David in Trouble
David also experienced hardships. Those who are significant in God's eyes are not exempt from the "dark night of the soul". It may be a great disappointment or loss, it may be doubt, it may be persecution, it may be someone else's pain, or it may be our own fatigue that causes this devastating sense of being alone, abandoned, and far away from God. Whether it is our own fault, someone else's or no-one's, these testing times come upon us all.David's Psalm 13 is very helpful:
| Psalm 13 For the director of music. A psalm of David. How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. But I trust in Your unfailing love; |
Most commentators concentrate on the last (the third) part of the Psalm where David
- Counts his blessings
- Remembers God's faithfulness
- And moves "from protest to praise" through a conscious decision.
While this is important - I don't believe that David could get to step 3 without steps 1 and two:
In step 1 David is honest with God. David talks to God about how he is feeling. There is no facade and no pretense. He calls a spade a spade. "I'm struggling God - and it feels like You're asleep on the job! I'm alone and struggling and it looks like it will never end!"
In step 2 David hands his situation over to God. "I'm not coping - I need your help!" This act of dependence is in fact an act of faith. He turns to God asking for the restoration of the personal relationship ("Look on me and answer") and the strength to overcome. (The Hebrew people believed the light shone from our eyes - and so when one was weak, the light faded from one's eyes.)
So, in the midst of the heartache, doubt, and depression that sometimes besets us, David:
1. Was honest to God
2. Asked for God's help
3. Counted his blessings and used God's grace in the past to strengthen him for the future.
"LORD help me to turn to YOU when I need YOU most."
