When things get hard and God seems distant it is hard to know what to pray.

Often we are at loss for words. Psalm 13 gives us words for times like this. Psalm 13 is what we call a Psalm of Lament: a prayer of sadness, anger, frustration, depression, and loneliness.

God gave us words to pray when we don’t know how to pray.

God gave us what to pray when we are feeling disconnection. 

Last week we took a look at Psalm 30, a Psalm of thanksgiving for getting us out of a tough season. This week we will look at a prayer for times of discouragement, desolation, persecution and hardship, when we are in the tough season, when we feel that evil is winning and God has forgotten us. 

Psalm 13

1 How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

2  How long must I take counsel in my soul

and have sorrow in my heart all the day?

How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

3  Consider and answer me, O LORD my God;

light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,

4  lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”

lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

5  But I have trusted in your steadfast love;

my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.

6  I will sing to the LORD,

because he has dealt bountifully with me.

At first read, this prayer might seem disrespectful to God.

He is basically saying, 

“I’m in deep pain and you are ignoring me.

Why do my prayers feel like they don’t even reach the ceiling?

Why am I trapped inside myself with angst and worry?

What are you not taking it away?

Why do my enemies seem to be prevailing against me?

Do you even care?

Are you just going to leave me here?

The sorrow is too much and you won’t take it away.

Evil is winning and you are not doing anything.

I have prayed and asked and sought you, but you do not answer;

you do not give me what I ask for.

Don’t you care?”

Whoah! Can we pray like that?

Won’t God get angry with that amount of disrespect and unbelief?

Why is this in the Bible?

God put this in Scripture

because he knows our struggle

and he is big enough

to take our honest feelings. 

In fact, this is in Scripture to teach us to be real with God.

Real prayer is bringing the real you to God. 

God knows we don’t always understand and that our misunderstanding can lead to deep sorrow and frustration. He wants our prayers to be real even when they are technically “wrong.” 

There is something healthy about venting to God. He can take it. He is not petty. He also knows that our venting will often lead to faith.

Once we get real with God

we can gain clarity about God

and his rule over all things, even us. 

And He is good even when we feel bad. Look how he ends this lamenting prayer:

5  But I have trusted in your steadfast love;

my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.

6  I will sing to the LORD,

because he has dealt bountifully with me.

God knows that when we lift the negative emotions and frustrations to him we will end up in faith and trust.

We will remember that he has always been there and he has always brought us through.

This gives us space to be sad, but also have hope at the same time. So go ahead and get honest with God and let the Psalms teach you how to pray.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Harvey