Sometimes the trials in our life seem to go on forever. We look for relief, but there is no help in sight, no light at the end of the tunnel. Some might not mind an occasional challenge in their life if the problem can be quickly resolved. However, it’s when the problems keep coming and there is no end, no help from any side, that we get discouraged. Even God seems to be silent, and our prayers seem to be in vain. “How much longer is this going to go on?!” we call out to God. King David felt like this as he wrote this psalm. Though burdened with discouragement, he did not remain that way. Let’s see what God can teach us through David’s experience.
Our psalm begins with David’s cry, just like our own, to the Lord for relief from the trial he was going through. We don’t know any specifics about the turmoil he was going through, but we know that David had many desperate days throughout his life. He spent years on the run while King Saul tried to have him killed. As a general in Saul’s army, and also while king, David faced the attacks from the surrounding enemy nations. Also, later in his reign, David’s own son tried to stage a coup against him, and he was forced to flee Jerusalem for his own safety. This psalm could have been written during any of these times. It seemed that every time David turned around, something else was coming down upon him. Where was God? Why was He letting all these problems overwhelm him? No wonder David cried out “How long?” (vs. 1). That phrase “how long” occurs four times in the first two verses. It indicated the depth of David’s distress.
David was growing weary. He felt abandoned. It is easy to get discouraged while waiting for God to bring us out of our problems. It is during these times that Satan tries to tell us that God has forgotten us, and that things will never change. He tried that with David. Satan brings many discouraging thoughts to our mind. Why should I even bother to read the Bible and pray if God is absent, we start to think. However, it is precisely at these times that we need God’s Word and we need to come to Him in prayer the most while we wait.
Our psalm records David’s prayer for relief from the despair he was going through. We, like David, often wonder how long we will have to wait until God answers our prayers. We must continue to trust God, even when He doesn’t answer us immediately. David affirmed that he would continue to trust God, no matter how long he had to wait. While we wait, we need to remind ourselves of God’s past blessings, and deliberately praise Him, like David did.
One of the purposes of this psalm, and so many others that David wrote, is to show us how to honestly cry out in our pain, even when we feel forgotten and helpless. When David began this psalm, he was on his face, flat on the ground, focused on his misery and complaints (vs. 1-2). Then David begins to remember God’s faithfulness and love. He moves to his knees in prayer, taking his burden to the Lord, and admitting his own dependence upon Him (vs. 3-4). Finally, as the psalm ends, David is on his feet, rejoicing, singing, and praising the Lord (vs. 5-6). He goes from beginning this psalm in turmoil to ending in tranquility. David prayed to God, and in the end was able to express hope and trust in Him.
There are several truths we can learn from Psalm 13. One is that God loves us and will not leave His Blood-bought children. There is only one real certainty in life, and that is God’s love. Even throughout all of our troubles, God’s love can be trusted. Another truth is that the battle isn’t ours. The battle belongs to the Lord. Let Him fight it. The battle may not be short, but victory will be for those who trust Him. Finally, God is good, even when everything and everybody seems to not be. Remember God’s character, and base your faith on His character and not upon your circumstances.
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