December 16, 2008 Psalm 13

A Prayer for God to Be Near
"How long will you forget me, Lord? Forever? How long will you hide from me? How long must I worry and feel sad in my heart all day? How long will my enemy win over me? Lord, look at me. Answer me, my God; tell me, or I will die. Otherwise my enemy will say, 'I have won!' Those against mewill rejoice that I've been defeated. I trust in your love. My heart is a happy heart because you saved me. I sing to the Lord because he has taken care of me.
-Psalm 13-

This passage is a simple song from David to the Lord, asking the Lord to be near Him. David feels neglected by God, he asks, 'How long?' He has so much desire, he is running into impatience because he feels that God is so distant from Him. When David was sad or depressed, instead of looking into God, he looked into his own self...which is why he felt so distant from God. David also asks that his enemies won't rejoice over him when they defeat him.

Eventually, David asks for God's mercy. Then he tells his heart to rejoice. David's eyes, heart, spirit...are enlightened by God once again. Through singing, David expresses his emotions to God, he rejoices!!! As he rejoices, he comes upon a thought...God has dealt bountifully with him, even though he didn't rely on God, but on his own heart. Through all this, He has shown mercy and has enlightened David once again. Because of the enlightenment, David is able to see God's goodness once again...he can't stop rejoicing!!!

Through our hard times, depressed times, emotional times, we shouldn't reflect on our own hearts, but on the heart of God. If we look upon ourselves, all we will do is put ourselves through pain, but if we pray to God, we will also receive that enlightenment. Trust in God's mercy...God has dealt with us already and He will continue dealing with us.