A Matter of Remembrance

      
      "Lord, how long will You forget me?

Forever?

How long will You hide Your face from me? 

 How long will I store up anxious concerns  within me,

agony in my mind every day?

How long will my enemy dominate me? 

 Consider me and answer, Lord my God.

Restore brightness to my eyes; 

otherwise, I will sleep in death.

My enemy will say, “I have triumphed over him,”

and my foes will rejoice because I am shaken. 

 But I have trusted in Your faithful love; 

my heart will rejoice in Your deliverance. 

 I will sing to the Lord

because He has treated me generously. " Psalm 13 HCSB

How I identify with this Psalm of David.  So very often I feel as though God is far off or that I am a continual failure.  I have struggled with this downward spiral thing a great deal in my life.  I feel as though Satan has my number on speed dial.  He really knows how to get at me.  I feel like I store up anxious concerns within me.  I feel dominated by my enemy.  

The key that David shows us here is not to stay in that state of defeat but to cry out to our Savior.  David is crying out for help and so should we.  In a matter of a few verses David goes from defeat, feeling like he wants to just lay his head down, close his eyes on it all, give up and die and agree with the enemy that he is a failure. But he goes to God and remembers. 

We must remember! Remember God's faithful love. Remember that He has delivered us. He has treated us generously.  We deserve hell.  All of us.  None of us are righteous enough to enter heaven much less merit a relationship with the Most High God.  We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, there is "none righteous, no not one". (Romans 3)  And yet, God in His grace extended mercy to us even when we were His enemies to save us.  Christ loved us so greatly that He left all of heaven to come to earth and have the sin of all mankind for all time put upon Him that God's just punishment for us would be put upon Him.  He paid the price that I might know Him, that I might have eternal life, here on earth and forever with Him.

How can I ever say that He has deserted me?  How can I not trust in His faithful love?  If He is willing to die for me, will He not help me to live as well and not only live but live in faith, remembering His great love and walking in fellowship with God, knowing that He has me, He has my concerns.  He will carry my sorrows.  He will work all things out for good. (His kind of good! Good with an eternal perspective!) I can rejoice in His deliverance! I can sing to the Lord!

Father God, You are so good!  You are faithful and true, right in all that You do. Thank You for saving me, for desiring me, for helping me to look to You and cry out, to see You deliver me over and over and over again. You are worthy! You are holy! You are my God in whom I trust.  O have Your way in me.  Be glorified in my life and those I love. Thank You, thank You, thank You!