Psalm 13 - The Silence of Heaven

1 How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?

How long will You hide Your face from me?

2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul,

Having sorrow in my heart all the day?

How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;

Enlighten my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,

4 And my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”

And my adversaries will rejoice when I am shaken.

5 But I have trusted in Your lovingkindness;

My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.

6 I will sing to the Lord,

Because He has dealt bountifully with me.

If you have been a Christian for some time, you have experienced what David came to know. There are seasons when the heavens seem silent.  Let’s examine what was going on in David’s life and see how this can apply in our daily living. 

We must first look at the circumstances from which David penned this Psalm. The two most popular opinions are either being on the run from Saul, or during his exile and shame at the hands of his son Absalom. I believe the latter is more likely due to the fact that David was full of faith and confidence during his great escapes from Saul.  In Psalm 57:1, David writes, “Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me, for my soul takes refuge in you; and in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge until destruction passes by”. This certainly has a different tenor and tone than Psalm 13. David knew full well his guilt for failing to execute justice in his own house in regards to Amnon’s rape of Tamar. Fast forward and his son Absalom is in full rebellion trying to bring his father’s reign to an end and place himself in his father’s stead.

Verse 1 is a great example of Hebrew poetry. David repeats, for emphasis the words, “how long” to illuminate the strong passion and pathos of his words. “How long”  is the cry from the heart of the King. Not only does he perceive that he is forgotten by God, but it also seems to be intentional. Verse 2 tells of the despair and great anxiety that David experiences as a result of not hearing from God or sensing His presence. Not only is he deeply troubled, but his enemies are also rejoicing over him.  Talk about rubbing salt in an open wound.  This is not good.

Verse 3 is where things begin to change, as they often do, when David begins to pray. He asks for his eyes to be opened to see the Lord’s purpose in this silence.  He does not want his enemies to mock him and by extension the Lord Himself. David does not want his enemy to think that their power has overcome him and shaken him to the very core. 

Now that David is communing in prayer, in verse 5, we see his confidence and trust in the Lord return. He has trusted in God’s covenant love towards him.  This allows David to burst out in song and praise towards God as “He has dealt bountifully with me”. 

I had a two year period where I worked in a very toxic environment. When I recently read this Psalm, it brought me back to that place.  There were times that I would work 80 plus hours a week with no end in sight. What made it worse was the treatment that both I and my staff had to endure.  We were treated as a means to an end, and there was massive turnover in the office. 

Needless to say, my family life took a big hit. There were many weeks when I would not see Ana, Ben, and Olivia until the weekend. They would be in bed by the time I arrived home.  Eileen and I prayed and prayed, but each successive job interview ended the same, no deliverance. Yes,  there were times in my ride home late at night when I questioned God and His plan for my life.  What I can say is that during this time, and similar to David’s experience, God’s silence drove me to seek Him more. 

Our life is a journey and there will be times when heaven seems silent. We can only pray and continue to be steadfast to seek Him.  Deliverance is not always immediate. I can say that when it did come in September 2018, it was both perfect in timing and place.  I also learned a very valuable lesson. God is never late, and He is also never early (in our eyes).  He is always right on time.  I can sing to the Lord because He has dealt bountifully with me!

I look forward to sharing more in the future of this blog. Please be encouraged to know that today’s silence is not God’s lack of care or concern. He is drawing us to Himself to further conform us to His will for our lives.

Be blessed,

Rob Reilly