Introduction
How many times have we asked the question, “How long, Lord, must I wait?”
I cannot count the number of times I have spoken those words. Sometimes they are words of despair. Sometimes they are words of frustration. The Lord tarries, yet He is never late. Still, my impatience gets the better of me, and I find myself asking, “How long must I wait, Lord?”
How long must I wait for relief? How long for an answer? How long before the circumstances change?
I am suffering. I have needs that seem urgent. I pray for others who desperately need answers. I pray for nations whose people are suffering. I pray for Jerusalem. And even Israel has cried out, “How long, Lord?”
They need answers, but the answers do not seem to come. When answers are delayed, the heart can grow weak, and hope can begin to fade. We may feel lost again and begin questioning everything—even things we should never question. In the silence of waiting, our faith can be tested more severely than we ever imagined.
The psalmist knew this struggle well:
“How long, O LORD?
Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I take counsel in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?” Psalm 13:1–2 ESV
These are not the words of someone who has abandoned God. They are the cries of someone who is hurting and desperately wants to hear from Him.
The question “How long?” has been asked by generations of believers. It is a question born out of suffering, uncertainty, and the painful silence that sometimes accompanies waiting on God.
As I have considered Psalm 13, I have found helpful insight in Finis Jennings Dake’s study notes concerning David’s questions:
- How long? God will never forget.
God does not forget His children. What appears to us to be silence is never evidence that God has ceased to care or that He has lost sight of His promises.
- How long? God will not hide His face forever.
Scripture teaches that sin can disrupt our fellowship with God. We should therefore examine our hearts honestly and ask whether there is anything in our lives that needs repentance. Yet we must also remember that God’s silence is not automatically evidence of personal sin. Job’s experience reminds us that suffering cannot always be explained by pointing to a particular transgression.
- How long? We can allow sorrow to consume our thoughts—or we can turn our minds toward God.
There is a point at which we must choose where we will allow our thoughts to dwell. Scripture calls us to trust God, to reject anxious preoccupation, and to set our minds upon what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and commendable (Isaiah 26:3; Matthew 6:25–34; Philippians 4:8).
- How long? Evil may appear to triumph, but it will not triumph forever.
Sin has consequences, and Scripture teaches that we reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7–8). The enemy may appear to be exalted for a season, but his apparent victory is temporary. God remains sovereign, and His judgment will ultimately prevail.
There is something important to understand about asking “How long?” God is not offended by an honest cry from a hurting heart. David asked it. The prophets asked it. God’s people have asked it throughout the generations. The question itself is not necessarily a failure of faith.
A greater question is this:
What will we do while we wait for God’s answer? Will we allow delayed answers to destroy our faith, or will we allow the waiting to deepen it? Will we interpret God’s silence as abandonment, or will we trust that He is working even when we cannot see what He is doing?
Will we continue to obey when there is no immediate reward? God’s timing is not governed by our impatience. He sees what we cannot see, knows what we cannot know, and understands the beginning and the end simultaneously. What feels like delay to us may be part of a greater work that we do not yet understand.
The Lord does not promise that we will always understand the waiting. He does promise that He is faithful.
As I have explored the question “How long, Lord?”, I have discovered that it reaches far beyond a single unanswered prayer. It reaches into the very heart of our Christian walk—our faith, our obedience, our understanding of God’s sovereignty, and our willingness to trust Him when we cannot see the way forward.
So let us explore this question together. How long, Lord? And perhaps, along the way, we will discover that the waiting itself is doing a work in us that could never have been accomplished any other way.
God Will Never Forget
Here is a profound mystery of faith: we often say that God never forgets, yet Scripture tells us that when we repent, He remembers our sins no more. How can both be true?
We must remember that we are speaking of God, not man. He does not think as we think, nor does He act as we act. His thoughts are infinitely higher than ours.
When God forgives, He does not suffer a lapse of memory as human beings do. Rather, by an act of His divine will, He chooses not to hold our sins against us. He deliberately removes them from His remembrance because of His mercy and grace.
“I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” Jeremiah 31:34 ESV
Consider this carefully: forgetting and choosing not to remember are not the same. Human beings forget unconsciously; God chooses consciously. His mercy is purposeful, complete, and perfect.
Scripture repeatedly testifies to His unfailing faithfulness:
“Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.” Isaiah 49:15 (ESV)
God is forever faithful.
There is no need to measure His faithfulness; it is enough to know that He is faithful. Every promise He has spoken will be fulfilled according to His perfect will and timing. His ways may not always align with our understanding, but He remains God, acting according to His holy nature rather than our expectations.
