I love the realness of the psalms, the raw emotion, not holding back feelings God already knows exist within us, and being comforted by a loving and compassionate God who hears our cries and comes to our aid. Unfortunately, if we are honest with ourselves, many times we do not feel that we have an authentic relationship with Him. After a couple of weeks of being so open to Him, God does not seem very close.

Within these psalms that I love so much, I stumbled on Psalms 13 that has quickened my heart because it exposed my thoughts and feelings, yet gave me peace in knowing I am not the only one who feels this way. David was at a point of being unsure of God’s presence in his life while being hunted by Saul.

A Dry Season
“How long, Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?” (Psalms 13:1-2).

A dry spell in our spiritual life has been exposed. You probably have tried to pray more, read the Bible more, have more quiet time with God, but that 15- or 20-minute improvement does not seem to give you the peace you once had. This is like trying to fix a broken bone with a bandage; obviously that won’t help anything. After a couple of weeks or even months of this, things start to get real.

Time to Get Real
“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” (Psalms 13:3-4).

At those times when it seems as if God has turned His back, we must deliberately trust the fact that He loves us with an unfailing love, and that He will not forsake us, even though it may seem that way for a while.

A Change in Perspective
“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” (Psalms 13:5-6).

What changed David’s perspective? It was not God. He had been with David the whole time and did not change. It was David’s perspective! Instead of focusing on himself and his problems, he began to shift his thoughts to God’s loyal love and salvation. That change in viewpoint moved him from anger and sorrow to joy and praise!

It Takes Time
Remember it takes time to heal relationships, and yours with God is no different. While this psalm is short, the time it could take to get from verse 1 to verse 6 could be months or years. Do not wait to be upfront with God. Step out in boldness, call on His name, and empty your heart before Him. Once you are on that journey, press forward with your whole heart, mind and soul to a deeper and more authentic relationship with our Lord.