1-2 How long, Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long am I to feel anxious in my soul with grief in my heart all the day? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

3-4 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; Enlighten my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death, and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my adversaries will rejoice when I am shaken.

5-6 But I have trusted in Your faithfulness; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because He has looked after me. Psalm 13 From the New American Standard Version

One of the incidents in the New Testament that will have touched many a woman's heart is when Martha and Mary sent an urgent message to Jesus that their brother Lazarus was seriously ill and probably dying. For although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, He stayed where he was for the next two days. Eventually He said to his disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea” (Where Lazarus lived). When Jesus arrived at Bethany, He was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days. When Martha went out to meet Him she said “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11:21) She was feeling the heartache of what had seemed to be a delay on God's part.

The writer of Psalm 13 was also experiencing deep anguish at God's delay in coming to his aid. (vs 1-3) One of the great encouragements of the Psalms must surely come from the honest way they express the doubts, fears and questions God's people go through. They show too that our prayers don't have to be expressed in carefully framed pious words. What reason did the writer particularly give to God why he desperately needed His help? (vs 3-4)

It wasn't only because he did not feel it was his time to die, but because he did not want his enemies to be able to gloat. His enemies would have been those who were hostile to God as well. Yet, despite his anguish at God's delay and the potential disastrous outcome of events, what does he take comfort from? (vs 5-6)

He believed that God would ultimately not let him down. Because his trust was in God he believed he would rejoice when God did step in to the situation. He anticipates the day when he can look back and praise God for bringing him through his trial. The strange truth about faith is that fears and hope can exist side by side. It was true of Martha as well. After saying “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died”, with her very next breath she said: “But, even now, I know that God will give you whatever you ask.” (vs 22) Jesus went on to raise Lazarus back from the grave where he had lain for four days. I suspect that most times when God delays, it’s because He has something greater to do than what we asked or imagined, something that will silence the enemies of righteousness even more.

Many of us will have heard of a lady named Joni Eareckson Tada. As a teenager a diving accident left her quadriplegic. There were many days, months, and probably years, when she longed for physical healing. It did not happen. But over the years God shaped her life in a way that made her an international example of courage and faith and her books and speaking engagements led to the encouragement of not only disabled people, but people from every walk of life. She was able to say in later years that she was glad God chose the path He did for her.

Delays don't mean that God has not heard our prayers or will forget us forever. They only mean that He is doing a deeper work than what we've cried out for. When God seems silent and distant we need, like the Psalm writer, to say: “I have trusted in Your faithfulness; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.”