Psalm 13
Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies
To the leader. A Psalm of David.

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

    How long will you hide your face from me?

2 How long must I bear pain in my soul,

    and have sorrow in my heart all day long?

How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God!

    Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,

4 and my enemy will say, “I have prevailed”;

    my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.

5 But I trusted in your steadfast love;

    my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.

6 I will sing to the Lord,

    because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Reflection:
I love Psalm 13. I feel it is God’s way of telling us that we have permission to voice our doubts in him, to voice our sorrow and hopelessness. There’s an incontrovertible truth that resides in my spirit that says that God is always with me, that not only will he never forget me, but he thinks and dotes on me constantly, every second of every minute of every day. This is the God who I call Father. 

But goodness, if I can’t feel it sometimes. 

God gives us permission to be human, to doubt, to fear, to mourn. I can accuse him of not caring, of not listening. He can take it. He only asks that I bring it to him. And leave it with him. David lets it all out, but then he turns his heart back toward God by remembering God’s provisions in the past: “He has dealt bountifully with me.” I, likewise, I commit to ending these conversations with God in praise and by thanking him for the ways he has come through even in the midst of my struggle.   

Helpful tip: When I can’t find the strength to praise God in my own spoken words, when the pain feels too deep to give God any credit for goodness, like David, I “sing to the Lord.” I close my eyes and quietly make myself sing the words that someone else wrote, sometimes through clenched teeth, thinking “I don’t believe these words right now.” Without fail, I feel my resolve to be angry start to break, and that’s when I can feel what I didn’t just moments before. That he is holding me in a deep embrace, and always has been. 

Closing Prayer:
God, I don’t understand why this global crisis is happening. I am saddened and angered at the idea of children without meals because schools are closed. I am afraid for everyone who is without work and can’t make rent. I am worried about the lengths to which people may go if they find themselves desperate to feed and care for themselves or their families. How could you leave the entire world in such uncertainty and turmoil? But you have held me before, so I will trust that you are holding me and all of your children now. Thank you for the things that remain when all else is stripped away. Thank you for the loved ones in my life, for the roof over my head, for a peace that can break through the chaos. You’ve been my peace before, and I know you can again. I will trust in your steadfast love. Amen.