O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever?
How long will you look the other way?
2 How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul,
with sorrow in my heart every day?
How long will my enemy have the upper hand?3 Turn and answer me, O Lord my God!
Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die.
4 Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!”
Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall.5 But I trust in your unfailing love.
I will rejoice because you have rescued me.
6 I will sing to the Lord
because he is good to me.Psalm 13
One of my favorite things about the Psalms of David is his honesty. While some of his songs give us one line outlining the motivation behind the poem, Psalm 13 offers no explanation for the king’s lament. Which makes me wonder: was King David simply having a bad day?
We’ve all been there. Nothing major has happened, but we feel like God has removed his presence from us. We read scripture, we pray, we go to Bible Study, we ask friends to pray. Still, our Creator seems far away.
David wrestled with his thoughts. I did that just yesterday. Waves of depression get the best of me from time to time. I have no reason to feel discontent, but my insides begin to crawl, and I second guess everything. Did God really tell me to do that? Maybe I missed God somewhere? My new friend has missed church for three weeks, did I do something? I just want to go back to bed because sleeping doesn’t allow me to think.
I’m blessed because as quickly as those thoughts permeate my brain, they’ll be gone within a day. Some folks take medication and still the negativity tries to overtake them. Whether the doubting comes in waves or is more relentless, nearly everyone struggles with taking the doubts and fears to God.
“Am I allowed to yell at God or question Him?” You wouldn’t be the first to ask.
David shows us in many of his Psalms–God can handle our doubts and questions. He doesn’t mind those times we yell or say we can’t find Him. The Almighty doesn’t play hide and seek, but He understands that the enemy uses smoke screens and barricades. So when we feel like we’re running in a maze to find Him, He’s okay with us telling Him our feelings.
Israel’s great king shows us two things: Be honest with God, and when you’ve finished, remind yourself of the truth.
This Psalm ends with a short statement of truth. By offering a short burst of praise before we end our conversation with God, we acknowledge feelings are not facts. We can’t trust our feelings. Hormones, sleep, and irritable family members are just a few things that can put our emotions out of kilter. And if it’s the enemy messing, we need the truth even more.
So, go ahead and vent to God. He can handle it. But when you’re done, tell your Savior you remember the truth. You can trust Him. He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever. He brought Israel out of Egypt, and He can bring you out of the captivity you’ve been struggling with. Because even on our darkest days, Jesus is true, and His truth will set us free.
Before you go,
I invite you to meet Adira.
This young girl had to face the truth in her darkest hour.
Adira: Journey to Freedom
my first novel! I think you’ll love her!
