The question of ‘how long, oh God, will you be silent over me’ is not a question we ask God only once in a lifetime. It is often both a repeated and, to some extent, an existential question. While an existential question usually deals with inquiries about life (such as why am I here, what is the purpose, and the meaning of my life, etc.), the question of, ‘how long, oh God, will you be silent over me” becomes an existential question because of the repeated nature of asking God the same question across different and sometimes unrelated situations in life.
The devil tries to work in the hearts of people in general, but believers in particular, so that we can question God, God’s purpose for their lives, deny God’s existence, and want to give up on life itself. Many situations make people ask, ‘How long, oh God, will you be silent over me?’ One obvious situation occurs when we ask God for a particular request, and it seems our request is denied. The request could be financial, medical, marital, etc. We find it difficult to believe God could be silent regarding the request. Sometimes, God does answer other requests and even things we never asked for, yet we ponder why He is silent over this particular issue. By the grace of God, having lived on different continents and experienced life with various believers from varied expressions of Christianity, one thing is prevalent when people ask the question: the issue of time becomes a thorny point to accept when you try to reason and encourage the believers.
People question why God would not answer them when they pray. They reason with God to the point of telling Him, through prayers and with other believers, how different things would have been if God had shown up when they needed His help for a particular request. However, time and time again, I have witnessed the same people return after many months, years, and sometimes decades, saying, ‘Oh, now I see why God did not answer that particular request at that time.’ Let me rephrase that. Sometimes, depending on the request, I have seen people wait months, years, and in some rare cases, even decades, only to eventually understand why God did not answer them the way they expected. After time has passed and another situation arises, they often say, ‘I think I know why God did not answer my particular request.’ Occasionally, you hear them say, ‘Now, I can see how the delay in that request has opened another door for me.’ They often feel embarrassed and ashamed because they now realize their impatience.
I want to encourage you that when you are waiting on the Lord, things might not be as smooth as you think they should be. You question everything, sometimes even your belief in God and the goodness and faithfulness of God. You wonder why your situation is different from others. You ask whether you have done something wrong. You seek forgiveness for things you have already been forgiven for, yet nothing seems to be going well. Please be of good cheer. I want you to trust God that everything will work for your good one day, whether here on earth or not.
Time is not something we fully understand, especially when it comes to God’s dealings with humans, particularly believers who think they should always receive everything they ask for. Time will tell. While time is not something we want to discuss, especially when we are in the deepest hole, yet there is a time for everything. If God can do it for others, He can do it for you, too. Remember, your fingers are not of equal height; therefore, it is not helpful to compare yourself with others. Time will tell. God will come through for you, and like others, you will one day understand why and have an answer to the question, ‘How long, oh God, will you be silent over me?’