Psalms have a way of putting faithful words into our mouths and minds when we seem unable to explain the complexities of this life. Psalm 13 gives us a God-pleasing lament over the evil and horrors of this world, all rooted and grounded in a firm trust in the Lord to save and deliver us from all evil. I invite you to pray it with me today:

How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I take counsel in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
Consider and answer me, O LORD my God;
light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.
But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the LORD,
because he has dealt bountifully with me.

In one very short Psalm, David is able to both cry out to the Lord, because it seems God has abandoned him, and yet also sing and praise the Lord for his steadfast love and bountiful goodness.

Tragedies abound in this life. Bloodshed is witnessed in high definition. Grief overcomes as loved-ones are lost to death. Children are slaughtered as they worship together. Political divides deepen. Hatred increases and empathy wanes. Has God abandoned us? Where is the Lord in this? What have we done to deserve this? What will our future look like? Where is this world going?

My prayer is that Psalm 13 would give voice to some of these emotions for us. We cry out to the Lord, who loves and cares for us, who showers his steadfast love upon us – and we plead for him to bring an end to all war, all violence, all evil.

And then, almost simultaneously, we rejoice and trust in Him. Because he has delivered us already, even now. Because we have trusted in His steadfast love, we can rejoice in our salvation. We can sing to the Lord, for he has dealt bounteously and graciously with us through Christ Jesus our Lord. Our lives are secure and firm in Him!

We pray: Your word, O Lord, is firmly set in the heavens. May it be a lamp to our feet, and a light to our path. May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing to you, O Lord, our rock and our Redeemer. Amen.

Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Koenig