Psalm 13 — God, can you hear me?

Who thinks that life with Jesus is easy?

If we thought that becoming a Christian would solve all our problems... Well, we were wrong.

Being a Christian doesn't spare us from illness and the difficulties of this world. If it did, everyone would know about it—pharmacies would be selling Bibles instead of medicine. Being a Christian actually adds to our worries. We now see our sinful nature much more clearly, and we struggle daily to put to death what displeases God. We want to change our attitudes, which sometimes hurt others. But we often see little results and feel discouraged. Jesus asks us to take up our cross and follow Him. So we walk against the tide, in a world that opposes God and those who belong to Him.

Fortunately for us, we have a great God to whom we can entrust all our sufferings and struggles. No matter what happens to me, I know I can talk to Him about it, and He will deliver me from it.

But the reality is that we've all gone through difficult times; perhaps you're even going through a period of intense suffering right now. A job search that drags on, the search for a husband or wife, recovering from an illness that seems incurable, waiting for a child who never comes. So we pray to God, repeating the same prayer over and over, day after day for the same thing, month after month, or even for years, without receiving an answer. To the point where we ask ourselves: God, can you hear me?

And this Psalm of David today is an excellent example of lamentation, prayer, and gratitude when we're going through difficult times and have no answer.

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1. Patient in suffering (v. 2–3)

In this Psalm, we see that David is suffering, but we don't know exactly what he's going through. The word "enemy," which appears several times, might lead us to conclude that there are literally enemies who are out to kill him. In the book of 1 Samuel, we are told that David was pursued by Saul, and in the book of 2 Samuel, that he was pursued by his son Absalom. But since the Psalms are poems, this could be metaphorical, representing the illness he suffered from toward the end of his life, or the anguish he felt over his own sin.

Suffering should not come as a surprise to us. By disobeying God, humanity brought sin into the world, and the entire creation suffers the consequences: death, a broken relationship with God, and a deceitful heart that affects our relationships and our daily lives.

**Genesis 3:17–19** — "Then God said to the man, 'Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, "You shall not eat from it," the ground is cursed because of you. In pain you will eat from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you will return."

As Christians, we are not spared from the consequences of sin. As long as we are on this earth, we continue to live with hearts stained by sin in a broken world.

Our hope is that, despite these sufferings, we have a God who watches over us and cares for us. I read in **John 15:7**:

> "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you."

But sometimes God takes longer than we would like to answer our prayers.

And that is the case here with David, with the repetition of "How long?"

> "How long, O Lord, will you keep forgetting me? How long will you hide your face from me? How long will I have anxiety in my soul and sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy attack me?"

We don't know how long David has been waiting for answers, but this repetition emphasizes his impatience. "Lord, my enemies are out to kill me. I need you now—why are you taking so long to answer?"

And unfortunately, I feel like we're becoming more and more impatient. I work in web design, and human impatience is a central issue in the websites and apps we design. We know that if a page takes too long to load, the user is likely to leave, and we've lost a potential customer. That's why you see loading bars or flashing elements on the page before it fully loads. It's a way of saying, "It's coming, it's coming—don't leave; just wait a few more seconds." We lead lives at 100 miles an hour and no longer have time to wait. And as Christians, we find ourselves doing the same thing with God. How much longer will I wait for this job I so desperately need? How much longer will I struggle with this sin that's ruining my life?

And it is this impatience that leads David to say, "How long, O Lord, will you keep forgetting me? How long will you hide your face from me?" This waiting makes us feel abandoned by God. And I do mean "feel" abandoned. It is a feeling we have, but it is not reality. God does not abandon us. I read from **Isaiah 49:14–16**:

> "Zion said (here, Zion refers to the people of Israel), 'The Lord has forsaken me; the Lord has forgotten me!' Can a woman forget the baby at her breast? Does she not have compassion on the son of her womb? Even if she did forget him, I will never forget you. See! I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me."

I don't know if you've ever done this—written something on your hand to make sure you don't forget. We are engraved on God's hands; we are constantly under His watchful eye. We are His children, and He loves us with a love even stronger than a mother's love for her newborn. And like a good parent, He knows better than we do what we need and when we need it.

