Psalm 13

I love Psalm 13. I also love Shane & Shane's rendition of it. What really strikes me is that the Psalm doesn't end the way that we think that it should. David starts out by crying out to God to deliver him from his distress: "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?" And at the end of the psalm, David is rejoicing and cannot help but sing out to God for His abundant goodness. But what I love about this psalm is that David never records God's answer or deliverance. David doesn't rejoice because he was delivered from his distress. His praise isn't based on that. In fact, without recording any kind of deliverance, he still says that the Lord has "dealt bountifully with me." How many times do I praise God simply because of what He has done for me in the physical realm? Not that we shouldn't praise Him for our many earthly blessings. We must. But our praise shouldn't be based on that and so often mine is. I should be able to declare with the psalmist that even though I am going through hard times, maybe even the hardest of times, my heart will rejoice in your salvation, I have trusted in your steadfast love, and I will sing to you because even in my distress you have dealt bountifully with me. You give and take away, blessed be the name of the Lord. "Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; Wait for the LORD." (Psalm 27:14)