Mind Over Matter

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.

This is contradiction at its best. One moment David is crying out, complaining and whining and seeming to be utterly depressed and hopeless. Yet only two verses later he is writing about trusting, rejoicing and singing. How can this be?

I think it could be this:

Although the circumstances and environment around David left him feeling alone, hopeless and depressed; those dark days could not touch the deeply rooted beliefs inside David’s heart.

FEELING: Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?

BELIEF: I trust in your unfailing love.

FEELING: How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart?

BELIEF: My heart rejoices in your salvation.

FEELING: How long will my enemy triumph over me? My enemy will say, “I have overcome him.”

BELIEF: I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me.

David was open and honest with God about how he felt, yet he made certain that his belief and trust in the King of kings triumphed over his feelings.

Mark 9:22-24

“‘…But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.’

‘If you can?’ said Jesus. ‘Everything is possible for one who believes.’

Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’”