Our emotions lead us to believe that in times of trial and suffering, when there are no answers, God has forgotten us. But the reality is quite different: "I will never forget you." Having feelings is a good thing; it's normal to feel pain, joy, sadness, and doubt—especially when we're going through difficult times. As someone said in my small group this week, "It's okay to cry." We just need to be careful that our feelings don't override our reason and lead us to believe false things. Here's a first lesson for us this morning. Like David, we should come to God and express our feelings. We should always be honest and transparent with God, sharing our sorrows and questions with Him; He is the one best able to understand us—He is our Creator, after all.

So if God hasn't forgotten us, why doesn't He help us when we're suffering? That's a question that's hard to answer precisely. For God's plans are divine and not fully revealed to us.

But here is some encouragement found in **Romans 8:28–30**:

> "And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined, he also called; those whom he called, he also justified; and those whom he justified, he also glorified."

God does not let us suffer in vain. We are His children. His entire plan works for the good of those who love God. And by His power, He uses the difficulties of the present moment to shape our souls and make them conform to the image of Christ for the days to come.

There will be a time of judgment, but through His grace—as a testimony of His love—He grants everyone time to repent. I read in **2 Peter 3:9**:

> "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward us, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

God is patient with us; let us be patient with Him.

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2. Persevering in prayer (v. 4–5)

So how do I wait it out? It's all well and good to know that this trial is meant to shape my soul, but I'm in pain. Day after day, I'm wearing myself out. And little by little, with no answers, I'm losing hope.

But here is David's attitude in the face of despair—the turning point of this Psalm and perhaps the main lesson for us this morning: perseverance in prayer. I'll read from verse 4:

> "Look upon me and answer me, O Lord my God! Give light to my eyes, lest I fall into the sleep of death! For my enemy might say, 'I have overcome him,' and my foes might rejoice when they see me shaken."

In the earlier verses, David thought God had forgotten him. But David does not trust his own feelings. He knows that God has not forgotten him and that his only hope is in Him. So he cries out even louder and implores His help. We see this in the repetition of his plea: "Look, answer me, O Lord, my God!" Brothers and sisters, here is a magnificent example of faith. Believing when life is going our way is easy. But believing when there is no reason to do so—that is what faith is. I read in **Hebrews 11:1**:

> "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."

Faith is a deep conviction that God will fulfill what He has promised, and it is believing in the reality of what God has revealed, even if our eyes cannot yet see it.

David prays for this. "Give light to my eyes, so that I may not fall asleep the sleep of death!" David acknowledges that his view of the situation is clouded by his emotions. He has the humility to admit that, as a mere human being, he cannot understand why things are this way. His most heartfelt prayer, then, is to ask God to give light to his eyes. Through this prayer, he asks for insight, for clarity; he asks for wisdom so that he may see as God sees. It is only through God and His Holy Spirit that we can understand and accept this trial. Only then can we recognize that the absence of an answer does not mean God has abandoned us. And only then can we be guided and find the right way to act during these difficult times.

Let's emphasize the importance of his plea: "Lest I fall asleep the sleep of death!" Even though David is under attack by enemies and fears for his life, I believe he is referring here to a spiritual sleep. As a Christian, what is worse than death is spiritual death. Despite the difficulties David is facing, he knows that the worst thing that could happen to him would be to be without hope, without a relationship with God. If we are not enlightened by God, we are in darkness. Just as nature needs the sun, we need God's light. So when suffering persists and answers are slow in coming, let us pray to God not to let us sink into despair but to shine His light upon us so that we may keep hope in His promises.

David's attitude reminds me of children when they fall. Their knee is scraped, the wound is there, it's bleeding, it hurts—it must be serious—so they panic, and the tears and cries follow. Despite the pain, they run to their parents, who will come to their rescue. A big hug, a few reassuring words, and off they go running again. The knee injury is still there, but their parent's reassuring words give them a new perspective and show them that the injury isn't so bad after all. I admit that I especially love this feeling with God. When my heart is heavy, I pray; I entrust myself to Him. I hand over to Him whatever is weighing me down. And very often, after a sincere prayer, my burden is still there—but now it feels light. This lightness will only be temporary; my anxious nature will come back to haunt me. So it's up to me to persevere in prayer to experience it again.

