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 wrestle with my thoughts

and every day have sorrow in my heart?

How long will my enemy triumph over me?

3 Look on me and answer, O Lord my God.

Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;

4 my enemy will say, "I have overcome him."

and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

5 But I will trust in your unfailing love;

my heart rejoices in your salvation.

6 I will sing to the Lord,

for he has been good to me.

HOW LONG

My friends Bob and Delores understands what it means to wait for answers, answers that never seem to come. When their son Jason and future daughter-in-law Lindsey were murdered in August 2004, a national manhunt was undertaken to find the killer and bring him to justice. After two years of prayer and persuit, there were still no tangible answers to the painful questions the two hurting families wrestled with. There was only silence.

In such times, we are vulnerable to wrong assumptions and wrong conclusions about life, about God, and about prayer. In Psalm 13, David wrestled with the problem of unanswered prayer. He questioned why the world was so dangerous and pleaded for answers from God.

It's a hard psalm that David sang, and it seems to be one of frustration. Yet, in the end, his doubts and fears turned to trust. Why? Because the circumstances of our struggles cannot deminish the character of God and His care for His children. In verse 5, David turned a corner. From his heart he prayed, "But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation."

In the pain and struggles of living without answers, we can always find comfort in our heavenly Father.

Bill Crowder