Psalm 13

Intro

Read Psalm 13

Psalm 13 ESV

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? 3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, 4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken. 5 But I have 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.

From Chaos to calm

Extreme Despair

Read Psalm 13:1-2

Psalm 13:1–2 ESV

1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

How long o lord

A question we may have asked God before

A question we will find ourselves asking God often

How long God

One of the things that stands out here is that David doesnt ask when God

But how long

He has been waiting

He has been looking

This is dispair

David seems to be seeking God

But has no answer

He is looking for God

But God seems gone

Hidden from him

Some of you may have been there before

Some of you may be there now

Looking for God only to find he seems distant

or hidden

Or you may even feel forgotten

you may be at the point were it feels that you have sorrow in your heart all day

Nothing seems to be going your way

David is a man who has seen God’s blessing in his life time after time

God has delivered him from a lion, a bear, a giant , an angry king who wanted to kill him

God has come through for David so many times before

Yet still David is crying out here

He feels abandoned by the very God who has done all these great things for him

Have you ever been here????

If you have you know all to well the feeling

If you havent store this psalm in your heart for the day it happens to you.

This is God’s grace to publish this psalm in his word

To say to us even these heros of the faith struggled to feel close to me at times

A fact of our fallen nature means that at time God will feel far off

But we can cry out to God and look what David does let this be an example for us

Prayer calms the heart

Read Psalm 13:3-4

Psalm 13:3–4 ESV

3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, 4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

David though feeling like God is hidden from him continues to pray to God

To look for him

He doesnt give up

He lets his prayers to God calm the chaos in his life

and look at the brevity of his prayer

Consider

Answer

Light

Consider me

God remember me

Look to me me

Answer me

answer my prayers to you

respond to me

Show you face to me

Light up my eyes

Let me see you again

Let me experience your presence

David doesnt go into some long glorious prayer