Psalm 13

Read the entire Psalm through one time.

¹How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?
²How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?
³Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;
⁴my enemy will say, "I have overcome him,"and my foes will rejoice when I fall.
⁵But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.
⁶I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me.


How many questions does David ask the Lord at the beginning of the psalm?
In verses 1-2, David asks 4 questions. There is “no doubt the divine ‘forgetting’ and ‘hiding the face’ meant the withholding of practical help” (Kidner). The third question deals with the state of David’s inner soul, and the last question refers to the presence of his enemies.


This psalm is a great example of how we should talk with the Lord. David asked the Lord real questions, and hoped for the Lord to answer. In verse 3 he says, “Give light to my eyes”. This is a request for divine wisdom or perspective.
Amidst his feelings of being forsaken, David continues to talk with the Lord. His trust in God’s truth gives him perspective, and allows him to move past his feelings of sorrow.


Read verse 5. David makes a choice here. He chooses to trust God, remember his unfailing love, and rejoice in his own salvation. What do these things move David to claim in verse 6? “I will sing to the Lord, for he has been _____ to me.” Psalm 13:6
Read verses 1-2 again, then read verse 6. What do you observe as you look at these verses next to each other?


David shows us how to deal with our disappointment in life and God. He speaks to God honestly, he remembers truth, and he trusts God over his emotions. All of this brings him to praise God again!