Psalm 13

 ¹ How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever?
   How long will you hide your face from me?
² 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?

 ³ Look on me and answer, LORD my God.
   Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,
⁴ and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
   and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

 ⁵ But I trust in your unfailing love;
   my heart rejoices in your salvation.
⁶ I will sing the LORD’s praise,
   for he has been good to me.

In this psalm, the writer found himself feeling so alone, so seemingly abandoned by God, that he was plunged into a deep depression and despair that took him to the edge of death. He was wrestling with his thoughts. His sorrow was overwhelming.

Perhaps you can relate to such feelings. Perhaps you know what it’s like when your thoughts are whirling around in aching confusion. You may know what it’s like to plead with God for light, for peace, for an alternative to the spiritual death you think is imminent.

Then comes the “but.” The psalmist, even as he was suffering terribly, stopped himself with that little word. David chose to trust in God’s goodness even when his heart was failing and grieving. Because he knew God, he chose to trust in God’s unfailing love and rejoice even in the midst of sorrow.

Did you get that? He said, “But . . . I will” (verses 5-6). The psalmist made a choice. He made a conscious decision to trust in God’s love even when the dark clouds of terror and depression hid God’s face.

David knew this as a fact. And you can know it too: You are never alone. God is always nearby . . . even when you can’t see his face or feel his presence. When you feel alone, call out to him. No matter how you feel, the fact remains: He is here. He is everywhere. And he hears your cries.

(taken from a Biblegateway.com Women’s devotion)