When Life Is Uphill - Pt. 1

 

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? Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken. But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me. (Psalm 13:1-6 ESV).

 

I love/hate the idiom, “Life is an uphill battle.” I’m sure you have heard or perhaps used that expression before. It is a common idiom that describes a situation where we face a multitude of challenges and struggles to make progress. It suggests that achieving goals or simply maintaining a decent life requires significant effort and perseverance, like the difficulty of walking or climbing uphill. It may be a health crisis, a relationship break, or even a career or financial setback. Whatever the reason, we often reach a point when it seems impossible to go any further. Well, like the meme I’ve attached, this is the time when we need to remember the view from the top!

 

David, described in the Bible as a man after God’s own heart (cf. Acts 13:22), never shied away from questioning God during times of crisis. Perhaps his most famous questions can be found at the beginning of one of his psalms of lament: “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” (Psalm 13:1). How could David question God so boldly? We might think David’s questions shine a light on his lack of faith. But we’d be wrong. In fact, it’s the very opposite. David’s questions grew out of his deep love for and faith in God. David can’t make sense of his situation—so he asks God, “How can this be? And where are you?” Likewise, when you find yourself questioning God, take comfort that we, like David, can question God in faith.

 

We have another source of comfort. As Christians, we have deep reassurance even when life’s problems seem impossible to overcome. We know that, even if we don’t see relief on this side of heaven, we will see wholeness and healing in heaven. However, in returning to David we find that he has something to say about eternity too. In what is probably the most well-known psalm, David speaks of God’s continual care. God is pictured as a shepherd who provides food, rest, guidance, and protection from enemies, and even from fear. We might expect the following words to be David’s grand finale: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” (Psalm 23:6, KJV). What could be better? David continues and powerfully answers that question: “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Though David’s life will end, God’s care for him will never end.

 

The same is true for us. Jesus promised to prepare a place for us in the house of the Lord (cf. John 14:2-3), and God’s care for us there is eternal. Like David, you may find yourself amid struggle today. In the next few days, I hope that the devotions will help you find comfort and assurance of God’s perfect plan for your life.