Psalms 13:1-2 ESV To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? (2) How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
How long, how long, how long. . .
Does God forget about us and hide from us?
Maybe. In a sense. But not really.
God doesn’t let go of us. He doesn’t quit protecting or boot us out of the high tower. He doesn’t withdraw his refuge and hiding place from those who are his through Jesus Christ.
But sometimes he does let us “feel the storm.”
Sometimes he lets us feel the cold rain of this world so we have hearts of compassion for people in their struggles.
If we never leave the high tower to feel the cruel brunt of this world’s evil, then how can we ever care as we should for the people of this Earth?
(1 Timothy 2:1 NCV) First, I tell you to pray for all people, asking God for what they need and being thankful to him.
Pray for all people. I do that sometimes on the way to work in the morning – pray for all people everywhere. So many lives are crushed and bruised by this world.
I thought of a definition for gentleness the other morning, and it fits here.
“Gentleness” – handle so as not to damage further.
(Philippians 4:5 NKJV) Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
(Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (5:23) gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
So sometimes we need to feel the storm of someone’s life so we can handle them in such a way as to not further damage them but to bring our God’s healing into their lives.
I like that. I like that a lot. 🙂
