Down and Forgotten – Susan Ferguson
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? 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. (Psalm 13 NIV)
Psalm 13 was written by David, who addresses God at the point of despair. David is honest with God and repeatedly asks Him, “How long?” The problem David faces has gone on for some time. He feels abandoned by God and fears his enemies will prevail against him. However, David makes an abrupt turnaround. He calls out to God for help, affirms his trust in Him, and concludes the psalm with rejoicing.
David felt down and forgotten, but rather than continue in his distress, he prayed and renewed his strength and trust in God. Like David, we can get discouraged or feel overlooked by God if our prayers go unanswered. But would the Father, who sent His Son to die for us, ignore our prayers and forget about us? No. We serve a good and faithful God. So let us pray and sing to the LORD, and trust in His unfailing love.
Father, strengthen those who are discouraged or who feel hopeless, alone, down or forgotten. Lift them out of their distress and fill their hearts with peace and joy. Amen.
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