Lord, are we there yet?

Most of us as parents have taken family car trips with our children and heard these impatient words: “Are we almost there yet? When will we get there? How much longer will it be?”

Often those agonizing questions are asked when there is still a long way to go. Parents then try to assure their kids that even though it might seem long, it won’t be too long.

Life for us as God’s children can be like that, too. As we deal with real life circumstances in our journey of faith, from time to time we will ask the Lord, “How long, how long will it be?” It is a question that is often a result of our personal pain or suffering, our doubts or fears, our grief or anxiety. It comes at some of our weakest moments in life. We ask it when we are no longer sure we can go on. It can even be a question of doubt that God is still there for us. For some people it is like a panic attack prayer.

But even in those moments when our faith is weak, and it seems like the Lord will never answer us or bring an end to our anxiety, he will not abandon us. It is also true that we are actually in good company. That’s because we are asking the same kind of questions that many men and women of faith have asked God over the centuries.

We can see it very clearly in the Old Testament book of Psalms. The writer of Psalm 13 said: “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, O Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;” (Psalm 13:1-4)

Four times the Psalm writer asked God, “How long?” This obviously occurred during a time of personal pain, doubt, anxiety, grief and conflict. It expressed what many of us have also felt during difficult times in life. However, even though it sounds like a cry of desperation, it was still a prayer of faith and confidence in the Lord. We know that because the writer concluded with these words: “But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me.” (Psalm 13:5-6)

These words remind us that we can trust the Lord even when he seems far away. They assure us that God will not forget us; he will not abandon us. Even when we are in a “wrestling match” with a multitude of anxious thoughts, we will eventually come out “on top.” The Lord will see us through it all because of his unfailing love. Although we may feel desperate at times, we do not have to continually live in desperation. We will once again experience the Lord’s goodness. It may take a long time, but it won’t be too long. He will always come to our rescue right on time.

In the meantime we are encouraged by the Psalms to submit our lives to God’s perfect and eternal timetable. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. (Psalm 27:14) We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. (Psalm 33:20-21) I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. (Psalm 130:5)

Pastor Doug Birky

Sidney Evangelical Free Church