October 12, 2025

How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?
Psalm 13:1

Psalm 13 is a Psalm of lament. King David, the “sweet psalmist of Israel” (II Samuel 23:1), feels forsaken by God. Four times in two verses, the king cries out “How long,” wondering how long this feeling of being forgotten by God and the absence of His presence and blessings will continue. David feels God’s absence so deeply that death seems like the only solution as his enemies prepare to rejoice over his downfall.

Yet David trusts in God’s faithful lovingkindness, expressed through His covenant promises. Outwardly, he has every reason to doubt God’s love, but inwardly, he trusts God’s faithfulness. He is already rejoicing in anticipation of coming salvation and singing joyfully in his Lord’s bountiful care.

From this, we learn that dark nights of the soul are a normal part of the Christian life. Moments of feeling God’s absence are not unusual. When you feel as if God has forgotten you, know that you are not the first or only believer to experience such things. Even King David—who knew God’s blessed presence so deeply that he wrote the greatest songs of praise—also felt moments of profound despair, just as the sons of Korah did in Psalms 42 and 43.

The Psalms speak about waiting on God or His word roughly thirty times. Often, we read of God coming to His people in the morning after a long night:

“My soul waits for the Lord
More than the watchmen for the morning; Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning.”
(Psalm 130:6)

Secondly, we learn something about why such moments and trials come. They teach us to trust God more deeply—not just to believe in Him, but to believe Him. To trust Him. To quietly wait for our Heavenly Father to fulfill all He has promised us in Christ Jesus.

Both the Old and New Testaments tell us that “the righteous shall live by faith” (Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17). Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:9; Galatians 3:6). “It is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham” (Galatians 4:7). The testing of our faith is what perfects and matures it (James 1:2–4).

So when God feels far away, or even absent, know that nothing strange is happening. It’s an experience shared by all of God’s people. Even Jesus, God’s beloved Son, knew the pain of feeling forsaken (Psalm 22:1; Matthew 27:46). He can and does sympathize with you in these moments.

In such moments, be honest with God. Call upon Him and tell Him how you feel. This is not a sign of weak faith—it is evidence of real faith. In time, He will turn your “mourning into dancing” (Psalm 30:11), and you will once again “sing to the LORD, because He has dealt bountifully with” you (Psalm 13:6).