Psalm 13 - 3.7.23
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 13: 1-4 "How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? 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? Look on me and answer, Lord My God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my enemy will say, "I have overcome him, and my foes will rejoice when I fall."
OBSERVATION: David was experiencing a great amount of despair. He had become so depressed that he thought he was going to die. He even believed that God had forgotten and had abandoned him. Out of the depths of his soul, David poured out his heart, and prayed that the Lord would bring him relief.
UNDERSTANDING: What David did in verse 5 is key to how he received the answer to his prayer! He poured out his heart to God and blurted out all his concerns, doubts, thoughts, and feelings. After he did this, David's mind suddenly became clear and he was able to remember how faithful God had been to him in the past. "But I have trusted in Your faithful love; my heart will rejoice in Your deliverance. I will sing to the Lord because He has treated me generously. There is no one who does good, not even one."
Even though David had believed the lie that God had forgotten and abandoned him, which led to the intense time of despair, God was there and helped David to renew his trust back in Him.
LIFE APPLICATION: I have certainly never faced anything that even comes close to what David faced as his life was being hunted down by his enemies, but I have definitely experienced times of fear, anxiety, doubt, and feelings of hopelessness, BUT how grateful I am to be able to say that EVERY TIME I have run to God, He has helped me! God is not threatened by my doubts or negative feelings, and His arms are always wide open for me to experience His love, comfort, strength, and encouragement when I call out to Him.
God is delighted to be our burden-bearer! AND, He delights when we carry one another's burdens. We should never be afraid or embarrassed to share our concerns, questions, doubts, and even our feelings of despair with our trusted brothers and sisters in Christ. God has made us a part of His family, and we are able to seek His guidance, freedom, and deliverance together through prayer. When we are feeling weak, exhausted, weary, or worn out, or if we know of someone who is struggling with these kinds of feelings, we shouldn't hesitate to go and pray. We can all identify with struggles, some are different than others, and as we keep our focus on God, He will help us to be humble and sensitive to His leading by letting us know that no one needs to go through their struggles alone!
- Robin Orefice
