Psalm 13
Read Psalm 13:1-2
Oh LORD, how long will you forget me?
forever?
How long will you look the other way?
How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul,
with sorrow in my heart every day?
How long will my enemy have the upper hand?
Consider
Too often, we come to Scripture looking for the secret kernel of wisdom that we can take into our day to do something or feel like we’ve accomplished something. As we read this one snippet of Psalm 13, rather than moving on to find the “life application,” perhaps it would be better to pause and consider this question, “What does David feel?”
Write
Read through the passage again. Read it slowly. Take a moment to write down the core emotions you sense from David. What words come to mind as you read these two verses?
Read Psalm 13:3-4
Turn and answer me, O LORD my God!
Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or
I will die.
Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying,
“We have defeated him!”
Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall.
Consider
In the first passage, David is talking with God, but he is expressing what he feels to God. In the second passage, David is still talking to God, but now he’s demanding something from God. He is doing so quite forcefully and quite boldly. We are often discipled to see God as “wholly other and divine.” We are to come to him with “reverence and awe.” Sometimes, this leads us to mute or domesticate our feelings and our requests. God is not afraid of us. David shows us. His demands demonstrate his longing or desperation for God to be close. David teaches us to be fully in touch with our feelings and to “let what comes up come out.”
Write
Take a few moments to breathe in and breathe out deeply. Think through a situation in your life where you feel passionate about something and you long for God’s help, or a relationship that is broken, or wisdom in moving forward in a decision just as David has in this Psalm. We don’t know what David’s specific situation was. Try to be specific in yours. You might not feel as if God has abandoned you, but consider sharing your feelings with Him as David does in verses one and two. Write your honest feelings. Don’t try to clean them up.
Once you’ve shared your feelings, which might feel safe to do, see if you can fully express what you hope God will do in response. Try not to use just questions like, “Will you…” Express your needs and your desires with statements as David does.
Read Psalm 13:5-6
But I trust in your unfailing love.
I will rejoice because you have
rescued me.
I will sing to the Lord
because he is good to me.
Consider
It seems that once David shares what his heart really feels, tells the truth about his feelings, and tells God what he desires, he is able to exhale. That is, you can feel the energy slow down, and it seems David relaxes into his identity. He recalls that he can trust because God has always been there. He can worship because of God’s unfailing character.
Write
Now that you have had the opportunity to express your own feelings and desires, what is your “exhale?” Take a few moments to write down your own response to your Father.
Pray
Each week, when we release a prayer guide, our hope is that we are collectively joining our hearts in a “laser-focused” way. That is, we’re inviting the several hundred people who will open this prayer guide today to point their hearts toward a central point. This prayer exercise we’ve engaged, however, is about a specific situation in your own life.
To center us on “one specific thing,” let us pray for each other. Before you finish your time, pray for these other leaders who will engage in this practice today. Pray that they will have the courage to share with God what they are feeling in the depths of their soul. Pray that they will have the boldness to share the longings and desires. Pray that they can return in their soul to worship after they share their hearts, recalling all the ways the Father has shown up in their life. Pray that whatever they ask for, they will see realized in their life. Remember, they will be praying this same thing for you.