There are moments in life when God feels distant, when prayers seem to rise only to fall back down in silence. Most of us who have been walking with God for a while now know that only too well. David, the man after God’s heart (1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22), also knew that feeling. In Psalm 22, he cried out in anguish, questioning God’s absence (vv. 1-2). His pain was raw, his questions honest, and his hope appeared thin. However, right there in the midst of despair, he used a word that changed everything—”yet” (v. 3).
“Yet you are holy.” That small word marks a great shift. It turns the heart from despair toward hope, from confusion toward confidence. David’s “yet” was not a denial of the challenges he faced; it was an act of faith in the midst of them. Though he could not feel God’s presence, he declared God’s holiness. Bible scholar Albert Barnes puts it this way: “This indicates that the sufferer had still unwavering confidence in God. Though his prayer seemed not to be heard, and though he was not delivered, he was not disposed to blame God.” The “yet” became the hinge between sorrow and surrender, between what David felt and what he knew to be true.
The word “yet” is powerful because it signals defiance against hopelessness. It is the whisper that says, “I will still trust.” When you say “yet,” you choose faith over finality. You acknowledge the reality of pain but refuse to let it define your destiny. “I am weary, yet I will praise. I am waiting, yet I will believe. I am broken, yet I will hope.” The “yet” keeps your worship alive when your world feels empty.
If you are in a season of unanswered prayers or silent nights, let your heart learn the language and the power of “yet.” The same God who seemed distant to David was the God who delivered him. The same God who felt far from the cross was the God who raised Jesus from the grave. So stand firm in your “yet,” for on the other side of it lies resurrection, restoration, and renewal. What part of your life needs a “yet” today? Where is God calling you to trust Him even when you cannot see His hand?