This difficult season drags on and on. How is it affecting you? Are you growing frustrated? Weary? Sad? Depressed? We can easily look around and back at history and notice that many have had it worse—but that doesn’t exactly lift our spirits. Things seem bleak right now. We miss normal. We miss smiles and handshakes and hugs. We miss singing at church, and that quiet, distinct, lovely sound of communion trays passing through the congregation. We miss our friends. We miss family. Will such joys ever return? How long will this go on?
Psalm 13 is a prayer for such times. It is one of many psalms categorized as a lament, and it is meant to help us through bleak and lonely times. Learning to pray this way is important; otherwise we tend to grumble. You haven’t grumbled recently, have you? ;)
It is often pointed out that gratitude is the antidote for grumbling, and I wouldn’t argue. Scripture teaches us to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thess. 5:18); and the practice of it certainly helps put everything in perspective. But that’s not to say that we shouldn’t also talk to God about the hard and unpleasant things. If you look to the Bible to learn how to pray, you find an abundance of lament: crying out to God in pain and struggle and loss. This, I believe, is as much an antidote to grumbling as gratitude is. It is often through the honest expression of sadness and frustration in prayer to God that leads our heart to truly trust him.
In Psalm 13, lament leads to trust. The feelings are voiced first—feelings of being forgotten, abandoned, humiliated, and sad (vss. 1-2). Then comes a very personal cry for help, addressing the Lord as my God and seeking to be considered, answered, and rescued (vss. 3-4). Then comes trust in the steadfast love of God and the confidence that there will again be cause for singing and rejoicing (vss. 5-6). Trust grows through the stages of prayer; so don’t skip lament. Talking through your most restless feelings with God will lead you to a place of peace in his presence.
How Long, O Lord?
How long, O Lord? (Psalm 13:1)
This difficult season drags on and on. How is it affecting you? Are you growing frustrated? Weary? Sad? Depressed? We can easily look around and back at history and notice that many have had it worse—but that doesn’t exactly lift our spirits. Things seem bleak right now. We miss normal. We miss smiles and handshakes and hugs. We miss singing at church, and that quiet, distinct, lovely sound of communion trays passing through the congregation. We miss our friends. We miss family. Will such joys ever return? How long will this go on?
Psalm 13 is a prayer for such times. It is one of many psalms categorized as a lament, and it is meant to help us through bleak and lonely times. Learning to pray this way is important; otherwise we tend to grumble. You haven’t grumbled recently, have you? ;)
It is often pointed out that gratitude is the antidote for grumbling, and I wouldn’t argue. Scripture teaches us to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thess. 5:18); and the practice of it certainly helps put everything in perspective. But that’s not to say that we shouldn’t also talk to God about the hard and unpleasant things. If you look to the Bible to learn how to pray, you find an abundance of lament: crying out to God in pain and struggle and loss. This, I believe, is as much an antidote to grumbling as gratitude is. It is often through the honest expression of sadness and frustration in prayer to God that leads our heart to truly trust him.
In Psalm 13, lament leads to trust. The feelings are voiced first—feelings of being forgotten, abandoned, humiliated, and sad (vss. 1-2). Then comes a very personal cry for help, addressing the Lord as my God and seeking to be considered, answered, and rescued (vss. 3-4). Then comes trust in the steadfast love of God and the confidence that there will again be cause for singing and rejoicing (vss. 5-6). Trust grows through the stages of prayer; so don’t skip lament. Talking through your most restless feelings with God will lead you to a place of peace in his presence.