How Long, O Lord?

                                                                           Psalm 13

 

December 22, 2021

 

 

How Long, O Lord?

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

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?   Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;  light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy says, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.  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.

 

I have not met many men or women who have a personal relationship with the Father who has not at some point cried out to the Lord ``How long, O Lord?   We often call that valley experiences, but often they seem as if God has forgotten you.  I met Greg Hood when he introduced a program to Corpus Christi from Campus Crusade for Christ, later he formed the Christian Business​ ​Men's​ Committee.  I was just a baby in Christ and Greg who though younger was very strong in his faith and trusted God for everything, and I mean everything.   That group of men under his leadership witnessed God using it and Greg to bring men to a personal relationship with the Lord.  Greg walked with the Lord, listened to the Lord, and obey the Lord, until coming back from taking his son to Liberty University and had a panic attack and was not sure even of his salvation.  He resigned from his ministry and locked himself away from the men he had mentored.......and to a degree, his family but God used a local doctor that had his life changed by God, and Greg was the tool God used, that doctor took total financial care of Greg and his family for almost seven years. 

 

I sent this to Greg to make sure I was ok to share, And he shared this information with me if I wanted to use it.  "He shared this information with me, attempted suicide twice, and spent 30 days at Laurel Ridge Psychiatric Hospital following that.

 

The Psychiatrist that admitted me (Also a man I had spiritually influenced but a different one than the one above)  discharged me and called Sarah to tell her he had not been able to help me!!  So, for the remaining years of the depression, I did not take meds or get therapy.

 

On April 22, 2007, at about 11:00 AM, seven years of clinical depression miraculously ended - NEVER to return again.  I spoke with the Psychiatrist after God restored me to tell him the good news. This is what he said, "Less than 1% of people who go through what you went through for as long as you went through it ever come out of it.  Even less than that return to a productive life."  (Pointing his finger in my face he said)  "You are a miracle!"  As you know, God set me free from sexual fantasy and living for the praise of men!  What a loving Father!"

 

I believe Greg, like David, went through a time of soul searching and depression as few men have, but God, I enjoy so much using and hearing those words.  Yes, God had big plans for my friend and brother in Christ, for a while was a director for Man in the Mirror, and how God is using Greg in a big way in Reach Ministry, that seven years seem endless, I’m sure to Greg, but God had a plan for Greg’s life and need to do a cleaning,  Let tell you He also has plans for your life, and His desire is for you to seek Him. 

 

I experience an attack that for a six-month timeline in my life and looking back it was a time I brought shame on the name of my Lord, and I can testify, he restored me, I still get ahead of His will but, it is not long before I’m saying words like David; “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.”

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice