Desperate for God

In Psalm 13, we catch a glimpse of a man desperate for God.  Have you ever had an experience where it felt like your prayers weren't being heard?  The experience is called by different names: God desertions,  dark nights of the soul, crisis of faith, etc.  Many of God's people have experienced it, and David was no exception.

We find David in the midst of some struggle in Psalm 13.  He is under attack from some unnamed enemy which seems to have the upper hand.  David is pleading for God to rescue him, but he is not getting the answer he so desperately desires.  He feels as though death is closing in on him.

The strong commitment we find in Psalm 13:5-6 is a shocking in light of the questions we find in Psalm 13:1-2.  David wants to know how long God will forget him.  He wants to know when God's face will shine on him again.  Desperation has set in and his heart is breaking.  He is thrashing in the ocean of faith hoping to find some solid ground before the waves of doubt overwhelm him.

Psalm 13:3-4 expresses the do-or-die attitude of David.  It appears that David is persuaded that unless God helps him (immediately), he will die.  He sees the writing on the wall.  His enemies have the upper hand.

In spite of David's fear, he anchors his hope in God.  He vows to trust in God's unfailing love.  He pledges to rejoice in the salvation of the Lord.  He promises to sing, because of God's goodness.

Although we are not given insight into David's reasoning, it is clear that he trusted the Lord even though it felt like God wasn't listening.  While he might have struggled with understanding what was happening, he had no questions concerning the character of God.  The God who heard prior to this silence would soon hear him again.  God's love does not fail.

What do we do when we are desperate for God? We keep trusting in his unfailing love, we keep rejoicing in our salvation, and we keep singing his praises.  We keep doing the right things until our emotions catch up.