Where Has God Gone? | Psalm 10:1
Why, O Lord, do you stand far away?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
The most common question we ask in difficult times is why. We wonder why
God would allow such a thing to come to pass. We wonder why
we deserve such trials. Has God abandoned
us? While the answers to these questions
vary depending on person and circumstance, we can take comfort that this
question appears in the passages of Scripture, as well as some probable
answers.
The first thing we must keep in mind is that this psalm was
meant to be read with Psalm 9. There’s no
title on this psalm, and the Septuagint combines these two psalms—they are
meant to be read as one. With that said,
and with what follows in this psalm, the psalmist isn’t stating doubt in what God does as much as simple
confusion. As we continue to track with Psalm
10, we’ll see David’s regain his confidence, and so should we.
God is here, so why
does it seem like He’s not? Again, the
psalmist affirms that God won’t forsake or forget His people (Ps 9:10, 12, 18;
10:14, 17, 18), and that God sees his affliction (9:13; 10:14). David later prays, “You have kept count of my
tossings; put my tears in your bottle” (Ps 56:8). Yet, there sometimes seems to be a disconnect
between this truth and what he experiences.
God is here, even
when it seems that He’s not. Although
we may sometimes question whether God remains ever-present, the truth is that
His omnipresence means that He is in all places equally at all times. Psalm 139:8 says, “If I ascend to heaven, you
are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!”
We must likewise see that God is near, even when we don’t perceive
His intervening presence. We seek Him
like Paul prayed for the removing of the thorn from his flesh, only to hear, “My
grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor
12:7–9). Sometimes the Lord doesn’t immediately
intervene in situations because we need to learn trust in His providence and
power.
