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Illustration of young David standing weary and downcast, shoulders slumped and head bowed low, leaning on his shepherd's staff, illustrating Psalm 13's cry, 'How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever?'

Psalm 13

How Long, O LORD?

When AfraidComfort

Have you ever felt like you were waiting so long for something to get better? David felt that way too. He asks God 'how long?' four times — but then he chooses to trust in God's love and ends up praising Him.

  1. 1How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?
  2. 2How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?
  3. 3Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,
  4. 4and my enemy will say, "I have overcome him," and my foes will rejoice when I fall.
  5. 5But I trust in Your loving devotion; my heart rejoices in Your salvation.
  6. 6I will sing to the LORD, for He has been good to me.

What it means

It's okay to ask God 'How long?' when life is hard and the waiting feels endless. The psalmist starts with a complaint — but he ends with a choice: to trust God's love anyway. We can do the same.

A little prayer

Lord, sometimes the waiting feels so long and I wonder if You've forgotten me. But I choose to trust Your love. My heart will rejoice because You are my Savior. Amen.

Memory verse

“But I trust in Your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in Your salvation.”

Psalm 13:5 (BSB)

The hinge of the whole psalm — the word 'but' doing more work than any other word in it.

Talk about it

Questions with no single right answer — for a family table or a Sunday-school circle.

  1. David asks 'how long?' four times in a row. Why might he repeat it?
  2. Nothing in his situation has changed by the last verse. What has?
  3. What is the longest you have ever had to wait for something that mattered?
  4. Can you be sad and trusting at the same time?

Try this

The 'but' turn

Write down one thing you are waiting for. Underneath, write the word BUT in big letters, then finish the sentence with something true about God. Read the whole thing out loud, including the but.

You will need: Paper and a thick pen.

Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB)