How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?

   How long will you hide your face from me?

How long must I take counsel in my soul

   and have sorrow in my heart all the day?

How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

Consider and answer me, O LORD my God;

   light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,

lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”

   lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

But I have trusted in your steadfast love;

   my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.

I will sing to the LORD,

   because he has dealt bountifully with me.

How long? Have you ever asked this question? Maybe it was during your most recent trip to Costco when you picked the slowest checkout line. Or maybe it was during a time of intense struggle. A season of sickness or stress or heartache. Maybe you ask this every day. How long will this last? How long can I endure? David asks, “How long?” four times in this short psalm. It is a question borne out of exhaustion and despair.

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David felt as though God had forgotten him. But he also recognized the difference between what he felt to be true and what he knew to be true. Over the course of these six verses, David transitions from his feelings of despair, to pleading for God’s intervention, to praising God and declaring he will rejoice! What a journey!

In a sermon earlier this year, Mason gave the illustration of driving in a car with our emotions. He said that while we shouldn’t throw our emotions out the window, we also shouldn’t give them the steering wheel. We see David strike this balance in Psalm 13 as he is emotionally honest before God, yet ultimately, instead of being overcome by his feelings, he commands his emotions, determining, “My heart shall rejoice…I will sing to the Lord.”

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The thing is, when we try to ignore our negative feelings, they don’t just go away. Instead, hidden in the dark recesses of our hearts, they become a playground for the enemy. It’s critical we follow David’s example of bringing our emotions into the light. Putting our feelings into words has been shown to diminish the response of our amygdala, the part of the brain that triggers the flight-or-fight response. When this happens, we are able to better operate out of the more logical parts of the brain.

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We catch a glimpse of this in David’s prayer: Once David gets his intense feelings out in the open, he has the mental clarity to consider his needs and bring his specific pleas to the Lord. From there, David recenters on what is true by remembering how he has seen God move in the past, and he makes a plan of action, declaring, “My heart shall rejoice…I will sing to the Lord.”

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While psychology recognizes the powerful biological effects of verbalizing our emotions, as believers, we recognize there is a powerful reaction in the spiritual realm as well when we are emotionally honest before God. We aren’t just putting these thoughts, feelings, concerns, and fears into the atmosphere or manifesting them to the universe. We are speaking to the God who hears, the God who has been waiting for us to trust him with our inmost thoughts and to look to him for comfort and guidance.

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If you’ve been asking “how long” for too long, I want you to consider this question: When was the last time you were completely honest about your feelings? Have you been honest with yourself or stuffed your emotions away? Have you brought the darkest pieces of yourself into the light and been honest with God? Is it time to trust a friend or a mental health professional and allow them to help you process the burdens you have trouble putting into words? If finances are preventing you from seeking professional counseling, please check out acfak.org/hopetoalaska to learn how ACF’s Hope To Alaska initiative can help.

Elohim Shama, you are the God who hears me when I speak, when I cry, and when all I can do is groan. You are the Good Father who longs to hear from me and to share my burdens. You are the Good Shepherd who tends to my needs and restores my soul. I confess I’ve tried to hide the scary, broken, and desperate parts of myself from you and from others. Help me to trust in your goodness and take refuge in you. Please give me the courage to share the hidden parts of me with someone this week. In Jesus’ name, amen.