Psalm 13 moves from repeated questions to a request for help and an expression of trust. The psalmist does not hide distress from God.

Lament gives language to suffering within relationship with God. Honest prayer can include grief, confusion, petition, and hope. A difficult feeling does not make a prayer faithless.

Read the psalm slowly. Name a concern, ask for help, and recall something about God’s character that supports your trust. Do not pressure yourself to pretend the difficulty has disappeared.

Reflect

What have you hesitated to tell God?

Pray

Lord, receive my honest prayer and sustain me as I wait.

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