Psalm 13

 Psalm 13 ^a

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

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

How long will you hide your face from me?

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?

3Look on me and answer, Lord my God.

Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,

4and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”

and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

5But I trust in your unfailing love;

my heart rejoices in your salvation.

6I will sing the Lord’s praise,

for he has been good to me.

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Thoughts: There is a peace even when we feel far from God.  
It echoes Psalm 22 (which Jesus quoted on the cross): "My God, My God why have you forsaken me?"  Here the writer also feels forsaken or forgotten by God.  
He is feeling overwhelmed by things beyond his control- his enemies.  
He is "wrestling with his thoughts" tossing and turning.  Over a third of Americans do not get enough sleep.  Today things like "Tik Tok" and reading on the phone at night can keep us up. But this is sheer worry.  
There is no indication here that the writer is turning to God as a last resort.  He may have been turning to God all along.  But now he is desperate- unable to sleep and he is afraid he will really sleep (in death).  
But then... the writer remembers his faith.  He trusts in God's love which is not fickle- but faithful.  He even rejoices in the salvation that he does not see yet but trusts he will have.  He looks forward to singing God's praise.  Now this is an example.  Why not rejoice in God in a tight spot?  When Jehoshaphat had his singers sing as they were going out to face an army 15 times their size, the enemy started fighting among themselves.  It is better to rejoice and trust in God that to get depressed, stoic, or say, "woe is me."  
Now this Psalm ends on a happy ending.  The happy ending is not his circumstances, but rather his finding help in trusting in God.  This is offered to everyone.  A person who has hope is strengthened and can persevere.  Florence Chadwick swam 25 miles in 1952 to Cataline Island.  She only had one mile to go but the fog kept her and her associates from seeing how close she was, so she gave up.  Hope gives us wings and energy. We should be heralds of the hope of God.  For people with hope are better off than people with no hope at all.  

Prayer: Lord, sometimes I feel all alone.  But help me to remember I am not.  You are always there.  You have been there for me in the past. Lift my head and my heart to you.