Can you feel David’s desperate cry as Psalm 13 starts, “How long, O LORD?  Will You forget me forever?” (Psalm 13:1).

There is no doubt we’ve all felt times of worry and abandonment from God.  From the pain of broken relationships, the lost sleep over financial worries, or the fear found in failing health it is easy to feel forgotten by God.  Even when things are going well, we can suffer from a feeling of lost purpose and cry, “Where are you, God?”

No wonder so many of us resonate with David’s pain in Psalm 13.  It’s as if his mind is swirling into a dark hole as his very next words lament, “How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart?”  (Psalm13:2).

Why would God even allow such seemingly negative words like this to be written in his Book?  Why would the Bible tell us about Joseph being thrown into a well, sold into slavery, or thrown into an Egyptian prison?   Why would God let us read Job’s struggles of losing his wealth, family, and health?

Could it be that God cares so much for us, that even when we are in the deepest pit of despair, his Word shows how he is still with us, and cares about us.  How he is there every time, even when we don’t see or feel his presence.

Imagine all the anguish and feelings of abandonment from God that would have tormented the people who watched Jesus suffer and die.  They heard his cry of agony, “My God, My God, why have you forgotten me?” and there is no doubt they would have shook their heads, and perhaps their fists, as they themselves cried out, “How could God ever have allowed this to happen?  Where are you, God?”

But here is the beauty of Psalm 13:  Inside six short verses, David expressed his desperate fears – as a prayer to God.  Yes, even though he was distraught, David still talked to God.  He wasn’t talking to himself.  He wasn’t complaining to others.  He went right to the top and brought his concerns to God.  We call that prayer and God loves when we pray.

I heard someone say, “when you claim you’re a Christian and still complain to God, you are a hypocrite.”  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  Being a Christian does not mean everything is going just right, nor does it mean we cannot be mad at God, disappointed, or even afraid.  Instead, being a Christian means we put our trust in Jesus and we bring our worries to his throne.

Just watch David as he cries only two verses later – even in the middle of his fear, “I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.  I will sing the LORD’s praise, for he has been good to me” (Psalm 13:5-6).

In the middle of our fears and storms, we, like David can turn once again to God.  We too, can cry out to Jesus in our pain.  We can ask, “where are you God” in the times we feel alone.  Yes – we can turn to God.  We can cry to God.  We can even be mad at God and he still loves us.

And in the end, we can rejoice with God because of his salvation.  Like David, we will ultimately sing the Lord’s praises, saying, “He has been good to me” (Psalm 13:6).

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