Psalms 13:1

The Bible says in Psalms 13:1-2, “How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?[2] How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?” Why did King David ask the following question “how long?” four times? From David’s perspective he was suffering attacks from his enemies for a “long” period of time. That is one of the challenges of the Christian life. We are asked to suffer long and to bear our burdens for long periods of time. It is an integral part of the life of faith. One of the words that is translated “patience” in the New Testament means “to suffer long.” For example, it says in Hebrews 6:11-12, “And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:[12] That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” You must have faith and you must have the spiritual quality of suffering long. You must endure to the end of the suffering, all the way to the end, in order to gain the victory. King David did what must be done in order to endure: he prayed.

David asked the question in verse 1, “How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD?” The answer to that question is easy: God never forgets His believers. God gave the promise “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” And Jesus said, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.” First of all, the infinite Mind is not going to forget you. And He certainly is not going to forget those that He is with every step of the way and every moment of the day.

Notice in verse 2 that David described his situation as “having sorrow in my heart daily.” The sorrows of this life can really mount up in the life of a believer who seeks God. King David said that his sorrows were “daily.” You can go through a period that is so dark that it can last days, weeks, months, and even years. Does that mean that God has forgotten? No: it means that God has given you a challenge to live by faith and patience. If you endure to the end of the suffering, you will receive a great reward and it will be more than worth it. Part of the reward might come in this life, but it might not. It certainly will come at the judgment. God does not forget.

Concerning David’s praying during this time of trouble, the Bible says in Psalms 13:3-5, “Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;[4] Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved.[5] But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.” David definitely knew that he needed to turn to the Lord. David mentions “death” and “trouble” and the possibility of his enemies prevailing and rejoicing over him. It is a terrible thing when Christians fall, and David knew that. So much damage is done when a Christian falls that the devil makes many attempts to cause it to happen. How can you keep it from happening to you? Come often to the Lord and seek God’s “mercy” as mentioned in verse 5. That is how you stay in fellowship with Christ: daily confession of your sins. One sin will lead to another until you have shamed yourself and lost your testimony. Keep that from happening by quickly coming to the Lord Jesus as soon as you need to. If you have had a lack of faith, then confess that as the sin that it is. If you have had a lack of love for Christ, then confess that as the sin that it is. If you have reacted to something with the flesh by anger or impatience or some other selfish way, then confess that as the sin that it is. God always forgives when someone asks for forgiveness, whether the sin be what people consider small or great.

Notice the last thing that David says in verse 5, “my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.” If you can rejoice, then you have won the victory. The enemy is trying to damage your faith, your love, and your joy. If you have kept the faith and continued in love, it will be manifested by joy and rejoicing. Of course, it is rejoicing in God’s “salvation.” People can take a lot of things from you, but they cannot take your salvation. The salvation of our soul that we have from Jesus because He died on the cross is the central reason for everything that we do in serving the Lord. Remember Jesus suffered for you, and remember your wonderful future waiting for you because of Jesus’ suffering, and then you can rejoice.

David gives a second reason to rejoice in the Lord in the next verse. The Bible says in Psalms 13:6, “I will sing unto the Lord, because He hath dealt bountifully with me.” There are so many benefits to being a Christian. God takes care of His children. We have His eternal love. We have His protection and care. We have all the promises of the Bible that He never fails to fulfill. We have victory. We have open doors and opportunities to serve Him. We have the chance to become everything we were born to be. And God blesses our efforts. He helps us be better citizens, better workers, and better neighbors. He teaches us to love instead of hate, and to forgive instead of taking vengeance. And then when it is all over, we get to go to heaven. What a wonderful Savior we have. If you do not know Jesus as your Savior, today you can turn to Him and find His forgiveness and eternal life.

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