Psalms 13:1-6 NIV For the director of music. A psalm of David. How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? (2) How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? (3) Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death; (4) my enemy will say, "I have overcome him," and my foes will rejoice when I fall. (5) But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. (6) I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me.
There is so much debate concerning whether a Christian, a believer in Christ, can become depressed, afraid, anxious, and even, for just a moment, wonder if God is with him or her. How quick we are sometimes to judge someone's faith when they lose hope, or when they question the timing of God. Sometimes we expect Christians to be supermen/women, forgetting that we are still in our frail and sinful bodies.
We all know David. A man after God's own heart, anointed king of Israel, a man of faith in the Lord and with a courage that only God could give. When David wrote this song in Psalm 13, it is obvious what he was feeling at that moment. He began with "how long, O Lord?". Whatever it is he was going through, it was taking a while for the Lord to answer his prayer, to see the deliverance of the Lord against his foe. And so he asks the Lord "how long?".
He had struggles with his thoughts.
He had sorrow in his heart.
It seemed like his enemy was winning.
Sounds familiar, doesn't it? When circumstances are right in our lives how easy it is for us to pray, to praise, and to proclaim our trust in God. But when things don't go our way, when circumstances seem to linger on, and it seems like there is no solution, then our faith wavers. And, like David, we ask the same thing - "how long, Lord?". We wrestle with our thoughts of fear, of doubt, anxious about our situation. Sorrow fills our hearts, and it becomes hard to hide from others.
But the song of David changes tone...
(3) Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death; (4) my enemy will say, "I have overcome him," and my foes will rejoice when I fall.
From his circumstances, he turns to the Lord. "Look on me and answer, O Lord". In the depth of his heart David knows that there is no one else he can trust except his God. And so, in the depth of his circumstances he cries out to Him.
"Give light to my eyes", he sings, so that he may see God's hand in the midst of his dark circumstances.
Then he finally proclaims what his heart knew all along.
(5) But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. (6) I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me.
Even in the midst of this circumstance, David knew of the unfailing love of his God, His salvation from all circumstances in life.
And then he remembers that his God has been good to him, and so he will sing.
As human as we are, no matter how long we've been believers in Christ, or how mature we think we are, there will be circumstances in this world that will rock our faith, trials and situations that will linger on and make us ask "how long, O Lord?". But this will be the time for us to reach out towards the depth of our hearts and call upon the Lord that we know and trust in.
This is why it is so essential that we read God's Word, meditate on who He is, grow in our knowledge of His unfailing love, as He strengthens our faith and trust in who He is.
In the end, it is our trust in God and our knowledge of His goodness that will prevail.
Luke 22:31-32 NIV Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. (32) But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers."
Do not rest in your own strength or faith, but rest in the truth that it is God who is not only the object of our faith, but the One who strengthens our faith, as He fills our hearts with His promises, His Word.
