Psalm 13 Complete Jewish Bible
13 (0) For the leader. A psalm of David:
2 (1) How long, Adonai?
Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
3 (2) How long must I keep asking myself what to do,
with sorrow in my heart every day?
How long must my enemy dominate me?
4 (3) Look, and answer me, Adonai my God!
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death.
5 (4) Then my enemy would say, “I was able to beat him”;
and my adversaries would rejoice at my downfall.
6 (5) But I trust in your grace,
my heart rejoices as you bring me to safety.
(6) I will sing to Adonai, because he gives me
even more than I need.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
David the psalmist had feelings of being God-forsaken.
He had times of being surrounding by enemies.
In Psalm 13, He wrote of the depths of aloneness one can feel when it seems God has turned away, failed to listen or act timely and now the enemy is at the gate.
“Has God lost track of me way out here in this God-forsaken, sun and wind, and scorched, waterless wilderness where only dust devils, tumbleweeds blow ?”
Psalm 137 expresses a similar depth of forsakenness and deep lament: “How long will God forget me, … How long will he keep forgetting, forsaking me?”
137 By the rivers of Bavel we sat down and wept
as we remembered Tziyon.
2 We had hung up our lyres
on the willows that were there,
3 when those who had taken us captive
asked us to sing them a song;
our tormentors demanded joy from us —
“Sing us one of the songs from Tziyon!”
Unanswered Prayer or Intentionally Forsaken?
John 11:4-7 Christian Standard Bible
4 When Jesus heard it, he said, “This sickness will not end in death but is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha, her sister, and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that he was sick, he stayed two more days in the place where he was. 7 Then after that, he said to the disciples, “Let’s go to Judea again.”
John 11:28-37 Christian Standard Bible
Jesus Shares the Sorrow of Death
28 Having said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.”
29 As soon as Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Jesus had not yet come into the village but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 The Jews who were with her in the house consoling her saw that Mary got up quickly and went out. They followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to cry there.
32 As soon as Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and told him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died!”
33 When Jesus saw her crying, and the Jews who had come with her crying, he was deeply moved[c] in his spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you put him?” he asked.
“Lord,” they told him, “come and see.”
35 Jesus wept.
36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Couldn’t he who opened the blind man’s eyes also have kept this man from dying?”
Have you ever found yourself pleading and praying, yet seem to only receive delay after delay, silence and more silence as a response?
Or, arriving on the other side of the circumstances only to discover none of what you desired or anticipated came to pass?
Where was the Good Father in the midst of your trials?
The Bible is full of assurances that God will never leave or forsake us (Deut. 31:6), knows what we need before we ask (Matt. 6:8), and encourages us to bring our petitions to the Lord because what we request will be given to us (Matt. 7:7).
If all of these promises of God are true, why do our prayers go unanswered?
Is the Lord taking one of his Sabbath days rest (how long is a Sabbath days rest for an eternal God?), uncaring and aloof; standing just outside of our troubles and intentionally forgetting, or punishing or refusing to come unto our aid?
It can be disheartening and even confusing when we diligently pray as the Word directs us, yet apparent provision is not provided.
One of the most helpful examples of this in scripture can be found in John chapter eleven, we encounter the death and ultimate resurrection of Lazarus.
Jesus knew Lazarus was going to die.
He could have prevented this tragedy with a single thought as with Jairus’ daughter or the Centurion’s servant yet He chose to allow it to unfold without intervention. Lazarus continued to suffer his illness until his physical death.
His sisters and close friends mourned deeply for days.
Even Jesus, himself, wept when he arrived at the mournful scene.
Why would the Lord allow so much unnecessary sorrow when ultimately Lazarus would be spared the finality of death?
Our Heavenly Father sees far beyond our momentary light affliction (2 Cor. 4:17).
His ways are not our ways, and his thoughts are not our thoughts (Isa. 55:8).
He allowed great heartache and even physical pain for Mary, Martha, Lazarus, and others “for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it” (John 11:4, NIV).
We see an even greater example of this in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
How difficult is it for anyone to observe their kids, close family member, suffer?
For the sake of his treasured creation (John 3:16-17), God allowed his only son to take on mortal form and then endure horrific torture and temporal death so salvation could come to us.
Nothing could have possibly cost anyone more.
Yet, the final outcome far outweighed fleeting anguish.
It is unimaginable for us to comprehend the depth of this transaction, but it is clearly evident our Father’s love knows no bounds.
It far supersedes all worldly understanding.
How can this perspective alter our viewpoint on our own circumstances?
Despite our unwelcome travails, the Lord is working for the same good in our lives today that was displayed through Lazarus 2,000 years ago.
It is amid our own journeys that our Savior’s unfathomable love is evidenced to the desperate and hopeless. Even in our darkest hours, his light shines through.
Though your prayers may appear unanswered, there are actually intentional, eternal purposes at work. And his work is always for His glory, our greater good.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Take time to read through the Psalms of Lament, entire chapter of John 11.
Test and challenge yourself … Can you see that although Jesus could have prevented the death of Lazarus, he intentionally chose not to answer the fervent prayers of Mary and Martha so that God’s glory may be made known?
Challenge yourselves … How can you see his omniscient plans displayed in your own life today, even when the outcome is long delayed or not what you desired?
Can you recall a time when an “unanswered” prayer was actually revealed by the Living Word of God and the divine work of the Holy Spirit to be a blessing?
There shall be showers of blessing:
This is the promise of love;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
Sent from the Savior above.
Showers of blessing,
Showers of blessing we need:
Mercy-drops round us are falling,
But for the showers we plead. (refrain)
There shall be showers of blessing,
Precious reviving again;
Over the hills and the valleys,
Sound of abundance of rain. [Refrain]
There shall be showers of blessing:
Send them upon us, O Lord;
Grant to us now a refreshing,
Come and now honor Thy Word. [Refrain]
There shall be showers of blessing:
Oh, that today they might fall,
Now as to God we’re confessing,
Now as on Jesus we call! [Refrain]
https://hymnary.org/text/there_shall_be_showers_of_blessing_this
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 23 Authorized (King James) Version
Psalm 23
A Psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 