Aching And Believing

I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. - Psalm 27:13

As I've been reading through the Psalms over the last few weeks, I've noticed a pattern in many of the chapters written by King David. So often, he starts with an aching in his heart, a pain point that seems to be too much for him. He cries out to God, asking the Lord where He is, what He's doing, and why He feels so far away.

I don't know about you, but it's comforting to me to realize that even the man after God's own heart felt far from and forgotten by God at times. 

We read one of David's many cries in Psalm 22:1-2, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent." 

As relatable as David's words are in passages like these, he rarely camps out for long in his aching. Instead, he reminds himself (and us through his writing) that God is still God, even in the most difficult circumstances. He remembers how God came through for his ancestors, so that means God will come through for him as well. 

Take a look at Psalm 22:3-5, "Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel. In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed."

And usually as a psalm comes to an end, David states the truth that God does not distance Himself from His children - He never leaves them or turns His back on them. Take Psalm 22:24 for instance, "For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one: he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help." 

No matter how hopeless life seemed, no matter how much pain and suffering he faced, David remembered who God was. He remembered His faithfulness, His grace, His compassion, and His love. And in reminding himself all those years ago, David continues to remind us of the same things today. 

You might be aching. You might feel hopeless. And God might seem far off and uninterested in your prayers. But He is with you, even in your pain. He is your hope when the darkness is overwhelming. He is close by, wanting to help you press on. And His is listening, hearing every single prayer you utter.