“Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” (Psalm 10:1)
In Psalm 10 David asked why God seemed so far away in times of trouble. I think if we are honest, that same question has crossed our thoughts as well. Why does God seem so far away? It reminds me of a bumper sticker that read something to the effect of “If you can’t feel God in your life, guess who moved?”
God’s love is constant, but our anger, our grief, and our doubts can push Him away from our thoughts. The negatives crowd out that small voice we know is not from our own brain waves. Despair robs us of the closeness we once felt. Then we somehow convince ourselves that God is so far away! Crazy how quickly that can happen!
Yet the Bible tells us God is our refuge and strength in times of trouble. (Psalm 46:1) God is always there. Sometimes we just need to look up from our troubles to see Him. Maybe it will be in the form of a friend, a rainbow on a stormy day, the words to song or a passage of scripture. Perhaps it will be a sudden calm that coats us like a protective shell. David learned that. His faith helped him to see God through his despair. He says later on in Psalm 10 -“O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear” (vs. 17).
God is a gentleman. He waits to be asked before entering into our situations. He also knows our hearts, and if we get lost in ourselves He will bring us someone or something to help us realize that we haven't been alone at all. He's been waiting on us to give it all over so that He can work it out on our behalf.
Adjust that Crown,
Jonna
