By REV. JAS. A. TALLACH, Kames.
“How long! O Lord, how long!” is a prayer often repeated in the Scriptures. In the Book of Psalms especially, it occurs very frequently. In it there is expressed the inner longing of soul after that complete deliverance from all evil, of which grace is the promise and glory the realisation. This inner pressure of longing concern bursting forth in such exclamations reveals the secret exercises of a mind deeply interested in things unseen and eternal. It is largely by these heart breathings that those who are strangers and pilgrims on the earth seek after a better country, even an heavenly, and press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. These longings of soul are part of the gracious process by which they separate themselves from an ungodly world and come out from among them.
In various parts of Scripture we find the prayer used in a great variety of different conditions and circumstances affecting the life of the spirit. Personal experiences of a grievous nature, the trials of the Lord’s Cause on earth, then oppression of spiritual enemies, the judgments of God among the nations, the trial of delayed answers to prayer, the hidings of God’s face, etc., all find appropriate expression in the words of this prayer, “How long, O Lord!”
For the present let us confine ourselves to the first of these—the prayer “How long, O Lord,” as an expression of one in soul trouble, as for instance, in Psalm vi, 3, “My soul is also sore vexed; but thou, O Lord, how long?” My soul is vexed, sore vexed. Of the many possible causes of such vexation, let us notice three briefly: (a) A true sense of sin; (b) Adversity in things providential; and (c) Divine chastisements.
(a) A true sense of sin is an essential element in repentance unto life, and is the fruit of the Holy Spirit’s work of conviction. Scripture everywhere testifies that sin is a grievous evil—it is a burden, a plague, a loathsome disease, a dire bondage, an awful curse—and, until the Lord in mercy sends relief, every soul taught of God has some true sense of this evil as it affects himself. The burden is the burden of his own sin; the plague is the plague of his own deceitful and desperately wicked heart; the loathsome disease fills his loins with pain; the bondage is the bondage of his own utter helplessness to will or do any good; and the curse is the crown of shame wherewith his own sin has crowned him. Oh, my sin! my sin! he cries, How long shall this enemy of my peace prevail against me? I would repent, but cannot; can I but be vexed, sore vexed, with such impenitence, such hardness of heart? Have mercy upon me, O God. I would believe, Oh, how I would like to believe in the mercy and love of the Redeemer of the lost; but there is of unbelief and God-dishonouring atheism in this heart of mine that will not believe: I would humble myself under the mighty hand of God, but instead, this proud rebellious will of mine rages against the sovereign will of heaven: I would love, oh, how I would love, but can I? This is my sin, my sorrow and my shame—how altogether worthy of love Christ is and yet, how utterly far short I come in love to Him. In all this, and much more of a like nature, when I would do good, evil is present with me, and the good that I would I do not: O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me? Who and when, “Oh Lord, how long!”
(b) Added to such spiritual vexation there is often the long continued trial of providential adversity, when the ways of the Lord are in the sea and His footsteps are not known. Such adversity adds greatly to the intensity of the trial and gives deeper significance to the cry, “How long, Lord!” In these spiritual extremities gracious men have given voice to expressions which show how greatly dismayed they, for the time being, were; as for instance, “My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God”; “All these things are against me”; “Hath the Lord forgotten to be gracious, hath He in wrath shut up His tender mercy?”; “Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul; which long for death, but it cometh not,” etc. The night of spiritual darkness is long in any case, but add to the darkness, sorrow, perplexity, loneliness and dismay, and oh, how long is the night as it drags out its weary way! “I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in His Word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning.” “Lord, how long!”
(c) Add again to this the strokes of Divine chastisement, and the grief produced by them on a tender conscience: for “no chastisement for the present seemeth to be joyous but grievous.” The chastisement of God is the chastisement of a Father’s love, for “What son is he whom the Father chasteneth not?” But it is love which, when expressed in this way, burns like a fire—and the fire burns not without cause. Heaven is a state of holiness, and “without holiness no man shall see the Lord.” But every child of God is destined to see the Lord, for, “Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory.” In order to the realisation of this wonderful prayer holiness is a divine necessity, and on this side of heaven no child of God is perfect in holiness: “I will,” therefore, “bring the third part through the fire, and I will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried.” The gracious soul undergoing the searching discipline of the refiner’s fire may well cry, “O Lord, how long!” Nor is it to be wondered at if sometimes he mistakes the fire of loving chastisement for the fire of divine wrath as in Psalm lxxix, verse 46, “How long, Lord? wilt thou hide thyself for ever? shall thy wrath burn like fire?” But eternal thanks be unto God, the fires of chastisement are not the fires of wrath, but of love—redeeming, sanctifying, unchanging love.
The difficulties arising from such experiences are often greatly complicated by the interference of the Evil One. Satan has his own malicious ends to serve, and he does not hesitate to take advantage of situations where the child of God finds himself at the greatest disadvantage. In this connection, John Bunyan’s description of Christian passing through the Valley of the Shadow of Death is worthy of note: “One thing I would not let slip. I took notice that poor Christian was so confounded, that he did not know his own voice: and thus I perceived it. Just when he was come over the mouth of the burning pit, one of the wicked ones got behind him, and slipped up softly to him, and whisperingly suggested many grievous blasphemies to him, which he verily thought had proceeded from his own mind. This put Christian more to it than anything that he met with before, even to think that he should now blaspheme Him that he loved so much before. Yet if he could have helped it, he would not have done it; but he had not the discretion either to stop his ears, or to know from whence these blasphemies came.” In this Bunyan’s Christian is typical of many as they pass through the same Alley. In connection with such the cry of Psalm lxxiv, verse 10, appears to be most appropriate: “Oh God, how long shall the adversary reproach? shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever?” And it is not difficult for us to read into these words the painful intensity of longing for deliverance inseparable from such a cry. Oh God, how long! How long! The case would indeed be deplorable were there no deliverance at hand; but deliverance there is. “Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.”
There is much more, however, in these words than a mere cry of distress: there is in them a recognition that God Himself has a direct and supreme hand in all the circumstances—grievous, vexatious and painful circumstances—which give rise to the cry; for it is immediately to God that the gracious soul directs his question: “How long, Lord?” and he waits upon God for the answer, and his waiting shall not be in vain.
The Word of God supplies us with many instances when the night of weeping is succeeded by a brighter and joyful morning. After long years of waiting, and, in face of human impossibilities, Abraham receives his long promised Isaac. After many years in which the word and purpose of the Lord tried him, Joseph sees his dream realised. Job’s night was long, but the time did come at last when, “The Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning.” In the 54th chapter of Isaiah, the Church is comforted with the assurance, “For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath, I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.” What is the meaning of these Scriptures and many other portions of a similar kind? Can we not read in them an answer—gracious, reassuring and most encouraging—to the very question we have been considering, “How long? O Lord, how long?” Surely, they are the Lord’s answer through His own Word to this very question; and the substance of what they say is this, “Just as long as God in His infallible wisdom, and in fulfilment of His eternal purposes of mercy, considers to be necessary, and not one moment longer.”
“Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God, our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever.—Amen.”
“Who would not love Him? I have been with the Lord Jesus,” may the poor soul say; “I have left my sins, my burden with Him, and He has given me His righteousness, wherewith I am going with boldness to God. I was dead, and am alive, for He died for me. I was cursed, and am blessed, for He was made a curse for me. I was troubled, but have peace, for the chastisement of my peace was upon Him. I knew not whither to cause my sorrow to go; by Him I have received joy unspeakable and glorious. If I do not love Him, delight in Him, obey Him, live to Him, die for Him, I am worse than the devils in hell.”—Owen.