The Climb (A Journey Through Psalms for Men)

Psalm 13

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?How long will you hide your face from me?How long must I wrestle with my thoughtsand day after day have sorrow in my heart?How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Look on me and answer, Lord my God.Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

But 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.

Without thinking too much about it, answer this question:

“Hey man, how are you?”

I’m going to guess you said, “I’m good!,” maybe even, “I’m great!” I’m also going to guess that you’ve answered that way almost every time someone has asked you that question in life, and truly meant it maybe 50% of the time.

The truth is, it’s okay to not be okay.

I spent the first thirty years of my life believing that when I wasn’t okay, that meant something was wrong with me. I wasn’t strong enough, manly enough, not nearly godly enough. I bought into the lie that if I wasn’t out there with a smile on my face and a worship song on my lips then I must not be as close to God as my friends.

But look at Psalm 13.

The Psalms are songs, not theological essays, and they express the psalmists’ honest thoughts and heartfelt emotions. In this song, read how David expressed his anguish to God as he repeatedly asked, “How long?” David was exhausted and weary, and his questions represent a tearful plea for God to be present rather than an actual desire for answers. Similarly, Jesus called out to God in desperation. He told His disciples, those closest to Him, that His soul was, “overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” These scriptural accounts validate our human need to express ourselves openly, honestly, transparently to God. But they show us even more than that. Both David and Jesus didn’t merely lament, they went further and declared their willingness to trust in God in the middle of their hardships. God wants to hear from you. He wants to know when you feel like a ship tossed around by waves in the night. He doesn’t ask you to keep your anxiety or anger from Him, and He doesn’t put a requirement on you to only bring your best attitude to Him. God wants your honesty, and He wants your heart. He longs for you to know that He is your harbor when the winds are calm, and when the sea is raging. It’s when we look to Him as our safety in the storm that our songs ring out in the good times, and the trying. His love is unfailing, and your heart can rejoice in the salvation He purchased on your behalf.