I often remind myself of this truth: Why should I expect God to think or act as I do? He is the Creator; I am the created.
The psalmist expressed this wonder:
“…what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?”
— Psalm 8:4 ESV
God’s faithfulness endures forever. His Word is true because He Himself is truth.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
John 1:1 ESV
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:23 (ESV)
“God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” Numbers 23:19 (ESV)
Therefore, we should never lose heart or abandon hope. If Christ is our example, we must walk in His footsteps. When we forgive others, we should release the offense and leave judgment in God’s hands.
God Will Never Hide His Face
Many of us have experienced moments when God seems distant. We pray, fast, claim His promises, and believe with all our hearts, yet we still cry out: “Where are You, Lord? How long must I wait?”
To understand God is to understand His holiness. Sin creates separation, not because God is unfaithful, but because His nature is perfectly pure.
Scripture teaches that fallen humanity cannot stand before the full glory of God in its present condition. His power is beyond comprehension; His holiness beyond measure. Yet God does not hide His ways from us. Through His Word and His Spirit, He teaches us His paths so that we may become holy, as He is holy. Trust in Him becomes essential.
A day is coming when all who belong to Christ will behold Him face to face.
“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” 1 Corinthians 13:12 ESV
Choose to Stop Living Defeated
Man can choose to stop living in constant defeat, sorrow, and anxiety. Too often, our minds become consumed with problems—our own and those of others. Certainly, we should not ignore life’s difficulties, but we must remember that God has provided the answer. Should we not focus more on the solution than on the suffering?
When we dwell endlessly on trouble, our hope fades, and a hopeless spirit becomes weary and sick.
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12 (ESV)
The remedy is found in fixing our minds upon God and sharing that hope with others.
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.” Isaiah 26:3–4 (ESV)
“…do not be anxious about your life.” Matthew 6:25 (ESV)
“…do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:34 (ESV)
“…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things… and the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8–9 (ESV) – My favorite
Sin Exalts the Enemy
Though redeemed by grace, we still battle against sin. We must remain watchful, for sin gives place to the enemy and weakens our fellowship with God. Among these sins are:
Speaking Evil of Others
“So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.” 1 Peter 2:1 (ESV)
“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.” Ephesians 4:31
Holding Grudges and Seeking Revenge
“You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.” Leviticus 19:18 (ESV)
Judging Others Unrighteousely
“Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law.” James 4:11 (ESV)
Too often, we justify ourselves:
“I am not ready to forgive.”
“They deserve it.”
“I have a right to hold on to this.”
“I am the one who was hurt.”
But Scripture reminds us that every thought, every word, and every motive of the heart will one day be brought into the light. We will stand before the judgment seat of Christ, the Bema seat, and give an account of all we said and thought. This truth should produce within us a healthy and reverent fear of the Lord.
“On that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.” Romans 2:16 (ESV)
“…do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.” 1 Corinthians 4:5 (ESV)
May we therefore walk humbly, forgive freely, trust completely, and fix our minds upon Christ, knowing that He is faithful, merciful, and true.
Conclusion
With all that we have considered, two important questions remain. The first concerns the Rapture of the saints, spoken of in Matthew 24, 1 Corinthians 15, and 1 Thessalonians 4. The second concerns the Second Coming of the Son of Man.
The apostles lived with the expectation that Christ could return in their lifetime, and throughout the generations, many believers have shared that same anticipation. Today, as we look at the world around us, we cannot help but recognize many of the signs of the times described by Jesus in Matthew 24. These signs appear to be increasing, and we continue to watch, pray, and wait for the fulfillment of all that Scripture has promised.
Like the apostles before us, we may find ourselves asking, “Lord, how long must we wait?”
Yet Scripture gives us the Lord’s answer. He has not forgotten His promise. He has not delayed beyond His appointed time. His return is certain.
Jesus gives us this final assurance:
“Surely I am coming soon.” Revelation 22:20
And our response should be the same as that of the apostle John:
“Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” Revelation 22:20
We do not know the day or the hour. Therefore, we do not set dates or presume upon God’s timetable. We watch, we pray, we remain faithful, and we wait with expectation.
The promise is not merely that Christ will come someday. The promise is that Christ is coming.
And when He comes, our waiting will be over.
“Come, Lord Jesus!” – Maranatha (Aramaic)
Enough Said
“Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts.” Jeremiah 15:16 ESV
