“How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?” Psalm 13:1
Have you ever heard of King David? Or maybe giant slayer David? Mighty warrior David? He’s one of the most prominent figures of the Bible, maybe besides Jesus THE most prominent person in our culture, to the point that “a David and Goliath story” has become a common expression by people who have never even touched a Bible. Well, we tend to have this pretty specific image of David, especially with the Bible calling him a man after God’s own heart. Yes we know he made mistakes (There was that whole business about the woman on the roof and whatnot.) but we think of someone who was overall a Godly man, who got more right than he got wrong and walked closely with God. And all of that is probably true, but I think something we often overlook is the long dark nights David faced throughout his life, and the immense amount of emotion and discouragement David seemed to constantly face, just like we do.
See, when we read the Bible, we have the benefit of knowing how every hero’s story ends, but just like we feel uncertain in difficult times, they didn’t know what outcome they would be facing either. Sure, they had faith that God was with them, but they didn’t know what exactly that would look like or how well it would turn out for them this side of eternity. All it takes is a quick look at the Psalms to see that David constantly faced a wide range of emotions from joy and hope, all the way to depression and anxiety. Psalm 13, the verse from the beginning of today’s devotional, was clearly one of the latter times. We don’t know exactly when this was written, but I like to think David wrote it during the years when he was stranded, hiding in caves in the desert. God had told him that one day he would be king, which sounds hopeful and exciting, and then David had an illustrious military career and everything was looking great, and then the current king got a wee bit jealous and started trying to kill David, making him an outlaw, and this went on for YEARS. Imagine how David must have felt! Maybe unsure, maybe hopeless, feeling like God’s promise would never come, maybe he was scared or even angry, maybe he felt exactly the way we often feel. Maybe just like we sometimes find ourselves, he was feeling stuck in a long dark night of his life, with no sunrise in sight.
I’m gonna be real here, I want to address a little lie that sometimes certain people like to perpetuate in the church. This whole following Jesus thing? It doesn’t always mean life will be easy, and truthfully, I don’t know who started that whole idea because when I read the Bible, it seems like every single person who loved God went through some SERIOUS heartache at times. In John 16:33 Jesus literally PROMISES we will have trouble. (“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”) But here’s the thing: we also have a promise that we’re never alone in our heartache. In Isaiah 43:2, God gives us another promise that we are never alone: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.” And guess what? David did one day become King, but it was in the desert where he learned to praise God in circumstances, good or bad. It was in the desert where he learned to trust. It was only when he felt truly alone that he realized he would never actually be alone. My friend, we don’t have a promise that our circumstances will always be easy or fun, in fact, quite the opposite, but when the night is long, when it feels like the hard seasons will never end, we have a God who sees the whole picture and promises we are never alone. No matter what you’re facing today, in seasons of sickness, of grief, of financial uncertainty, of heartache, it is OKAY for it to be hard, but He is with you every step of the way, even when it’s hardest to see. May we rest in Him, trusting that He is with us, that He will be our comfort and our peace, and that one day in this life or next, there will be joy unimaginable. You may walk through long dark nights, but you will never walk alone.
“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” Psalm 42:11
If you enjoyed this devotional and are finding yourself in a hard season and could use some further reading on this topic, I highly recommend the book Hope in The Dark by Pastor Craig Groeschel, which dives deeper into the topic. You can find it here:
If this devotional impacted you in a positive way, or if I can pray for you about anything, reply to this email and let me know! I would love to hear from you. To stay up to date on the latest and be a part of our community of renegade practitioners of the way of Jesus, follow me on Instagram at @casenpwatson
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