PSALM 13:5 | A REJOICING HEART

Our joy is directly linked to the place of our trust. Psalm 13 is a cry to God for help. The writer feels abandoned and helpless against oncoming threats. It is no secret how the writer thinks at this moment, and they openly express it to God.

Perhaps that is the first lesson we can learn from Psalm 13. We can be upset, honest, and vulnerable before God when things don’t make sense. To make it to the place of authentic trust, we must pass through the journey of risky vulnerability.

We can do the churchy thing and slap a bandaid on a problem. We can ignore the pain of the moment, bottle it up, and force ourselves to believe that God will take care of us, but I don’t see that modeled often in the scriptures.

More often, I see the cry of distress, an emotional or intellectual outpouring, and finally resolve that God is good. Even Jesus went through this in the garden before his arrest.

Happiness and comfort are contingent on the circumstances around us reinforcing our mood. So when we bottle up our pain, we are really searching for happiness and comfort to distract us from the trouble. Sometimes this is harmless, like a relaxing walk or a movie; sometimes, it's a destructive addiction. Cover-ups never resolve a trial; they mask it.

Psalm 13:5 ESV says, “But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.” After passing through the process of lamenting the situation, the writer resolves that God is good and can be trusted. When we take the risk of leaning into our trial and discomfort, we discover that God is present in pain. We see him working to bring us victory and hope, which forms the foundation for joy.

Joyful believers are those who can see God! Recognize today that the invitation to abide is the invitation to joy. Sometimes that means pressing through the difficulties of the situation instead of running away, but it is worth it to have a heart that rejoices in the salvation of God.

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