WHEN GOD SEEMS ABSENT: Lessons from Psalm 13

“How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? 

Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall. 

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.” —Psalm 13:1-6 (NIV)

There are times in life when it feels like God has disappeared—when our prayers seem to hit the ceiling, and no answer comes. We cry out, but heaven appears silent. In these moments of pain and uncertainty what do we do? Psalm 13 points us to the Lord and helps us see how we can in fact still trust in Him, even in our most difficult troubles.

The psalm begins with a desperate question: “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?” This is the cry of someone who feels abandoned. This is not just a complaint, it is an honest expression of grief, confusion, and longing for God’s presence. David identifies three sources of his sorrow: God’s seeming absence (v.1), emotional turmoil and loneliness (v.2a) and a sense of defeat (v.2b).

Many people stop at lament, allowing despair to take root. But lament is meant to push us toward God, not away from Him. It is the beginning of a deeper conversation, not the end of it.

(V.3-4) From his place of suffering, in desperation, David turns to God in prayer: “Look on me and answer, Lord my God.” He pleads with God not to let his enemies have the final victory, recognising that only God can rescue him. David doesn’t just cry out to a God, but to his God. Even in his distress, he clings to a personal relationship with the Lord.

This is the crucial turning point. Prayer moves us from despair to dependence. Instead of being consumed by suffering, we should seek God’s help, trusting that He alone holds the answers.

(V. 5-6) Despite the pain, David ends with a bold declaration: “But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.” He found confidence in who God is. His circumstances haven’t changed, but his perspective has. He looks back on God’s faithfulness and remembers that the Lord has never abandoned His people.

Trust doesn’t always come from understanding the present, it also comes from remembering the past. God has always been faithful, and He will be faithful again. The Bible is filled with stories of His steadfast love, proving time and time again that He never forsakes those who belong to Him.

Brethren, when we struggle to trust God in our suffering, we can look to Jesus. On the cross, He cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46). In that moment, He experienced the ultimate dark night of the soul, bearing the weight of sin and separation from the Father. But through His suffering, He made a way for us to never be truly abandoned and forsaken. Because of Jesus we can say even when life is dark, there is light; when life is painful, there is healing; and when life feels meaningless, there is purpose.

When it seems God is absent, remember He hears our cries, He sees our pain, and He will answer us in His perfect time. The question is, will we put our trust in Him?

Stay blessed,

Pastor Ranti Orioke