How Long?

Fifteen days to flatten the curve. Thirty days to slow the spread. It seems every few days we have a new timeline to reach the peak of the COVID-19 cases or have a harsher new social-distancing recommendation. All of us have been knocked off our equilibrium of normal life.

I cried about it for the first time this past week as I rolled over and shut off my morning alarm. A rush of sadness over things lost…a trip to see my very pregnant daughter’s family, the sudden ending of a school year with zero closure, loss of face to face worship services, the anxiety of not knowing what’s coming next. Our pain is real.

Are you asking the “how long” question? You are not alone.

Human nature is prone to ask the “how long” questions. Any time we are in unpleasant circumstances, it begs the question. Kids ask it on long trips. Students ask it when in the classroom waiting for recess or the end of the day. Adults ask it when we are faced with a scary diagnosis. And now the whole world seems to be asking “How long will this quarantine go on?”

One of the most often asked questions in the Bible is “How long?”. In a quick search, I found at least 60 instances of the question. And when taken in context, it is almost always asked in seasons of distress. The person most often posing the question was David in the Psalms.

Here are just a few samples:

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
    How long will you hide your face from me?
 How long must I take counsel in my soul
    and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Psalm 13:1-2

My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O Lord—how long? Psalm 6:3

Psalms is basically a book of songs. Imagine a whole congregation singing the question back to God. Venting to God through prayers and songs is modeled for us over and over in Psalms.

But here is the kicker with David and his sad Psalms:

As he emotes his way through the pain and messiness of his life in woeful words, he usually ends the Psalm in a proclamation of trusting his God – our God.

But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
    my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
 I will sing to the Lord,
    because he has dealt bountifully with me. Psalm 13:5-6

Our faith path sometimes leads us to some indescribable dark destinations. But if the result is trusting, rejoicing, and singing, it will be well worth the trip. As Lisa Harper often says, the veil thins in these tough times so we can see our Redeemer more clearly.

Here is the bottom line. We don’t know when this pandemic will end. All of the mathematical models depend on our frail human understanding of the natural world around us and I am thankful God has given us the knowledge to do the calculations.

But His ways are mightier than our mathematical models.

No matter how long this lasts, it will end in a way that is ultimately for our good and His glory.

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 5:10-11