Imagine being in the place of Asaph (or more likely a descendant of Asaph). All the ways you normally connected with God are gone. Temple- burned to the ground. Prophets- dead or in hiding (either way they're gone). Altars- toppled and smashed. Now there's nothing. Armies close in on all sides and there is no way to know when it's all going to end.
All you have is a story. The story is of God the deliverer, the One who created all things and defeats the monster. This God speaks through the changing seasons and through covenant. And with the story playing itself in your mind, you begin to see that God has not been silent- God has been speaking all around you. And yet, God does not answer the main question on your heart- "How long?"
That is a question that God rarely answers in Scripture. Even when God finally lays down a time-line for the exile, it's measured in "times," not years or months or hours. It is not always for us to know the time, and that can be very frustrating. However, we also have the promise of God's presence for that entire time. And that can be very comforting. So today, allow yourself to feel the tension of God's delay in putting together the broken pieces, and take hope in God's sustained and sustaining love.
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