately trust the fact that He loves us with an unfailing love, and that He will not forsake us, even though it may seem that way for a while. We must always remember that His timing is not our timing.
The famous preacher, Charles Spurgeon, was walking through the English countryside with a friend. He noticed a barn with a weather vane. At the top of the vane were the words, “God is love.” Spurgeon remarked that this was an inappropriate place for such a message, because weather vanes are changeable, but God’s love is constant. But Spurgeon’s friend disagreed. “You misunderstood the meaning,” he said. “That weather vane is stating the truth that no matter which way the wind blows, God is love.”
When God seems distant, I encourage you to join David in deliberately trusting in God’s unfailing love, however the winds of circumstance are blowing. As David wrote in Psalm 103:11: “As high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.”
Blessings for your day,
Pastor Kim
Scripture: Psalm 13
Meditation: When God Seems Distant
Psalm 13 is a psalm of lament written by David. He is praying for relief from despair and his question to God is this, “How long will you forget me and look the other way?” In other words, this was written during a time when God seemed very distant to David. Perhaps David even felt abandoned by God. Of course, in the end, David proclaims that he will continue to trust in God’s unfailing love.
Now I have talked to people who tell me that God always feels near, and that they have never experienced a time in their whole life when God seemed far away. I myself have felt that way, and like David, I have asked God, “How long will you forget me?” During one of these times, a pastor told me, “If you expect nothing from God, you will get it every time!” In other words, the source of my dry spell was my lack of expectancy and faith. The older I get and the more I grow in the faith, the more I believe this to be true.
But how do we make the jump from feeling abandoned by God to trusting him as David did?
At those times when it seems as if God has turned His back, we must deliberately trust the fact that He loves us with an unfailing love, and that He will not forsake us, even though it may seem that way for a while. We must always remember that His timing is not our timing.
The famous preacher, Charles Spurgeon, was walking through the English countryside with a friend. He noticed a barn with a weather vane. At the top of the vane were the words, “God is love.” Spurgeon remarked that this was an inappropriate place for such a message, because weather vanes are changeable, but God’s love is constant. But Spurgeon’s friend disagreed. “You misunderstood the meaning,” he said. “That weather vane is stating the truth that no matter which way the wind blows, God is love.”
When God seems distant, I encourage you to join David in deliberately trusting in God’s unfailing love, however the winds of circumstance are blowing. As David wrote in Psalm 103:11: “As high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.”
Blessings for your day,
Pastor Kim
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