Hope if you are in Hard Times…
Psalm 13 is a good picture of a place that I believe many in the body of Christ are in right now. It opens with David pouring out his heart before God:
'I’m hurting , Lord—will you forget me forever? How much longer, Lord? Will you look the other way when I’m in need? How much longer must I cling to this constant grief? I’ve endured this shaking of my soul. So how much longer will my enemy have the upper hand? Take a good look at me, Yahweh, my God, and answer me! Breathe your life into my spirit. Bring light to my eyes in this pitch-black darkness or I will sleep the sleep of death. Don’t let my enemy proclaim, “I’ve prevailed over him.” For all my adversaries will celebrate when I fall. I have always trusted in your kindness, so answer me. (Psalm 113:1-5 TPT)
As I read this, I saw desperation, even depression. I saw overwhelm. I saw anger and frustration. I saw disappointment. I saw a need for renewal and refreshment. I saw fear. I saw confusion. Can anybody relate?
Some scholars believe that David wrote this Psalm right after he was anointed king. It's easy for us to look at David and think what an amazing life he lived as king. But what we so easily forget is that there was a long time between him being anointed as king and actually becoming king - approximately 15 years, and if you factor in the time it took him to become ruler over all of Israel, it was around 22 years. During that time, he faced opposition, rejection, hardship, attack, persecution and homelessness amongst other things. In other words, David endured long seasons of difficult times. No wonder he wrote these words! I have no doubt at times he felt down, dejected and even abandoned by God. Once again, can anybody relate?
David experienced the very real valleys in life that we all walk through at times in different ways. But what I love about the Psalms is that they are honest, and yet they also move us towards hope. David never stays in that hopeless place. He finishes Psalm 13 by saying the following:
I will spin in a circle of joy when your salvation lifts me up. I will sing my song of joy to you, Yahweh, for in all of this you have strengthened my soul. My enemies say that I have no Saviour, but I know that I have one in you! (Psalm 13:5-6 TPT)
David speaks with a certainty here about our salvation, not like it's something that might happen, but something that will happen. The word salvation here means the following: deliverance, aid, victory, prosperity, health and welfare. Those are some incredible things! He also gives us a key to not only get through these dark seasons, but to grow and thrive in spite of them - worship, prayer and declaring His goodness. There is something mysterious in these things that strengthens us in times of hardship and when we are feeling weak.
Another thing I discovered about this 'salvation' that David talks about, is that the word he uses here is the Hebrew word 'yeshuah', which is very similar to Yeshua, or Jesus. This reminded that our hope and salvation are not found in circumstances, but in a person - Jesus Christ.
So, if you are currently in a hard season, and you are feeling how David did when he wrote this Psalm, my hope and prayer for you is that you can begin to move towards that place of hope as we all wait with expectation for our God to answer our prayers and meet us in our time of need.