LISTEN ONLINEOur final song at church included the cheerfully repeated affirmation of God’s faithfulness: “You’ll never let me down!” I turned to find my friend on the brink of tears. “How can I sing that?” she lamented. It was true. Everything in her life was falling apart despite desperate, faithful prayer. She could easily have sung, “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” (Psalm 13:1).
Many of the Psalms, including Psalm 13, are full of painful laments: desperate cries and honest admissions of heartfelt sorrow. In today’s Psalm, David wrestles through agonising thoughts that sound almost like a loss of faith (v. 2)—but, in fact, they are quite the reverse. It takes faith to unburden ourselves to the Lord so honestly, and then pray, as David does, asking Him for what we need: “Look on me and answer, Lord my God” (v. 3 ). It is often only then, after unburdening our souls and calling on God to help us, that we can authentically praise Him from our hearts and rejoice in His goodness and love (v. 5-6).
If you are struggling to praise God today, unburden your heart to Him. Be honest. Ask Him for the help that only He can give. Remember His “unfailing love” (v. 5). And then, faith will rise, and you can sing with David, “He has been good to me” (v. 6).