Psalm 13: 1-6
1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I bear pain[a] in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all day long?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God!
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,
4 and my enemy will say, “I have prevailed”;
my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.5 But I trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord
because he has dealt bountifully with me.
They say that when something breaks that they usually come in threes. It wasn’t too long ago that in our house we had a flat car tire, a broken water line in the yard, and the clothes dryer quit working. It all happened within days of one another. When things like this happen, it can begin to feel like something is almost out to get you. You can also become afraid of what might just break or happen next.
Sometimes when things in life are not going our way it can cause us to question or wonder where God is or what is God’s plan for us. The psalmist in this passage is very much feeling disconnected from God and is in a great deal of emotional pain. Lamenting psalms like this one often resonate deeply with us when life can be difficult and creating in us similar questions and wonderings.
While the psalm begins with these painful questions, it doesn’t end that way. The psalmists faith reminds us to continue to trust in God’s steadfast love. There may be moments when we wonder or doubt God’s amazing love we can be reminded that God is very much present for us.
Prayer
Steadfast God, no matter how we may struggle in life, we take comfort and peace in your presence in our lives. We can rest knowing that you hear our cries and our questions when we don’t understand what is happening. Thank you for continuing to guide our lives and giving us eternal hope. In Jesus name, Amen.