HOW LONG, LORD?
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Opening Prayer
Father in Heaven, help me to make today one of true worship, to praise you with words and deeds.
Read PSALM 13
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
Psalm 13
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 How long, 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 day after day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
3 Look on me and answer, Lord my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,
4 and 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 the Lord’s praise,
for he has been good to me.
Reflect
Remember a time when God felt absent. What did you do?We do not know what David was facing when writing this psalm. We do know that when life is hard, we may feel that God has forgotten us. The rawness of David’s emotions in this psalm encourages us. It gives us permission to express the same questions and feelings as David.
In verses 1 and 2, David cries out to God in desperation. He feels that God has forgotten him (v. 1), is hiding from him (v. 1), and is allowing David’s enemies to triumph over him (v. 2). Count how many times David asks, ‘How long?’ He is longing for God to rescue him. How do you cope when you are waiting for God to hear you?
David now asks the Lord to bring him out of darkness into light so that he does not die (v 3). Next, he asks God to rescue him because he does not want his enemies to gloat that the Lord failed him (v. 4). David’s mood in verses 5 and 6 changes completely. We don’t know whether something dramatic has happened to cause this. David may be encouraging himself by affirming his trust in the Lord that the day will come when he once more rejoices and sings God’s praises.
Apply
Look back over this psalm. Think about how it might help you to pray when you are having a hard time. You might also pray this psalm for someone you know who is struggling.
Closing prayer
Lord God, whatever my circumstance, keep me from doubting your goodness; help me trust in your unfailing love and offer you praise.
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