"Stuck In It..."

[To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.] "How long wilt Thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how long wilt Thou hide Thy face from me?" (Psalms 13:1) The basic introduction to this Psalm could be because of the general reason for David's feeling of abandonment, or of being alone from God. I do not believe that it is because God has left, or as though He is nowhere to be found; because, I really don't believe that God ever leaves us abandoned. Rather, it is because we either do not sense His presence, or that we have left Him, or withdrawn into something or somewhere that He will not go. I am truly convinced that God wants us to always stay close to Him; not just in a casual fellowship, but in an intimate relationship that requires a heart that always wants to be in His presence; never wanting to retreat into something or somewhere where we know that God will not follow. As for how David found himself feeling apart from God, there are several different reasons that we can find ourselves out in the middle of the ocean with no land in sight; the primary one that might be David's, would be that he ventured out to do something on his own without seeking God's help. Why would David ever think of doing such a thing? Why do any of us do it? Maybe because we think that we can handle the issue, the battle, or whatever it is that we think we don't need to involve God in. One very familiar time for David, was when he tried to first bring the ark of God into Zion. The first attempt left David feeling very distant from God; so much so, that he wanted nothing to do with the ark, and was displeased that God had killed a simple servant that wanted nothing more than to help. There are several other reasons that I can think of for wanting to try and venture out on our own; a big one for me, is thinking that I can handle this one, because I have been here before; therefore, I think that I know how it works, or what God had done the last time, so therefore, let's make it happen again. I forget one very important thing: I am not God!!! Sometimes I might think I am the one holding the wheel, until there's a wreck, and then I had the wheel over to God and ask Him to undo what I have done. The best way to avoid feeling stranded in the middle of the ocean is to never jump ship in the first place! And the easiest way to assure that we are always by God's side, is to always ask for His assistance and guidance in whatever we do. That means that we never venture out without Him! Which brings me to another reason why we might do such a thing, and that is to do something for which we know that God does not approve of us doing. This is called rebellion, and it will definitely land stuck in something without a paddle...