When God is Silent

It may sound very shallow to say that there are times in my life that I struggle sensing the love of God;  however,  allow me to be real with you and say that there truly are those times.  I was reminded today of a precious psalm (song) of David that he gave to the choir master to teach to the temple choir or the congregation. Psalm 13 reads: 

1.  How long, O LORD? Will you forget
     me, forever? How long will you hide your face   
     from me?
2.  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? 
3.  Consider and answer me, O LORD my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of
     death, 
4.   lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.
5.   But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. 
6.   I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me.

It would appear that David is being very demanding and disrespectful to God.  However, there was a turning point for David in verses 5-6, in which David comes to his senses and is reminded that God has never stopped loving him.  In fact, David marvels in the character of God's steadfast love.  There are times in life where Satan would desire us to believe that God has turned His back on us and yet we understand (according to God's Word) that His love is always bountiful towards us. God's love is so rich that even though we were deeply entrenched in our sin that He sent His precious son to die for us (Romans 5:8).  Throughout the Psalms it would appear that David, a man after God's own heart, functioned like a yo-yo (being up and down in his emotions).  David was always drawn back to remember the character of God--that God is LOVE.

You may not know the name of Philip Bliss; however, he was a dynamic and very talented song writer and associate of the evangelist D. L. Moody.  He had a remarkable gift for writing gospel hymns, many of which  are still widely used today such as: “Wonderful Words of Life,” “It Is Well With My Soul,” “Hallelujah, What a Savior,” and “Almost Persuaded.” Bliss died at the age of 38 in a train accident and yet many of his hymns live on. They all focus clearly on important biblical truths, but this simple hymn has profound implications, "Jesus Loves Even Me."

 1.   I am go glad that our Father in heav’n tells of His love in the Book He has giv’n; wonderful
       things in the Bible I see—this is the dearest that Jesus loves me.
 2.   Tho I forget Him and wander away, still He doth love me wherever I stray; back to His dear
       loving arms would I flee when I remember that Jesus loves me.
 3.   O if there’s only one song I can sing when in His beauty I see the great King, this shall my
       song in eternity be: “O what a wonder that Jesus loves me!”

Chorus: I am so glad that Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me; I am so glad
             that Jesus loves me, Jesus loves even me.

Prayer:  Dear God, I thank you for your rich love and that through that love, "For our sake You made him (Christ) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him (Christ) we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Cor. 5:21