I find it difficult to wait. It is hard to battle impatience when we are waiting on something we know is good, like a birthday present, an event, or exciting news. What is most difficult is when we find ourselves in the midst of a storm in life, and we are waiting for the clouds to break.

If you have ever found yourself in a time of tribulation or suffering, you have likely cried out to the Lord in prayer, asking, "How Long?" In Psalm 13, King David asks four times in two verses, "How Long, Oh Lord?" 

"How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? 

How long will you hide your face from me? 

How long must I take counsel in my soul 

and have sorrow in my heart all the day?  

How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? 

This is not a momentary tribulation but a prolonged season of suffering and attack from enemies. It appears that the trend is favoring David’s enemies as they seem to prevail while he is wrestles though deeper levels of despair. David is searching for deliverance, and God does not appear to be providing any practical help. 

As David looks to the Lord in prayer, his desperate tone shifts from despair to a hopeful delight. Martin Luther said, “hope itself despairs and despair nevertheless begins to hope.” We see David’s confidence in the Lord, that He has heard his plea and that in the end God’s goodness can be trusted. If you have ever cried out to the Lord, "How Long?" you will want to consider Psalm 13 with us this Sunday.