How Long, O Lord?

How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

—Psalm 13:1

“How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” I echoed the psalmist’s cry, as I prayed once again for the same prayer requests I’ve prayed for twenty years.

“Don’t you know how old I am, how long I’ve waited, Lord?” I reminded Him, while I sipped my coffee at the kitchen table, staring at the wall.

I’m talking to a wall.

“Lord, that’s how I feel! I feel like I’m talking to a wall!” I blinked back tears.

I blinked again. What’s that? I wondered, as my eyes focused on a shiny spot on the wall. A handprint.

That must have been left by my one-year-old grandson, Javier. I figured.

But why hadn’t I noticed it before? Javi hadn’t been at my house since Christmas.

Obscured by the dreary, gray days of winter, the handprint only became visible in the light, streaming through the window at precisely 9:15AM.

Moments later, the handprint disappeared. But not because I had wiped it. Because of shifting shadows.

The handprint was still there. But I could no longer see it from my vantage point.

God was showing me something.

He does hear my prayers, and His hand is at work in my life even when I cannot see it.

Thank You, Lord, for Your illuminating illustration, I prayed. But couldn’t You have set up a more beautiful scene? I wondered, as I stared at the bulging trash bag, the broom, and the measuring stick, all propped up against the same wall.

“Nope, those are perfect props. They are reminders that I am working behind the scenes (Isaiah 45:15 MSG), clearing out the obstacles, making a way where there seems to be no way (Isaiah 43:19), and I'm doing immeasurably more than all you could ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).”

Do you feel like your prayers have fallen on deaf ears? Like you’ve been talking to a wall?

Be encouraged. He hears (Psalm 116:1), and He cares (1 Peter 5:7).

Sometimes the dreary, gray days of winter can cloud your vision, and it may seem He has hidden His face from you. But He is still there. He is working for your good (Romans 8:28), perfecting His gift for you (James 1:17).

In due time, He will answer (1 Peter 5:6). He will keep His promise (Deuteronomy 7:9), for He does not change His mind like shifting shadows (James 1:17).

Wait for it; it will surely come (Habakkuk 2:3). And His handprint will be all over it.

Lord, You are the Father of the heavenly lights (James 1:17). You bring light to my darkness (Psalm 18:28). You encourage me in the dead of winter. I wait for Your answers like the coming of spring. Amen.