Psalm 13
A Plea for Deliverance
For the choir director. A psalm of David.
1 How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me
2 How long will I store up anxious concerns within me, agony in my mind every day? How long will my enemy dominate me?
3 Consider me and answer, Lord my God. Restore brightness to my eyes;
otherwise, I will sleep in death.
4 My enemy will say, “I have triumphed over him,” and my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.
5 But I have trusted in your faithful love;
my heart will rejoice in your deliverance.
6 I will sing to the Lord because he has treated me generously.
(CSB)
Discussion Questions
● Have you ever been forgotten by someone? What was your reaction? How did it make you feel at the time?
● Have you ever prayed to God about a problem or situation in your life and God seemed quiet or distant? How did you respond?
Verses 1 & 2
● Describe David’s feelings in these first two verses. Have you ever felt this way too? If you are comfortable, share your situation andfeelings.
● Having deep feelings about a situation is not wrong. God has feelings. We are made in God’s image. Can our feelings always be trusted though? Can our feelings be wrong at times?
● From what you know about David’s life, what might be David’s current situation? Who might David’s enemy be?
● Could God possibly forget about David and be unaware of what is currently happening in his life? What might be happening then?
● Why might God not immediately solve David’s problem and prevent the situation that is causing him angst?
● What could David learn through this hardship and trial?
● Could God allow us to encounter trials and hardships in life to teach us similar things? What do trials and hardships teach us?
Verses 3 & 4
● What does David ask of God in verse3? Is God obligated to answer our requests?
● What might “brightness to my eyes” be a request for?
● Is David out of line for making these requests of God? Why or why not?
● What does David predict his enemy will do? Does this matter?
Verses 5 & 6
● What does verse 5 say David has trusted in? How does this change David’s perspective on the situation?
● Has David been delivered yet? How can he rejoice then?
● How has God treated David generously? How has he treated you generously?
● What causes David to begin this Psalm by sighing and questioning God, but end with singing to the Lord?
Personal Takeaways
● What does this Psalm reveal to you about God?
● As you consider Psalm13, how might you look at future trials and hardships you face? What did you learn from David’s situation?
● What is something from our passage or study you are challenged to ponder further this week?