April 7 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

Four times David says to God, "How long?" He says it because God seems to have forgotten him. The Lord hides his face. He does not take away the pain, and he allows David's enemies to be exalted. "How long?"

If you have never said to God, "How long?" you probably don't take his promises very seriously. After all, God has said that he will hear our cries. Evil will perish, he promised, and those who hope in God will be exalted. When we knock, he will open; when we seek, we will find. And the coming of the kingdom is at hand. How long?

Waiting is an essential feature of Christian living. Not the kind of waiting we do in waiting rooms, where we try to kill time by paging through magazines. Waiting is characteristic of our lives because we work and live by the strength of promises, always expecting God to do what he promised.

When we cry, "How long?" we have become impatient. There may also be doubt in our hearts. Does God really care? Is he really listening? Will he come?

Doubt is as old as Psalm 13. Nobody needs to worry that she is espe­cially wicked just because she finds doubt in her heart.

Doubt must be expressed, and then it must be opposed. It may be expressed as freely as it is in this psalm. And it must be opposed by faith. Faith is always fighting doubt. Faith says, "I trust God even in the dark. I believe that if he delays his coming, it must be because he is going to give me even more than I asked for."

It may be common to have doubts, but anyone who nurses his doubts is a fool. A cold is a common illness in many parts of the world, but it is still considered an illness. Doubt must be overcome, and trust must take its place. The psalm ends with a note of trust in God: "But I trust in your unfailing love."

REFLECTION

What doubts have you had (or do you now have)? What, in the face of your doubts, sustains your faith?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.