A psalm for the suffering: It’s OK to ask God the hard questions
By Dean Collins
I think I was 28 or 29 when I first memorized and prayed the verses we’re reading together today. It was a challenging season for someone of my age and experience. I was several years into leading a ministry I had founded right out of college.
I remember feeling deeply connected to this passage. I don’t remember how long it took for the struggle I was experiencing to lighten. It might have been a few weeks or a few months. Praying this passage helped me get through the moment, and now, looking back, I realize it was a foundational step in my growth as a believer, a ministry and business leader, and a person trying to surrender all aspects of my life to Jesus.
Navigating the terrain of suffering
As I ponder this verse today, I have taken a look back on the nearly four decades of life that have passed by. I won’t bother to name every difficult personal or professional situation of my career, but I will be honest to say there have been many. Some of them involved relationships that were fragmented and broken. Some of them were various business crises. Some have included direct attacks on me, my ministry, and my leadership. What I can say with confidence is that in each of those seasons, this passage and a few other psalms of lament have been helpful in navigating the terrain of suffering.
If you are in a season of struggle, I encourage you to read, memorize, and pray this psalm. Be honest with God about your trouble. Let him know how long you have been struggling and be bold enough to ask him, “Will you forget me forever and hide your face from me?” Ask God if the enemy will actually win out. And ask, even plead with God to answer you. God honors that kind of honesty. He is not offended by the questions or probing. Our pursuit of these answers is an indication that we are in fact pursuing God as the only one able to bring deliverance. No one and nothing else will do.
Declaring your trust in his steadfast love
And it is equally important to follow David’s example in the last two verses of this psalm. Declare to God that you have trusted in his steadfast love and that you will continue to do so. The declaration will bring more strength to you than you probably would have anticipated. Declaring our trust in God is good for us.
Choose to rejoice in God’s salvation. This doesn’t mean you must celebrate your difficulty but rather that despite your difficulty you will rejoice in God and his saving and powerful grace, love, and mercy.
And finally, don’t forget the last instruction from David: Sing to the Lord because he has and he will deal bountifully with you. Sing through your tears. Sing through your doubts. Declare God’s praise even when it is hard to feel it. What you will find is that God will meet you in your worship. He will give you strength and peace. And he will bring you through this season.
God is good to keep all of his promises!
Your time with God’s Word
Psalm 13 ESV
Photo by Tarikul Raana on Unsplash
To receive daily posts delivered directly to your inbox, complete the form at the bottom of our home page
