We all face times in this life when it seems like God isn’t there, like he’s turned his back on us. And in times like that, it can be difficult to find the words to pray. And when we feel like God isn’t there, our prayers can feel forced or even faked. Been there?
So, what do we say? Well, it just so happens that there is a whole book in your Bible aimed at helping give you the words to pray. It’s the book of Psalms. In fact, almost half of the Psalms give us direction in how to pray during the hard parts of life. They’re called the lament psalms.
Psalm 13 is a great example of a lament psalm, and it serves as a wonderful model for praying when it seems like God isn’t there. If you read Psalm 13, you’ll see that despite his feelings of abandonment, David was convinced of a few important things. He knew that God really was there with him. He knew
that God didn’t want him to feel abandoned and defeated forever. And he knew that because God loved him, He would come through in David’s time of trouble.
This confidence enabled David to bring his troubles directly to God, to boldly ask for God’s help, and ultimately it led him to praise God for his goodness toward David.
When you feel like God’s not there, trust him. Know that he will never leave you. Know that he doesn’t want you to suffer forever. And know that he loves you. Go to him, make your request, and then praise him like he’s already answered you!