Latest / Reformed Thinking / How Long, O LORD? (Psalm 13) | Matthew Henry

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How Long, O LORD? (Psalm 13) | Matthew Henry · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to reformed thinking. And welcome to the deep dive.
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We're the place where we sift through writings and insights,
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trying to bring you compelling ideas and help you grasp big
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concepts quickly. That's the goal.
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Today, we're taking a close look at a passage that's, well,
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short, but incredibly rich. Psalm 13.
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Ah, Psalm 13, yes. Now, for listeners may be less
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familiar, the Psalms. They're these ancient Hebrew
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poems, songs, prayers from the Bible.
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And they are incredibly honest, raw even.
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Definitely raw. They cover the whole spectrum of
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human feeling don't they? From like the deepest lows to
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the highest highs. Absolutely.
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And Psalm 13 specifically gives us this really vivid picture of
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finding comfort, finding a real change of heart right in the
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middle of serious trouble. It's often called something like
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the Deserted Souls case and cure I believe.
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That's right, it lays out a very clear path, offering direction,
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offering encouragement for anyone who's going through a
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hard time. So we're going to unpack that
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today, how David the psalmist moves from complaint to prayer
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and then finally to praise. Exactly.
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It's a visible progression, and it gives us some clear guidance
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for how we might navigate those times when it feels like, well,
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like God is silent in our OK. Let's get into it.
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Section 1 is the lament David's complaints in verses 1 and 2,
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right? And you have to imagine David
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here, He's at his absolute lowest point, this.
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Isn't just a bad mood. I know this is a deep spiritual
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emotional crisis. And he doesn't just, you know,
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sigh quietly. He really lets it out.
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He. Unleashes this raw, honest
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lament, a direct pouring out from the very depths of his
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being. It's almost startling how
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intense it is. And what's interesting is that
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the Psalms themselves, this tradition, it actually seems to
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encourage that kind of honesty, doesn't it?
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It does. It's like the troubled soul is
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given full permission. A kind of spiritual freedom of
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speech, you could say. To just lay it all out there,
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every single grievance. Before the Lord, yes, and what
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the old text called the throne of grace.
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That phrase, throne of grace and the freedom of speech there,
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that seems really key. It is.
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It's not just a suggestion, it's presented as permission, almost
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a right, for the believer to bring their deepest sorrows,
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their doubts, directly to God. So it implies God doesn't just
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know about our pain intellectually, but.
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That he truly feels it with us, like a parent's heart aching for
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a hurting child. He gets our human weaknesses,
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our struggles. Which must be incredibly
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comforting when you're in that moment of distress.
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It can be just voicing the complaints, sharing the grief
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can bring some ease to a troubled spirit.
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OK, so David's lamenting. He's pouring it all out.
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What exactly is bothering him so much?
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Is it just like his circumstances?
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It's. Deeper than just circumstances,
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though, those are part of it. First, he talks about what feels
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like God pulling away. Like God's not paying attention?
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Or at least not paying good attention.
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He feels God has totally forgotten him.
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Forgotten him like personally? Yes, and forgotten the promises
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he made, the sacred covenant, that binding agreement, and all
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the loving kindness that steadfast love shown in the
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past. Wow, that's like feeling
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abandoned by someone who swore they'd always be there.
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Precisely, and he also says God his hit his face from him.
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What does that mean? Hit his face.
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It means he lacked that inner sense of God's comfort, the
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closeness he was used to, and that inner spiritual lack, that
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emptiness actually caused him more pain than any outward
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trouble. So the internal feeling was
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worse than the external. Problems for David in this
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moment, yes, this feeling of being forgotten.
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It might sound a bit, maybe petulant, driven by fear, right?
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But it's often excused, forgiven, when it comes from a
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real high regard for God's favor, a deep desire for it.
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It's a perception he might even correct later on.
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Exactly. And that feeling, why have you
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forsaken me? It connects right to Christ's
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cry on the cross, doesn't. It it does that sense of
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spiritual darkness, longing for God's presence, that's serious.
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It is. It's an expression that maybe on
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second thought, he might take back.
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But it comes from that deep longing for God's favor, which
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God understands and pardons. It shows God doesn't just
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dismiss these cries, even if they're a bit flawed in their
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expression. Not when they're sincere.
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So beyond how he perceives God acting or not acting, David also
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talks about his own Interstate. OK, what's going on inside him?
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He says he was racked with care, just tormented by worry, feeling
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totally lost, like he had no one to turn to for counsel.
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Utterly alone with his problems. The old texts use the Latin in
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OPS console literally without counsel.
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Imagine feeling that isolated, that burdened with absolutely no
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one for advice. Just trying to figure things out
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on his own again and again. Constantly scheming, trying to
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find a way out, but nothing works.
