Psalm 13 – Calming Impatience

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Yes, this is about Psalm 13; and yes, I opened with a quote from Hebrews 10:36-39. The reason why is because the first thing you would notice about Psalm 13 is that the writer needs patience. 

The writer keeps asking “How long…?” And I couldn’t help but to see the annoyance a parent feels from being asked, “Are we there yet?” by a child.

So Hebrews had the perfect answer with its reminder that we have need of patience/ endurance/ perseverance (depending on what translation we are reading from.

Now, recognizing that the psalmist David was going thru some things that he felt he had been dealing with for a long time, let’s now consider these 4 areas:

• Of feeling forgotten
• Of feeling separated from the Lord
• Of feeling like one has to constantly fondle with their thoughts over matters
• Of feeling as if one’s enemy is coming off ahead, triumphant

Will you forget me forever?

David is not the only one who felt forgotten. Noah did also, as seen at Genesis 8:1 where we are told, “and God remembered Noah.”

An intense study of Genesis chapter 8, for the book ‘Keep On The Watch’ reveals that God did not forget Noah, but something more was happening.

How long will you hide your face from me?

My research into this matter has shown me that it is not in God’s nature to hide himself from us, but when that happens there is something that happened that caused it. We are going to look at this now in God’s word to see what would happen that would cause us to feel as if God has hidden His face from us.

Here are your reference verses

• Deuteronomy 31:16-18
• Deuteronomy 32:20
• Isaiah 30:20,21
• Isaiah 57:15-21
• Isaiah 59:1-21
• Ezekiel 39:23-29
• Micah 3:4

If we feel as if the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY has hidden his face from us, then we need to fast in repentance quickly.

There are many more, especially throughout Psalms where the Psalmist pleaded with our Heavenly Father to not hide HIS face from him. But let’s continue on with the consideration of Psalm 13…

How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart?

Have you ever heard of the phrase “fondling with one’s thoughts”. Usually when a person does that they are letting their imaginations run away from them.

Many time they are imagining thing in a negative sense. In reference to that, we are told…

And also it’s important that we do the following:

How long will my enemy triumph over me? 

With this I realized that if we are looking at another human being as being our enemy then we have no idea with whom we are fighting.

Ephesians 6:12 tells us that our warfare is not against flesh and blood. While it does list 4 areas where we are in a constant war (and many can quote them) it’s what the Apostle Paul mentioned at 1 Corinthians 9:27 that I want to highlight at this moment.

When we find our self in this place, when we find ourselves in the boxing ring and who we are fighting is ourselves, when we find ourselves a bit overwhelmed by it all more than ever is that the time for us to run to the Lord and not from Him.

Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,

Father tells us to call to him in the day of trouble (Psalm 50:15) and he says he will deliver us. This is done thru prayer, we are told at James 5:13.

James also reminds us that if we lack in wisdom we can ask God (1:5), but the problem is we might end up asking for the wrong thing because as Paul so eloquently reminded us at Romans 8:26,27, we don’t know how to pray as we ought.

We need to not forget that we have a helper – the Holy Spirit.

We also need to know that there is no dumb question. Listen to what our Heavenly Father says…

How about that.

When we call to our Heavenly Father for help, He answers, shedding light on our situations showing us what to do, how, when and even explaining to us why so that we can understand.

Now, there are three (3) more verses in chapter 13 of Psalm. I’m going to encourage you to read those last verses yourself but I do want to end this post by saying this.

King David ended Psalm 13 by emphasizing that his trust is in the LORD, and that is exactly where we need to be.

In it all, no matter what it is we are faced with, our trust needs to be firmly, solidly, unmovably placed in the LORD.