11^th February

“O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will You look the other way? How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand? . . . . . But I trust in Your unfailing love. I will rejoice because You have rescued me. I will sing to the Lord because He is good to me.”

Psalm 13:1-2,5-6

David, in this wonderful psalm, uses some very strong wording to describe his feelings during his time of persecution. In fact, they are so strong, you almost feel like cringing and asking, ‘are you really talking to God?’ Yet if we look further into the Psalmist’s words, we soon begin to realise that actually, David was just like one of us.

If we are honest, then we too can probably say that we have cried out the same words as David did. Perhaps there are moments in your life, when you too feel alone, feel abandoned and feel like God is looking the other way. However, and probably most importantly, although David felt alone and felt sorrow in his heart, he knew that even there, God was never too far from him.

David was so confident in the Lord, that he even thanks God for the victory he has not yet won. Verse 5 exclaims “I will rejoice because You have rescued me!” Isn’t that an amazing gem found in the middle of what seems like a gloomy and hopeless situation. It can be assumed, as not stated in the text, that his victory had not yet been won, yet so firm was David’s trust in the Lord, that he knew God would rescue him. In addition, David says that he can “rejoice” and “sing” to the Lord, because He had been good to him.

It is in knowing God’s faithfulness in our lives that carries us through times of uncertainty and worry. We know God is faithful. We know that God is good. Yet if we are honest, there are times in our lives when we do feel like God is not answering prayers or that He feels distant. Yet, it is in those times that our praises should increase, as we remember the faithfulness of Almighty God and the unconditional love we receive from Him. He promised to never leave us and God never breaks His promises. He is with you. Keep trusting. Keep praising.