As I was reading through Psalm 13, I was reflecting on David's response to going through hard times. We all go through hard times, and David went through hard times that most of us will never experience. You can feel his frustration with how long he had been enduring suffering from his enemies. He keeps asking God, "How long." The last stanza starts with the word "but". "But" can be a powerful word. David writes about his pain but then continues with what he has done. He has trusted in God's lovingkindness. He rejoices in God's salvation. He will sing to the Lord. He acknowledges that through the midst of pain and suffering, God has dealt bountifully with him.
We can trust in His lovingkindness. God never fails. He loves us. He is intimately involved in the details of our lives. We can take refuge in His lovingkindness in the storms of our lives.
No matter what our circumstances are, we can rejoice in our salvation. We can rejoice in Jesus. What an amazing joy that no matter what we are facing, we can rejoice because the circumstances of this world are temporary. Our lives with Jesus are forever. He loved us so much that He died for us. He saves us from our sins. If He did nothing else for us, we could still rejoice because of His sacrifice, but the truth is He does so much more. He continues to be involved in our lives. He continues to care for us. He sees us, comforts us, guides us, teaches us, and we can walk with Him!
This overwhelming joy should cause us to sing to Him. I couldn't help but sing in joy this morning as I considered the faithfulness and lovingkindness of our Savior.
Lastly, David talks about how God has dealt bountifully with Him. That is how God deals with us, bountifully. He did not just sacrifice a little bit when He sent Jesus and Jesus chose to die in our place. His grace is lavish.
Last night, I had the privilege of interviewing someone who has been through a painful season of life. She found true joy in Him during this season, and her testimony was so powerful. Hearing how God revealed Himself to her, comforted her, and lavished love on her during this season of her life just made me love Him even more. (You can listen to the interview on 2/5 via YouTube or podcast. It was such a blessing to my heart, and I know it will be to yours as well.) Then to read this Psalm this morning and see David's reaction to God through hard times was so encouraging.
We serve such an amazing God! My encouragement for you today regardless of the circumstances around you is to:
1. Trust in Him and His lovingkindness.
2. Rejoice in His salvation. (Really think about what this means for you and those around you.)
3. Sing to Him.
4. Thank Him for the bountiful way He deals with you.
We deserved nothing but separation from Him. But God. He chooses to lavish His grace on us because of His lovingkindness.
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