Psalm 35:17

Psalm 35:17  

How long Lord?     

The first sentence of this verse appears to be a cry of impatience, it seems that David is fed up with hanging on in a state of humiliation and despair and is crying out to the Lord to get His act together! “How long is this going to carry on Lord? Isn’t it time You did something about this?” There are two positive lessons to take from this cry, the first is that David has not a shadow of a doubt that the Lord is aware of his situation. Secondly, he is bold enough to ask when the relief that is most certainly coming, is going to arrive. In other words, this is a cry of conviction more than a cry of despair. We need to remember that with God it is never a question of “if” but of “when!  Salvation will come, but sometimes we get impatient and would just love to know when. Prayers will be answered. Solutions will be found. The trial will have an end. That is the journey of faith that we are all on, it is all about absolute trust even though we do not know when the answers will arrive.

The reference here to lions simply underlines the serious and frightening position that David is in, he is confident enough in his relationship with the Lord to remind Him that his life is precious and the ravaging lions are bent on his destruction. We have encountered these lions before; the lion in Scripture is not a gentle animal of prey, it is to be feared above all of God’s creatures. It is symbolic of the Satan who is a roaring lion seeking to devour his prey. His emissaries surround God’s people, pawing the ground, showing their teeth, eager to pounce and tear down the unguarded and undefended. If it were not for the Lord’s protection we would have little hope of saving ourselves. Thankfully salvation always comes, never forget this, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13.

 

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