Psalm 13 | Resources
Discussion Questions
Summarize the psalm as a group.
Have you ever felt forgotten by God or alone?
Have you ever felt disappointed with God? Did you bring those disappointments and frustrations to God as David did? Why or why not?
What keeps us from sharing our fears, worries, and frustrations with God as David did?
Are you trusting in God’s faithful love today? How are you rejoicing in your deliverance today?
Why is singing such a natural response to happiness and joy?
Memory Verse
“But I have trusted in your faithful love; my heart will rejoice in your deliverance.” Psalm 13:5 (CSB)
Devotional
David is faced with a mighty foe, one who causes him to fear for his life and cry out to the Lord in distress. He asks the fourfold question, “How long, O Lord?” Many of us may feel these same questions burning within us as well. Whether it be the loss of a family member, financial difficulties, or personal sickness, there are likely those times when we have asked, “How long, O Lord” will this pain and sorrow last? “How long, O Lord” will I need to continue along this path of suffering and anxiety? What do we do when these questions come across our minds and our faith seems ever so fragile? The answer is found in verse 3 when David says, “Consider and answer me, O Lord my God.” Our response to these feelings of helplessness and despair ought always to be prayer. When we experience fear, anxiety, and personal loss, we are to go to our Father with full assurance that He hears and will comfort us. It is through prayer that our pain is turned to joy and our despair to gladness. The final two verses describe the overwhelming peace that David experienced in the midst of the trials he was enduring. It was through prayer that he was able to recognize and find joy in the unchanging love of God and the salvation that can be found in none other. We, too, can experience joy in the midst of trials by turning to God with a posture of prayer and unhesitating trust. Although the trials may still remain, they will never compare to the overwhelming and steadfast love of God.