“How Long, O Lord?” This prayer occurs eight times in the Scriptures. Obviously, many men of God wanted an answer to this question: How long, O Lord, must I wait, hurt, mourn, see trouble and lack justice until relief comes?
When one considers the plight of Noah, waiting was the burden. He had to wait for God to act to save him from a violent world that threatened his family and him. Then, he had to wait in the ark God had him build. Imagine sweating it out in this huge box filled with wild animals while outside the weather was cutting loose to overwhelm all nature!
Here’s the point: The wait was not forever. He got relief from the evil that surrounded him, and he got relief from the storm and the isolation of the ark. After a year in the great box, a new world opened to him, a gift from God, that he was free to use as he chose (Genesis 7:1-8:22).
We, too, find ourselves waiting in isolation as contagion and death seem to swirl all around us. We may cry out to the Lord, “How long?” Know that God hears; God will take care of you, and He will bring you out of the storm to a safe place once more. Just wait! “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!” (Psalm 27:14 NKJV).