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It just leaves him in this state of constant agitation, anxious.
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Worries really can be heavy. Burdens can't.
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They they can, and the texts note that good people sometimes
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load themselves up with more than they need to, trying to fix
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things when their efforts aren't helping and it.
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Wasn't just worry, was it? There was sorrow, too.
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Deep sorrow, His heart was overwhelmed with sorrow daily.
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Daily, so not just fleeting moments.
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No, a steady state of sadness. It consumed his spirit day and
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night. It wasn't just passing sadness,
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but a constant disposition towards it, praying on his
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spirits. Like a constant background noise
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of grief. Yes, every day brought new
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reasons for grief, like clouds returning right after the rain,
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just a constant downpour of difficult feelings.
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There's that phrase, the bread of sorrow.
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What does that mean? It describes the Saints daily
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experience, sorrow being a constant daily part of life like
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our daily food. Wow, so intense grief, even
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persistent grief, isn't necessarily alien to a life of
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faith. No, it's not.
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And it's not automatically a sign of lacking faith either,
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because even Jesus was called a Man of Sorrows.
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That's a helpful perspective. Now there was another source of
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grief for David, wasn't there? His enemies.
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Yes, the insolence of his adversaries, Saul, mainly his
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big antagonist, but others too. What were they doing?
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They were sort of lording it over him, raised up above him,
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delighting in his distress, expecting him to completely
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fail. Celebrating his pain, basically.
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Yes, pleased with his grief, promising themselves they'd
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triumph over him. Imagine how humiliating that
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must have felt publicly. Awful.
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And for David, this wasn't just personal, right?
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No, he saw their triumph as bringing dishonor on God
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Himself, on his power, His promise.
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So his suffering wasn't just his own trial.
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He saw it as potentially lessening God's glory in the
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eyes of these enemies. He worried they'd trample on
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everything sacred. And this included more than just
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human enemies. The struggle involves Satan too,
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who would be gratified if David fell, who could then say, see, I
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have prevailed. So it adds this whole spiritual
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dimension. He's pleading partly for God's
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honor, not just his own relief. It's a striking way to argue his
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case, isn't it? Making it about God's
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reputation. Definitely.
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So he lays all this out. God feels distant.
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He's internally wrecked, His enemies are gloating.
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And then he asks this question at the end of this section.
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Yes, the challenge. How long?
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How long shall it be thus? And even shall it be thus
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forever. Those aren't polite questions.
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They sound almost like demands. They do a raw, visceral cry
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about the sheer length of the suffering it signals.
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His patience isn't just then, it's almost gone.
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He's saying, seriously, God, how much more?
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Exactly and prolonged troubles they really test patients often
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wear it right out. It's easy when things drag on to
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think they'll never end. That's a common temptation to
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think it will last always. And that can turn sadness into
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well. Hopelessness.
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So he's desperately seeking some assurance that God will return,
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that this won't last forever. Yes, because knowing it won't
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last forever would make the current pain easier to bear.
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He wants a timeline, a sign the end is coming.
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It really captures that humans struggle with long term
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suffering, how despondency can creep towards despair.
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It's. A powerful plea for God to act
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and to act soon to lift this agonizing uncertainty.
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OK, so that's the lament, but the amazing thing about this
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Psalm is where he goes next. Yes, his complaints don't lead
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him into total despair. They lead him into prayer.
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It's like all that raw honesty becomes the fuel for turning
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towards God, not away. That's a critical pivot point in
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the Psalm, and it's a key message.
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Really, we should only voice complaints that are, you know,
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fitting to bring before God. Complaints that actually drive
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us to our knees. Precisely.
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Prayer becomes the natural, necessary response to all that
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inner turmoil and outward distress.
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It lets us share the trouble with the Lord.
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It's not complaining just to complain, but letting the
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burdens push us towards that throne of grace we talked about.
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Knowing that freedom of speech is granted there, you can bring
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the real issues. And David gets really specific
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in his prayer, doesn't he? Verses 3 and 4.
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He does. He's not vague.
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He says consider my case. Which sounds like, Lord really
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look at me, see the details of what I'm going through.
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Understand the anguish behind the words, then hear my
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complaints. Again stressing that honesty, He
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wants God to really listen to everything he just poured out.
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Yes, and then the most intriguing part.
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Enlighten my eyes. That phrase always catches me.
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It's obviously not just about physical sight.
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No, not primarily. It has several layers of meaning
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packed into it. OK, what are they?
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Well, first it's a request to strengthen his faith.
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Faith is often described as the eye of the soul.
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The eye of the soul, I like that.
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It's what lets you see beyond the immediate, beyond the things
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you can touch and feel to anticipate a good outcome.
