“How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and hear me, O LORD my God; Enlighten my eyes, Lest I sleep the sleep of death; Lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed against him”; Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved. But I have trusted in Your mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.” (Psalms 13:1-5)
Within these five verses David moves from spiritual despair to hope, from internal wrestling’s to complete trust and from deep sorrow to rejoicing. What causes the dramatic turnabout?
David’s psalms are simply glimpses of his feelings. As he gradually worked through the issues, he returned to his confidence in God. But it may have happened more slowly than it would appear from reading the compressed account in these few verses.
David knew how to express feelings and faith simultaneously. He reveals his emotions on one level while on another level he tells us what he actually believed.
David’s mood changes reflect the feelings of many people struggling with their faith. Perhaps that’s why so many of us identify with him and the Psalms with all its ups and downs.
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