How Long?

Proverbs 31 devotional this morning:

"How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?" Psalm 13:1 (NIV 1984)

"As David wrote Psalm 13, he was on the run from King Saul and found himself in a hard place of losing hope. He needed encouragement and strength. In his desperate place of darkness, he asked God "How long?" The words that filled his heart fell from his lips as he cried out to the Lord.

Are you living in the unbearable days of "How long?" How long will I be unemployed? How long will my child be a prodigal? How long will I live with this life-threatening diagnosis? How long will I be lonely?
Sometimes our stay in "How long?" seems indefinite. The long stay causes us to become discouraged and lose hope for deliverance.
Knowing King David asked God "How long?" can strengthen our weakened faith.
 Praying his words in Psalm 13 renewed our communication with God by helping us realize the "right" words weren't necessary. We could simply let the words filling our hearts fall from our lips as we cried out to God for help. Our strengthened faith equipped us to walk the long road."