Psalm 13: 2
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? (NIV)
Do you ever have trouble sleeping at night because you
have too many thoughts rattling through your head? Do you go through days when
your heart is hurt and heavy because someone wounded or disappointed you? Do
you have moments when you want to pack everything all in because your problems
are overwhelming and you can’t focus on any one of them? Me, too – welcome to
the real world.
Psalm 13 is one of the shortest songs in the whole
Bible but it contains so much truth and relevance that I find myself returning
to it repeatedly, especially when I have personal issues. The words appeal to
me because of the boldness of the author – this is someone who knows trouble
and needs to vent to God about it. It’s a hymn of complaint which we call a
lament – the writer has been deeply hurt and wonders why God hasn’t done anything
to remedy the situation or deal with the problem. There is an initial element
of disappointment in his words as if the psalmist is saying to God “I have
placed all of my faith in You, so why aren’t You sticking up for me? Why aren’t
You helping me to overcome my foes and clear up this messy situation, God?”
This is why I love the Book of Psalms – the candid
complaints and painful protests are very human and clearly directed toward God.
God’s inactivity is bewildering; His indifference is frustrating; His
forgetfulness is almost infuriating. The psalmist feels let down and depressed,
isolated and vulnerable. He cannot find peace, happiness, or hope. He struggles
with his dilemma and he wrestles with God. Do you know that feeling? Me, too.
In the end, the songwriter surrenders himself to God’s
will. In a remarkable leap of faith, he decides to remain connected to the
Lord. No matter what happens, he trusts God completely – the psalmist has
vented his spleen and voiced his complaint. He now leaves it in God’s hands and
aims instead to praise God for past blessings. This is not fair-weathered or a convenient
faith; this is hard-to-endure and on-the-edge faith. This is what it truly
means to believe in God.
Points to ponder
What is presently troubling me? What issues am I
experiencing? Have I complained to God? Am I willing to leave my problems in
His hands? Do I still want to praise Him?
Prayer: Lord God, You know us completely and fully
understand the worries that weary us and the problems that presently burden us.
Give us the will to hand them all over to You. Allow us the blessing of
praising You in both good and bad times. In Christ’s Name, we pray. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment