Living in the "How Long, O Lord?s" - Divorce Minister

How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?
…
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

-Psalm 13:1a, 2b, NKJV

I hate the feeling of powerlessness. And the author of this Psalm gives voice to this feeling well. He writes about feeling forgotten by God. And he writes about watching his enemies triumph over him as he watches helplessly.

He pleads with God:

How long, O Lord?

Discovering adultery reminds us how vulnerable and weak we are. We are reminded that we do not control the choices of the other person.

And it is frightening.

We might try to grasp onto the illusion of power. Others might even join us in this feeble attempt to perpetuate the myth that the naked emperor is really clothed. However, the truth is that the only person able to ensure your spouse remains faithful is your spouse. They alone choose for good or ill, and no one else for them. That includes you–i.e. their spouse.

Being a perfectly submissive wife does not ensure your husband will choose fidelity over adultery.

Being a perfectly loving husband and spiritual leader does not ensure your wife will choose fidelity over adultery either.

And if your spouse chooses adultery over infidelity…

It feels like you are wandering in a forever field of “How Long, O Lord?s”

I hate that feeling. And it was a familiar enemy during my dark valleys. I am glad to know such a beloved man, King David, experienced such feelings as well. It is a comfort to know one is not alone. And David’s Psalm 13 teaches us that we can let God know our pain and frustration over this.

I wish I could tell you that all injustice will be righted in this life. However, that is not the world in which we live. It is a world broken by sin and full of injustice. But we are merely pilgrims in this world and belong to a Kingdom where pure righteousness and justice reign. When that King comes to fully claim this earth, then we will see such fulfillment. He will right what has been wrong.

We may catch glimpses of that in this life but the fullness is still coming and we can hold on to that with hope.

We can say with the Psalmist here while we wait: