The Psalms Series
Psalm 13: How Long, O Lord?
Struggling with waiting? This one’s for you.
The great question of the Psalms is the same question that’s been on my mind this week. I’ve been away from my home in NYC for over a month. I’m crazy fortunate to be staying with family where food and companionship abound. Still, the questions linger.
How long can this go on? How long can I wear the same 5 outfits? (It turns out you can just keep wearing them.) How long before I can hug my friends again? Anybody with me?
As I’ve been meditating on Psalm 13, I think it’s an interesting template for walking from “How Long, O Lord?” back to a place of peace. Let’s take a closer look at how the Psalmist gets there to learn how we can recover peace when anxious questions take over in this period of waiting.
First, make room for ugly feelings.
One of the reasons I’m writing this series on the Psalms is because of their honesty. They make room for all the feelings — the good, the bad, and the ugly ones I try to sweep under the rug. In Psalm 13, the psalmist really lets his rancor show as he hurls a string of questions at God:
How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long…