By giving these examples, I in no way mean to downplay the suffering you may be experiencing. I don't know what you may have gone through or what hardships you're currently facing. Perhaps something very difficult—far more serious than a minor knee injury. Something that has been going on for far too long. It's normal for you to be in pain. **Romans 8:22**:

> "We know that until now the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains."

And to go from tears to cries of joy, like David did, is simply impossible. Impossible on our own. Impossible without God's help. And that is precisely why we pray.

But perhaps you don't know Christ. And perhaps you, too, are going through difficult times. Know that what He has done for us, He has also done for you. As we saw earlier, "He is patient with us, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance." Please, don't wait. Your problems won't miraculously disappear. But Jesus is waiting for you with open arms to comfort you. If you have doubts, ask Jesus to enlighten you, to open your eyes, so that you may be convinced and recognize that He is the way that leads to life.

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3. Joyful in hope (v. 6)

And in verse 6, what a radical change! It's as if David's prayer were magical. The answer comes instantly. His outlook is transformed.

> "I trust in your goodness; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing praises to the Lord, for he has done me good."

His gaze is no longer focused on himself, on his feet, and on his present sufferings. Instead, he looks up to heaven, toward God and the promises to come. His joy lies in the assurance of salvation that no one can take away from him. Paul says in **Romans 8:18**:

> "I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us."

In difficult times, let us remember that we have God's favor. Through Jesus Christ, His Son—who bore the righteous wrath we deserved, died on the cross, and rose again—our sins are forgiven. Our lives are no longer without hope. Our sufferings are only temporary. Creation will be restored, evil eradicated—no more suffering, no more pain. And in that kingdom where God reigns supreme, a place is reserved for us, and eternal life awaits us. This is not easy, for we do not yet see it. But we can look forward to the certainty of what we hope for and rejoice in it.

It reminds me of when I was little and my parents would tell me we were going to the amusement park. Of course, we had to wait for school break to go. I must have been in elementary or middle school, but at that age, waiting for the next school break feels like forever. So every night I'd already imagine myself there, the rides I'd get to go on, and in what order so I could go on as many as possible. And I'd feel a certain joy in my heart even though we weren't even there yet.

Today, I think they call that "the hype"—when something is cool and everyone wants it. Friends, in Jesus we have eternal life, and no one can take it away from us. Let's keep our hearts focused on the excitement of the promises to come.

David, who was lamenting just two verses earlier, is now singing in praise of the Lord. Despite his current difficulties, David remembers that things haven't always been this way; he looks back and recalls how God has cared for him.

Let's look back at where we were: alone, facing ourselves; slaves to sin; unable to save ourselves. In His mercy, God came to seek us out, lift us up, and save us. Do you remember the moment you said "Yes" to Christ? That indescribable joy that burned within you and the sense of freedom you experienced.

In times of trial, let's remember that there haven't been only bad days. We said at the beginning that the Christian life isn't necessarily easier. But in some ways, it is. Looking back, we see that Jesus has changed our hearts and is making us better people. Life's worries no longer carry the same weight. We are no longer devastated by difficulties. And all the times we've received kind encouragement from a brother or sister. When we've experienced the intense joy of helping others. And even in the simplest of things. Let's remember that God renews His kindness toward us every day. It is He who gives us breath. It is He who allows us to enjoy a sunny day.

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Conclusion

This Psalm reminds me of what we sometimes experience on Sundays when we come to church—perhaps even today. We come with heavy hearts, weighed down by the burdens of the week, weary, acknowledging that we can do nothing in our own strength and that our only hope is Jesus. So we pray, we praise, and we remember the truths of the present and those to come. As the service ends, we feel lighter—filled with the peace and joy that God gives to those who come to Him. Let's not wait until Sunday to experience this.

Let's be patient in our affliction. No matter what we're going through, no matter what our struggles are. No matter the time of day or the day of the week. Let's come and weep before God. Let's not be ashamed to cry out to Him about our sorrows and doubts. God is never too busy to listen to us.

As we wait for His answer, let us persevere in prayer. Let us ask God to shed His light on our eyes, to help us see as He sees, so that we may stand firm in the face of trials. So that we may recognize that, even in the absence of an answer, God has not forsaken us.

With the help of His Holy Spirit, let us remember the joys of the past and the promises to come. Let us remember how He has led us to Himself, the blessings He showers upon us every day, and the assurance that one day we will be with God, freed from all suffering for eternity.