How Long? - Psalm 13

Intro

Psalm 13 (ESV)

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

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?

Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;

light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,

lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”

lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

But I have trusted in your steadfast love;

my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.

I will sing to the Lord,

because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Be Honest to God about Our Feelings

David felt that the silence from God would never end.

Psalm 13:1 (ESV)

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

David felt estranged from God and apparently felt that way for quite some time.

For a short time we might wonder about God’s silence, but as things draw out and the silence appears to go on for a long time, we can begin to wonder if we will ever hear from God again.

Andrew Fuller, “It is not under the sharpest, but the longest trials, that we are most in danger of fainting.… When Job was accosted with evil tidings, in quick succession, he bore it with becoming fortitude; but when he could see no end to his troubles, he sunk under them.”4

There’s a lack of apparent blessing

Having the Lord’s face shine on you was symbolic language of blessing. It is to be found in the presence of Yahweh which is the greatest blessing one can experience. However, David has felt that God’s presence has left him alone.

This seems reminiscent of Jesus crying out on the cross in Mark 15:34

Mark 15:34 (ESV)

And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

The lack of God’s presence is a lack of blessing and spiritual depression.

Sometimes we can feel this in our families when we don’t feel or see the fulfilment from our families like we think we should. What should be happiness has become frustration, conflict, or hopelessness in our relationships.

Maybe it’s a lack of fulfilment in our work. We do not seem to be having the success in our work like we did at the beginning and it no longer seems to be a blessing to us.

Maybe its even in our own spiritual lives. We are haunted by our past sins and even though we know we have been forgiven, sometimes we can think that there’s no hope for us in them.

Dark thoughts and depression

Psalm 13:2 (ESV)

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?

David is struggling with his emotions and with a severe case of depression. Depression is a spiritual issue, but can also be caused by physical and emotional reasons as well. Some personalities can be more prone to depression than others. Physical ailments can also cause depression. Charles Spurgeon suffered from terrible depression, but part of the reason for that is because he also suffered from gout. Whether its an illness or just a continuous experience of physical tiredness, mental fatigue or strain, we can experience a form of depression and feel a lack of a presence of God in the midst of these moments.

Many of the men of God experienced times like these, including Elijah, and sometimes for perceived rather than real reasons. And yet, even if they are only perceived, they do not affect us any less.

So what do we do in these times?

Draw Near to God and Ask Him to Draw Near to You

Praise God for His Consistent Faithfulness