Psalm 13 starts with a heartfelt cry to the Lord for deliverance. A psalm, and a prayer, that we can all identify with, from those times when we are waiting on the Lord, struggling through trials and difficulties. We can feel overlooked and forgotten, that God is not responding to our situation. Sometimes God’s answer just seems to be ‘wait’. And waiting can be the hardest time.
How long, Lord?
How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 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?
Psalm 13:1-2
The psalms are full of honest conversation, where the psalmist in a moment of need pours out his thoughts and feelings before God. And after all that is what ‘prayer’ is all about, simply talking to the Lord. Then slowly the answer comes, a glimmer of hope for the future. How does this happen, how does the expression of the feelings of his heart change so much?
“Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall.”
Psalm 13:3-4
Psalm 13 is an example of this where the psalmist starts with a whole host of questions and ends with a declaration of faith. For the reality is that the foundation of our faith is not dependent on our circumstance. In these verses you can see a progression, a change of perspective, from focusing on all the questions to focusing on the faithfulness of God.
“But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for He has been good to me.”
Psalm 13:5-6
Waiting Well – Reflection on Psalm 13
Whether we wait patiently or impatiently will not change the time we have to wait – it just impacts and affects our relationships! First our relationship with God and then our relationships with each other.
How we wait, does not change the waiting time – it changes us, either for worse or for the better!
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There are four points that we can reflect on in psalm 13, to help bring us from impatience to patience, from doubt to trust, from questioning to accepting and from apprehension or fear to faith.
Trust
A firm belief in the reliability, truth and ability of someone.
As we place our trust in God’s unfailing love, our perspective starts to change. His love is available and accessible to all. A love that is vast beyond all measure, everlasting, and true. This love was demonstrated for us by Jesus. Then we begin to glimpse the bigger picture, that our Heavenly Father is God of the Universe and that He is in control of all!
Rejoice
To feel or show great joy or delight.
We reflect on God’s love towards us, His gift, that while we were still sinners He gave His only Son, to set us free from sin. Jesus by his death and sacrifice, reconciled us to God and has given to all who believe in Him, the promise of eternal life! The joy of our salvation and the realisation, that it is the joy of the Lord which is our strength¹
Praise
An expression of approval or admiration.
As our feelings start to change and we feel the joy of our salvation, we start to express our praise to God. This is the overflow of a thankful and grateful heart. We take our eyes off our own situation and start to focus on God’s love. As we remember all that He has done for us, how can we stay silent! As we praise Him, from our hearts, there is a divine exchange. When we bless God, He lifts up our heads and bestows a blessing in return.
Remember
To bring to mind an awareness of someone or something from the past.
It is good to remember, to reflect on what God has done for us personally. Our gratitude comes as we look back and we see God’s hand at work in our lives. We all have a testimony, our story of God’s faithfulness, of answered prayers, and of unexpected and often, undeserved blessings. Testimony is powerful to silence the doubts and fears. It reminds us that God does not change. What He has done before, He can do again! As we remember, our hope is stirred, and our faith is strengthened.
The only way to wait well is to walk with the Lord. When we trust in His love, and rejoice in our salvation. When we praise His Name as we remember His goodness, knowing that our future, whatever that may hold, is secure in the Lord.
God is too good to be unkind and He is too wise to be mistaken. And when we cannot see His hand, we must trust His heart. C.H. Spurgeon.
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Shane & Shane – “I will wait for You” – based on Psalm 130
Very encouraging post! I love that about the psalms, the questions or anguish that slowly turns to praise of the Lord. Such a good example for us!
Yes I love the psalms, for the poetry but also for the honesty and openness – no holds barred!
But whether we wait patiently or impatiently will not change the waiting time – it just impacts and affects our relationships – this is so beautifully written! And the tips you gave are not only the keys to waiting well, but also keys to living well.
Yes you are so right, thank you for your encouraging comments, appreciated.
The most important part of living is in the wait of a prayer sent out – it’s hard – the waiting. It think it is the leaning into Him during the wait, the learning to trust, to live “not my will but His” – He’s been shepherding me, teaching me how to do this for a long time now. I’ve come to love what He does in the wait!
Love your four steps: Trust, Praise, Rejoice, Remember. So good! All 4 steps need to be taken in each struggle. I love to remember how God has brought me through in the past whenever I’m facing new challenges. It gives me hope!
Yes, we can be quick to forget and so it is a good practice to keep reminding ourselves of the goodness of God. Thank you for your encouragement by responding!
I’m visiting from Debbie’s linkup. Waiting is hard but the older I’ve gotten, the easier it has become!! Excellent post.
Thanks for the feedback!
Hi. Great post! You are so right! The psalms are filled with emotions. They are filled with both sadness and joy!