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Which is crucial when you feel like God's hiding his face when
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everything looks dark. Exactly when your spiritual
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vision gets clouded by sorrow and despair, he's asking for
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renewed spiritual clarity. To see God's presence and
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purpose again, even in the middle of the mess.
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Right to perceive things from God's perspective again.
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That makes sense given his complaints.
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So, spiritual vision? What else?
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Secondly, it also means guide my way.
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Ah, like practical direction. Yes, help me look around and
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avoid the traps my enemies have set.
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Remember, he felt without counsel at his wit's end.
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So he needs divine guidance to navigate the dangers, the
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snares, yes. Both human and spiritual
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dangers. Making sure he doesn't just walk
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into trouble. It's a plea for practical
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wisdom. For seeing the path forward when
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maybe all paths look blocked or risky.
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That kind of inner guidance, that quiet leading, can make all
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the difference when you feel lost and vulnerable.
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OK, Spiritual sight, practical guidance.
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Is there a third layer to enlighten my eyes?
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There is, and it's perhaps even deeper.
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It's about spiritual refreshment.
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Refreshment. How so?
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A desire for his inner being to be restored, for that cloud of
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melancholy he mentioned to finally lift.
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Like letting the light back in. Exactly.
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He wants a spirit infused with the happiness of God's
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salvation, Like how fresh air and light can physically
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invigorate you after being cooped up.
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So just as physical refreshment can make your eyes seem
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brighter. The joy of God's salvation can
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scatter the spiritual gloom, restore vibrancy and peace to
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the soul. It's a plea for joy to
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breakthrough the sorrow so his face can look pleasant again.
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Yes. It's a comprehensive request.
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Strengthen my faith, guide my path, and refresh my soul with
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joy. Powerful stuff.
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And then he backs up these requests with arguments.
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Right reasons why God should act quickly.
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He does. First, notice how he addresses
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God. Oh Lord my God.
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Highlighting that personal relationship.
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Yes, it's intimate. It's not a distant plea.
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It's a cry from a child to their father leaning on that covenant
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relationship, his personal connection to God.
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Appealing to that established bond.
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Not just God, but my God. Exactly.
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Then he points out the extreme danger he's in.
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This is where he says he might die.
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Lest I sleep the sleep of death. He's stressing that nothing is
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more deadly to the soul than lacking God's favor and nothing
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more life giving than his return.
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The absence of God's favor feels like a kind of spiritual death
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to Him. It's a weight he feels he can't
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live under. It underscores the urgency.
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He needs relief and he needs it fast.
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He's basically saying this is life or death for my soul, Lord.
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Pretty much. And he doesn't stop there.
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He also pleads based on God's own honor.
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Right, bringing the enemies back.
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In arguing that if he falls, his enemies saw Satan.
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All of them. They'll triumph and boast.
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I have prevailed. Which would bring disgrace on
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God himself. That's his argument.
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It shows his concern goes beyond just himself.
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It's about God's glory, God's reputation.
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That seems like a very fitting plea for a believer to make,
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appealing to God's own character.
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It is, he's saying, Lord, if I go down, your enemies claim
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victory not just over me, but over you, over your power, your
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promises. They'll trample on all that you
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represent. It really highlights the
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spiritual battle involved and how a believer situation can
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reflect on God's standing in the world.
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Yes, their fall would gratify the pride and malice of God's
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adversaries. It's a plea that really aims for
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the heart of God's character. OK, so he's made his case,
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poured out his heart, pleaded urgently.
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And then Section 3, verses 5 and 6, something changes.
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Dramatic. It really does.
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It's a sudden, almost jarring shift, isn't it?
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Yeah, the intense lament, the desperate cries, they just
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switch almost instantly into these declarations of confident
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praise. How does that happen so fast?
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It feels like we've just witnessed an internal
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transformation. A result of the prayer.
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That's how it's presented, this dramatic turn from being sad,
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ready to give up, to rejoicing in God, full of praise.
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It shows the effect of faith, the effect of prayer.
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It really illustrates that idea of how good it is to draw near
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to. God, absolutely, if we bring our
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worries, our troubles to that throne of grace and actually
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leave them there. We can go away, change.
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We can go away like Hannah in the scriptures.
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Remember her? Her face was no longer sad.
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This isn't always a slow process.
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Sometimes it's an immediate result of seeking God's
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sincerely, a spiritual lightning of the load.
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So how does David build this newfound comfort?
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What's the foundation? It's built on a clear method,
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starting with God's kindness, His loving kindness, His mercy
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as the support for his faith. So even though his situation
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looks bleak. He finds his footing in God's
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endless goodness. He trusts God's kindness even
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though he knows he hasn't earned it, has no merit himself.
