And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
—Galatians 6:9-10
The child who asks from the back seat, "Are we there yet?" is taking part in a long-standing practice. A question of the form, “How long...?” appears over fifty times in the ESV, from Exodus to Revelation.
Sometimes it appears as a rhetorical call to action, such as the challenge to Pharaoh, “How long will you refuse...?” Sometimes it is a rebuke, such as Joshua's question to the Israelites, “How long will you put off...?”
Multiple songs of David cry “How long...?” to the Lord for deliverance or forgiveness. Some of them rebuke his attackers. And the same cry comes from later voices who have seen the defeat and exile of Israel. Voices that lived in the aftermath described in the word of the Lord to Isaiah.
Throughout Israel's existence, the Lord asked, “How long will they not believe in me...?” Until finally the people and their leaders demonstrated their willingness to turn their backs completely on the Lord. So the Lord sent messages of warning and judgment through His prophets. And those messages continued until their job was done.
But, throughout all of that history and all of those cries, there remained a remnant of voices who calmed their own outcries with reminders. Despite beginning with a list of “How long”s, David concluded what we know as Psalm 13 with the antidote: remembering to trust. Although Paul's letter to the believers in Galatia doesn't emphasize the "how long" refrain, his instruction echoes the word of comfort at the conclusion of so many Psalms.
Though the impulse to cry, "How long, O Lord?" against the brokenness of the world is strong, the Lord's people do good without giving up.
How Long?
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?
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 13:1-2, 5-6
We do not see our signs;
there is no longer any prophet,
and there is none among us who knows how long.
How long, O God, is the foe to scoff?
Is the enemy to revile your name forever?
—Psalm 74:9-10
Then I said, “How long, O Lord?”
And he said:
“Until cities lie waste
without inhabitant,
and houses without people,
and the land is a desolate waste
—Isaiah 6:11
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
—Galatians 6:9-10
The child who asks from the back seat, "Are we there yet?" is taking part in a long-standing practice. A question of the form, “How long...?” appears over fifty times in the ESV, from Exodus to Revelation.
Sometimes it appears as a rhetorical call to action, such as the challenge to Pharaoh, “How long will you refuse...?” Sometimes it is a rebuke, such as Joshua's question to the Israelites, “How long will you put off...?”
Multiple songs of David cry “How long...?” to the Lord for deliverance or forgiveness. Some of them rebuke his attackers. And the same cry comes from later voices who have seen the defeat and exile of Israel. Voices that lived in the aftermath described in the word of the Lord to Isaiah.
Throughout Israel's existence, the Lord asked, “How long will they not believe in me...?” Until finally the people and their leaders demonstrated their willingness to turn their backs completely on the Lord. So the Lord sent messages of warning and judgment through His prophets. And those messages continued until their job was done.
But, throughout all of that history and all of those cries, there remained a remnant of voices who calmed their own outcries with reminders. Despite beginning with a list of “How long”s, David concluded what we know as Psalm 13 with the antidote: remembering to trust. Although Paul's letter to the believers in Galatia doesn't emphasize the "how long" refrain, his instruction echoes the word of comfort at the conclusion of so many Psalms.
Though the impulse to cry, "How long, O Lord?" against the brokenness of the world is strong, the Lord's people do good without giving up.
How long? Until the job is done.