Bountifully - Joy Samples

A Word of Encouragement from Psalm 13



Psalm 13

1. How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord? for ever? how long wilt Thou hide Thy face from me? 2. How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?

3. Consider and hear me, O Lord my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; 4. Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

5. But I have trusted in Thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in Thy salvation. 6. I will sing unto the Lord, because He hath dealt bountifully with me.

The human penman of Psalm 13 was David. We are not told at what time in his life he wrote these words. Was it after he had been anointed king by Samuel but had to wait to claim his throne? Was it when the insanely jealous king Saul was hunting him down to try to kill him? Was it after he became king and knew there were many enemies of the throne? Was it when his own son Absalom sought to destroy him and wrest the kingdom from his father? We don’t know the circumstances behind the writing of this psalm, but we do know that our own human experience tells us that we’ve all had these kinds of thoughts and prayers. David penned a psalm, a prayer, for God’s grace, and we can pray it too.

First, we see a Long Trial. Four times David asks, “How long, Lord?” When we are going through a hardship that lasts and lasts, we are tempted to believe it will never end.
>We can feel forgotten by God, even though we know the truth that not only are we not forgotten, we are graven on the palms of His hands (Isaiah 49:14-16).
>We can feel as though God has turned His face away from us and from our pain, although the truth is that His promise is to be with us, to strengthen us, to help us, and to uphold us (Isaiah 41:10-13).
>We can feel overwhelmed by sorrow daily and like the thoughts swirling in our heads are futile as we try to work out the trouble, even though we have been taught the principles of keeping our thoughts peaceful through the filter of Biblical thinking (Philippians 4:4-9).
>We can feel like the enemy is winning, though Scripture reminds us that our enemies will be turned back, because God is for us (Psalm 56:9-11).
This psalm beautifully illustrates the truth that we are invited to pour out our heart (our feelings) to God and in turn receive from Him the truths about Himself that keep us encouraged while we wait on Him to work. The trial may continue, but our faith will grow.

Secondly, we see an Earnest Prayer. We know from Scripture that the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much (James 5:16), and David shows us an excellent example of fervent prayer.
>He begs God to consider and hear him, based on his faith in the one true living God (Matthew 6:9). He’s not crying out to gods that have no ears, no mouths, no eyes, and no power to work (Psalm 115:3-8).
>He asks God for encouragement and strengthening of faith to combat the soul- killing effects of grief (similarly seen in the prayer of Ezra 9:8-9).
>He asks God not to let the enemy win. Whether the enemy in your life is health- related, job-related, relationship-related, finance-related, or a combination of these, God hears those who ask for His help. Ultimately, He wins (1 Chronicles 29:11).
>He asks that he be given the grace to stand, to not be moved, so that the enemy has no reason to rejoice (Psalm 62:6).
My dear friend, when the trial is long and the enemy seems so strong, pray fervently to God who is your Father and your Friend. Pray the prayer of David. Know that God considers you and hears your cry. By faith, receive His grace to not grow weary in the long trial but to wait patiently as He works. Cry out for God to have the victory. Look for “tokens for good,” evidences of His hand at work (Psalm 86:17).

Finally, we see a Rejoicing Trust. David makes a declaration of his commitment to trust in the Lord.
>His trust was in God’s mercy (Psalm 33:18-22).
>His heart rejoiced in God’s salvation (Exodus 15:2).
>His song was unto the Lord (2 Samuel 22:50).
>His faith saw that God had dealt bountifully with him (Psalm 116:7).
Although David’s trial was not over, his perspective had changed. He had poured out his complaint before the Lord (Psalm 142:2) and had prayed fervently for God’s help. He made a decision of his own will to trust the Lord. Sometimes it helps to say out loud, “God, I’m choosing to trust You.”

David turned his thoughts to the joy of his salvation (Isaiah 51:11). Out of the abundance of that joy, David praised the Lord with a song as he recognized that God had dealt bountifully with him. Bountifully?! Bountiful trouble, yes! Bountiful sorrow, yes! But also, BOUNTIFUL grace, BOUNTIFUL help, BOUNTIFUL mercy, BOUNTIFUL truth, and BOUNTIFUL JOY!!!!!!!!

Let me testify with David… “I will sing unto the Lord, because He hath dealt bountifully with me.”