Let’s just get real for a second. We all wonder why God seems so silent when we’re desperate to hear from Him. When we’re lost, deep in the pit, and there doesn’t appear to be an exit to escape the pain we’re enduring or the predicament in which we’ve found ourselves.
I’ve been there, too. Many times. I can still recall moments of intense emotional pain when I cried out to the Lord. Not knowing where to turn, what to say, what to do, I just lifted a desperate prayer asking for mercy and relief from the blanket of misery that was wrapped around my soul.
Most of the heroes of faith we read about in scripture had to weather some powerful storms in their lives as well; perhaps none more than King David. Sure, he kicked some tail when he was young – he was a warrior, having killed lions and bears with his bare hands as a shepherd before taking down the bane of Israel’s existence – Goliath – with a sling and a stone.
While David experienced some incredible victories, he also suffered some catastrophic losses along the way. He was purged from Saul’s home, and was hunted for years as a threat to the King. He lost his best friend, Jonathan. He lived in caves as a future king without a home. After Saul’s death, he did become King of Judah, but still suffered through losses of two sons – one who was born from his adulterous affair with Bathsheba, and the other being Absalom, who attempted to usurp his father’s throne.
What did David do when he agonized over his plight? He cried out to the Lord – and he didn’t hold back. But, even David – who scripture calls a “man after God’s own heart” – had his doubts! Consider Psalm 35:17 and 35:22:
How long, O Lord, will you look on and do nothing? Rescue me from their fierce attacks. Protect my life from these lions!
O Lord, you know all about this. Do not stay silent. Do not abandon me now, O Lord.
Even through his pleas to the Lord, David was confident they would not only be heard, but that God would act. We should have that same confidence today. You might believe silence equates with absence. But take it from David:
When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. Psalm 34:17
