In Psalms, chapter thirteen, verse one, the psalmist is depressed and discouraged: he is in desperate trouble, yet he feels that God is absent, as in verse two, and unwilling to give practical help. There are two important lessons: The prayers of the godly may not receive an answer immediately, for God may appear to pay no attention to our pleas. This feeling of being forsaken by Him may occur in times of sickness, financial need, or severe problems. It may involve family, work, or church. At times, we should pray for the Holy Spirit to assure us that we will rejoice in God’s salvation, as in verses five through six.
If believers seek God’s help through genuine faith in Jesus Christ, then the delay does not mean He forsakes them. God may instead be planning to accomplish some unseen purpose in our lives, as in Second Corinthians twelve, verses seven through ten. Other reference scriptures are Hebrews twelve, verses ten through eleven; James one, verses two to four; and First Peter one, verses six through seven.
The part of the theme verse under The Deserted Soul section brings attention to the question from the beginning, “How long wilt thou forget me, Oh Lord? Five questions span from verses one through two of Psalms thirteen, “How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? Forever? How long wilt thou hide thy face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
The questions at the very beginning of Psalms thirteen will come across the minds of many believers today. A believer may have something they appear to need currently and expect that to occur based on their godly assessment. However, after the saints addressed the petition to God, they seemed to get no response, evidence, or confirmation from God concerning the request.
What do we do? Believers will trust God and be content until they receive the answer. However, it depends upon us and our relationship with God. Why? If our relationship with God is good, the chances are the answer will come sooner than we expect. Still, if it is not, then only in His time will tell, and not on the timetable we expect it to be. Therefore, how long will we forget the Lord when we ask for something?