by Debi Amos

Created on: June 23, 2008   Last Updated: December 03, 2008

How Long?

There is much that can be said about the six verses of Psalm 13. In the following paragraphs, I will list and share what God has given me concerning each verse:

Verse 1How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? In this passage of Scripture, David is crying out to the Lord for deliverance from his physical condition. His agony and anguish is also mentioned in Psalm 6:2-3, "Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am faint: O Lord, heal me, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in anguish. How long, O Lord, how long?"

Verse 2How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Verse 3 & 4Look on me and answer, O Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death; my enemy will say, "I have overcome him, and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

Verse 5But I rejoice in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.

Verse 6I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me.

Thank God that the ending of this chapter was much better than the beginning. David was stressed out about his illness. We don't know how long David was afflicted. But, from reading the first and second verses, it was a prolonged condition. It appeared that it would never come to and end.

Sometimes we find ourselves in situations where it seems like we will never make it through. On this road of life, we continue to run into dead ends. We have asked God over and over again, "HOW LONG?" How long will I be sick? How long will this pain overwhelm me? How long will I be in debt? How long will I be mistreated and abused? This question is endless. Rest assured my friend, my God has a set time for deliverance. We must hold on because our change is coming.

Something powerful transpired between verse four and verse five. David was talking about death. At that moment, he truly believed that his sickness would take his life. David was sure that his enemies would get the victory over him. His enemy or enemies would rejoice in his down fall or distress. David's affliction was not unto death; his enemies didn't get a chance to rejoice over his death. I believe that David began to remember how God delivered him many times in the past. His thoughts began to change.

"But I rejoice in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation." David decided to end the last two verses on a positive note. "I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me." God is waiting on us to change our mentality. Once we began to sing, praise and worship God, our circumstances are turned around for our good. Our hearts will rejoice in the saving power of God. No matter what we go through in life, God is still good. He is still worthy of all our praise. Our Heavenly Father can ask us a few questions, "How long will we withhold our praise?" How long will we continue to doubt and not trust him?"

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