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That sounds very much like a core Reformed idea.
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Salvation comfort based on God's grace alone, not our.
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Works. It is recognizing God's goodness
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is freely given a gift, not something we achieve.
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And he draws on past experience too, doesn't he?
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He. Does he recalls that in previous
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troubles, trusting God's kindness never let him down.
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It always brought help. It held him up back then.
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That memory must be vital here. It is even now in the depths,
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when God seemed distant, when they were external fights and
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internal fears. His trust in God's kindness
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acted like like an anchor in the storm.
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Holding him steady. Keeping him from being
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completely capsized even while he's being tossed around, He
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continued to trust in God's kindness, referring himself to
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it. Sure, it would work out well for
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him in the end. That steadfast trust is what
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gives real stability to the soul, isn't it?
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A quiet assurance underneath the chaos.
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It's not about ignoring the storm, but knowing something
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firm is holding you through. It and this trust in God's
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kindness, it then fills his heart with happiness.
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Yes, the happiness of God's salvation.
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It wasn't just thinking God is kind.
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It was an internal overflow of joy, a happiness that pushed out
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the daily sorrow he felt before. Happiness and peace come through
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believing them. That's what the text suggests.
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Even though weeping might last for a night or even many nights,
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joy will return. He becomes certain that his
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heart would have been grieving daily, would rejoice in that
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salvation. So joy is presented as a fruit
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of faith, a peace that comes from being sure of God's saving
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work even before you fully see it.
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Yes, the ancient texts explicitly link them.
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Joy and peace come by believing, and believing you rejoice.
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It's a deep, settled gladness, not just dependent on
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circumstances. And this inner happiness, it
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doesn't stay inside. No, it fills his mouth with
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songs of praise. I will sing unto the Lord.
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It's a beautiful progression, isn't it, from the heart's
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conviction to the voice's expression.
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The inner gladness is just that could come out.
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It spills into song. And this praise, it looks in two
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directions, right? It does.
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It looks backward and forward. How so?
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He sings, remembering what God had done before.
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He acknowledges God had dealt bountifully with him in the
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past. Grateful for past mercies.
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Yes, saying even if he never got back the peace he once knew,
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he'd still bless God for having had it.
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That shows real gratitude. And looking forward.
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He also sings expecting what God will do for him eventually.
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He's confident it will all end well.
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Everlastingly well. His focus shifts from the
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immediate darkness to that brighter future he believes God
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will bring. Exactly, and his confidence is
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so strong. Listen to this He talks about
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God having dealt bountifully with him as if it's already
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happened. In the past tense, even though
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he's still in the midst of trouble.
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Yes, because by faith he had received the promise of that
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salvation. He was as certain of it as if it
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were already accomplished. Wow, that's a powerful statement
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of belief, faith, making the future feel present, making the
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unseen real. It truly is.
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It shows the certainty faith can brought.
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He had received what you might call the earnest of salvation,
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like a down payment, a guarantee.
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Which made a future reality feel as good as done.
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That's the essence of faith described elsewhere, the
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assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not
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seen. It's not just wishful thinking.
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No. It's a settled conviction rooted
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in God's unchanging character and his promises.
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It makes the future blessings feel as concrete as past
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experiences. What a path Psalm 13 takes us
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on. It really is something from
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those depths of distress, the questioning.
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Through that honest, earnest prayer.
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All the way to this high point of confident praise.
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It's quite a picture of the Christian experience for many, I
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think, showing how even a soul feeling utterly deserted can
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find its way back to God's comfort.
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And it offers really practical lessons for us today.
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How so? Well, if you're listening and
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you don't share David's specific complaints right now, the Psalm
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encourages gratitude. Give thanks for the peace you
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have. And if you do resonate with
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those complaints? Then maybe consider what it
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means when God feels distant or quiet and seek to you know,
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understand, and share the experiences of others who are
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troubled in mind. But the main thing is.
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Let this Psalm encourage you in your own faith and in the
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happiness that can come from it. It really does provide a kind of
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blueprint for the Deserted Souls case and cure.
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Showing that turning towards God, drawing near to Him is
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always good, no matter how deep the sorrow feels.
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His suffering. David's suffering.
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Though it started with complaints and feeling
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abandoned, it actually became the catalyst for deeper prayer
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and a stronger reliance on God's mercy.
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It shows that even in those moments where you feel most
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alone, there's a path back. A path to hope and praise
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indeed. So maybe a thought to ponder as
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you go about your day. How might leaning into your
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deepest, most honest feelings, even the difficult ones, and
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bringing them directly to something bigger than yourself?
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How might that be the very first step towards finding your own
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path to peace? Great question to reflect on.
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Thank you for joining us on this deep dive.