Trusting God in the Gaps

Trusting God in the Gaps

Life doesn’t always follow the pattern we thought it would. We may have had a picture of what our marriage, family, career, health, finances, or future would look like—and then suddenly, a letter falls out of the alphabet. Real life is seldom the idyllic version of our plans and dreams. There are sometimes gaps between our expectations and our reality.

That’s one of the powerful images we find in Psalm 9 and Psalm 10. These psalms are structured around the Hebrew alphabet, but some of the letters are missing, out of order, or reversed. It’s a picture of life itself: sometimes things simply don’t line up the way we expected them to.

The question is not whether we will encounter those missing letters. We will. The question is how we will respond when the gaps appear.

When Life Doesn’t Make Sense, God Is Still Just

Psalm 9 reminds us that God sits on His throne and judges righteously. We may look at situations in the world—or even situations in our own lives—and think, ‘That’s not fair.‘

I’ve felt that way myself. I’ve made mistakes, responded poorly, and had moments when I had to go back to God and say, “Lord, I didn’t represent You well today. Please forgive me.”

We are human. We have the Spirit of God living within us, but we also have a very human side that can come out when we’re under pressure. That’s why humility matters. Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can say is, “I was wrong. I’m sorry. I need God’s help.”

Psalm 9 reminds us that while human judgment can be imperfect, God’s judgment is always righteous. He sees all and knows all. But there are gaps in the information we have, so we don’t have to carry the responsibility of judging everything and everyone around us. That’s God’s responsibility, and He remains on His throne.

What Will You Do When You Face Life’s Gaps?

David says in Psalm 9, “I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart” and “I will be glad and rejoice in You.” His circumstances weren’t perfect. The alphabet didn’t always line up. Yet David made a decision about how he would respond.

That’s something we can control.

We may not control the circumstances we face, but we can choose whether we will continue to trust God. We can choose whether we will praise Him. We can choose whether we will seek Him when we don’t understand.

I’ve experienced some significant missing letters in my own life. Losing my daughter was one of them. There are moments when you realize that life has changed and you don’t know how you’re going to get from the missing letter to the next one.

But God does.

When the D is missing, we may not know how we’ll ever get to E. But we can trust that God already knows the way forward.

It’s Okay to Say, “God, I Don’t Know What to Do”

The story of Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20 gives us another important reminder. Faced with an overwhelming army, Jehoshaphat admitted that he had gaps in his logic—but he also knew where to turn.

Sometimes we think faith means having all the answers. It doesn’t.

Faith can sound like this:

“God, I don’t know what to do. I need Your help.”

We can face illness, debt, family crisis, difficult workplaces, anxiety, grief, or circumstances that seem completely beyond our control. But the battle does not have to rest entirely on our shoulders. God is our refuge in times of trouble, and those who know His name can put their trust in Him. (Psalm 9:9–10)

When we stop trying to carry everything ourselves and begin seeking God, our perspective changes. Prayer reminds us that we are human—and that God is God.

Even While Asking “Why?”, Keep Praying

Psalm 10 moves naturally from faith into a question many of us have asked: “Why?”

Why is this happening?
Why hasn’t God answered?
How long will this continue?
Why do people who do wrong sometimes seem to prosper?

Those are not questions Scripture is afraid of. David asks them. Job asked them. Jeremiah asked them. Habakkuk asked them.

But the answer is not that God has stopped seeing.

Psalm 10 reminds us that for God, there are no gaps. He sees the oppressed, hears the humble, and will ultimately bring justice. “Do not think that because God has not spoken that God will remain silent forever.”

There is a day coming when oppression will end. God will judge the nations and set things right. Until then, we are called to pray.

Not simply to talk about what is wrong in the world—but to pray.

Pray for our communities. Pray for our nations. Pray for leaders. Pray for those who are suffering. Pray for the poor and vulnerable. Pray for God to bring justice and righteousness.

And perhaps most importantly, pray for what God wants to change in us.

In Life’s Gaps, Check the Tuning of Your Heart

Psalm 9 includes the word Selah—a pause to reflect. I love the picture of musicians stopping to check the tuning of their instruments.

We need those moments too.

Is my heart in tune with God?

Am I trusting Him?
Am I seeking Him?
Am I allowing Him to change the things in me that need to change?
Am I responding to difficult circumstances with faith—or fear?
Am I becoming more like Jesus in the way I treat the people around me?

There are still things in my own life that God needs to work on. After walking with Him for many years, I’m still human, and I still need my Saviour.

That is why Jesus came.

When the letters fall out of our alphabet, when life becomes painful and confusing, and when we don’t know how to put everything back together, we can give our lives back to the One who does.

We can say, “I will give You all my worship. I will give You all my praise. I will trust You alone.”

The missing letters may be real, but they do not mean the story is over.

God is still on the throne. He has not forgotten us. He sees. He hears. He is our refuge. And we can trust Him even in the gaps with whatever comes next.