Lord our God, Father in Heaven, we give thanks for the wisdom of giving unto us a book inspired by the Spirit of God, that same Spirit who also searches our hearts. And we pray, O Lord, enable thy servant to open up the experience of the godly. And we pray, O Lord, that these things may come home to our hearts and remain and abide with us. And we ask it for Jesus' sake. Amen. I invite you to turn with me to that portion of God's Word already read in your hearing, Psalm 13, We remember that in the beginning, after the fall of man, that the Lord God said, I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your offspring and her offspring. The Lord God Himself made a separation in the human race between the godly seed and the ungodly. In the fullness of time, When the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world, he said, do not think that I have come to bring peace on the earth, not peace, but a sword. The Lord God has made a great separation and the sinfulness of the hatred that the enemies of the godly bear towards the godly, the sinfulness of their hatred and enmity does not proceed from God. He is not the author of sin, but he has brought it about that there is a chasm in the midst of the human race while we dwell as neighbors next to each other. And it strikes me again that the Book of Psalms is a book of praises for saints who live in such a world with such a division. As we've seen, there is not a single psalm that we've looked at yet together which does not refer to this enmity between the two kinds of men. I'll remind you that we see in the first two Psalms as it were a mountaintop view and an expansive view even looking as far as the end. We see the blessedness of the man who meditates upon and who obeys the word of God in contrast to the ungodly who will not stand in the judgment or in the assembly of the righteous And we see there a picture of Christ the head, the one true man in whom the word of God lived and abided and who is the word of God. We see in the second Psalm a view of Christ's kingdom and the one who is called son, the one to whom the Lord has given that name of a son and made him to reign. and triumphing over his enemies, dashing them in pieces. We have, as it were, a great mountaintop view in these first two Psalms. And in the ones that have followed, we have been down in the thickets of the experience of the godly living under the reign of Christ and living under the blessing of God that flows down upon the head and onto the members of the body, living under the eternal blessing of God and the reign of Christ, we then enter into combat in this world, and we live in the midst of a divided world. Every Psalm, even Psalm 8, which is one of the happiest, if you will, brightest, even there, there's a reference to the adversary and the avenger. So we take up in hand then Psalm 13, and one of the, Things that's beautiful about this psalm is its brevity, only six verses, the shortest psalm since Psalm 1, also only six verses. It is interesting to notice that sometimes David's devotional exercises in the psalms were of greater length, sometimes of lesser length. But there's also a very clear outline to the psalm, which is helpful to us. It has three parts, two verses in each of the three parts. There is, first of all, a lament or even complaint. Secondly, petition. And thirdly, the resolution of faith. and let's seek to benefit from each of the parts. First, there is a lament or a complaint. We could use that word in a proper sense. The title of Psalm 102 says that it is the prayer of one afflicted when he is overwhelmed. and poureth out his complaint before the Lord. Not complaint in the sense of grumbling and murmuring, but rather there is a kind of freedom allowed to the saints to lament their afflictions and troubles. As David laments his affliction, he laments first of all something in relation to the Lord himself. And truly, this is nearest and dearest to the heart of the saint. What the saint desires more than anything else is the felt sense of God's love. What the saint desires more than all is the presence, the nearness of the triune and living God. And when the sense of that is withdrawn, this is the first complaint that comes from the lips of one who loves God with all his heart. He says, How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord, forever? How long wilt thou hide thy face from me." There is a hungering after a personal knowledge by the Lord. David wants to be remembered by the Lord. He does not want to simply know in the generic that the Lord knows his people and remembers his people, though that's also a precious truth. It seemed to him that he personally was forgotten, and there are complexities, aren't there, to our cases? There can be perhaps a financial component of our trouble and a relational component to our trouble, and a spiritual component at the core of it all. Our struggles are complex and multi-layered, and ultimately, there is not another person on Earth who can truly understand us. And so, the desire of the saint is for the Lord to remember me, for his countenance to shine upon me. And when that is withdrawn, David laments and pours out his soul. He laments in relation to the Lord himself, but he also has a lament in regard to his own soul, his relationship to himself. He says, how long shall I take counsel in my soul? We can understand what he means. One who has no friend. who can be a trusted and wise counselor to him is forced to take counsel in his own soul. You're familiar with those times when you turn things over in your mind, and your thoughts are anxious and tumultuous, and you think, Perhaps if I turn in this direction, there'll be some relief for me. And then your hope of relief there fails and in your thoughts you turn in some other direction. Maybe relief will be found for me here. And perhaps you're like the plant which is in the pot that is too small where the Roots begin to wind around and around the soil seeking somewhere, some outlet, somewhere to take in greater nourishment. But you're simply left at times to take counsel in your own soul. Calvin points out that the Lord has made great promises to be our counselor. through Isaiah, for instance, that the one who would be born would be called Wonderful Counselor, that he would be endued with the spirit of might and counsel. It is a wonderful blessing to have the Lord as our counselor. There is a one whole person of the Trinity whose special office is to be our counselor, to take the things of Christ and reveal them in our hearts. It's as if God has given to us two lamps, that His Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path, a light shining from the outside. But He's also given, our God does nothing halfway, He's also given to His people a light within. He has poured out His Spirit into the heart, and the two always agree. But the Spirit is a light revealing and bringing the things of God through the Scriptures home to the heart of the saints. The Spirit, the Holy Spirit, is our counselor. What a blessed gift of God. But There are times when we don't immediately experience that. It seems as if we're left without a counselor, we're left to our own devices. So it would seem. Sometimes the saints experience what David says here, having sorrow in my heart daily. There are troubles that we are able to shake off at the end of a day. Sometimes the troubles of a day come upon us and we become wearied by them, but then we're given relief. We go to our homes, we rest in our beds, and All is forgotten and tomorrow is a new day and we arise with the burden lifted from our shoulder. Sometimes that is our portion, but at other times there is a sorrow that will not lift. There is a stubborn darkness, an oppression of the spirit that continues through the night. We don't rest peacefully. We wake with the burden greeting us as soon as we wake up. Sorrow in our hearts all the day. And David. pours out that aspect of his lament. He laments something in relation to the Lord, something in relation to his own soul, and also something in relation to his enemy. How long shall mine enemy be exalted over me? For David, that could have been Saul. It may be some particular person for you. It may simply be the evil one who is an adversary to you. And you have the sorrow of God's face seemingly hidden from you. You have the sorrow of having to take counsel in your own troubled soul. And as if that weren't enough, here comes the thing that breaks you, the added trouble of an adversary who nettles you. Makes me think of Hannah. who had the trouble of barrenness and who had to pour that out before the Lord, but that was not all she faced. She had a rival. Paninna would provoke her and vex her, and that's sometimes it is with the saints. There's already trouble brewing in the soul, but then there comes the thorn of an adversary. and drives the pain deeper. It rises to become more than the saints can bear. David pours out this lament before the Lord. Notice the way that he puts this whole matter. It contains five question marks in these first two verses. Questions. And four times he asks, how long? And once he asks, Forever? How long will it be forever? That is as if to say, oh Lord, I fear that there will be no relief from this state of affairs. I fear that the darkness will never lift and I cannot bear up under the thought of having no relief ever. Oh Lord, give me some assurance that there will be a morning of joy following the night of weeping. Without some assurance that there is hope, how can the saints bear up? David had come to a point, perhaps you have come there, when he had almost despaired. In all of this, we should be surprised by the Lord's mercy, even to receive such a lament from his people. This lament, which given our present state of having a principle of sin within, it would be next to impossible for us to utter such words without a mixing in of our own impatience. but the Lord is pleased to allow his people to pour out their lament in this way, which is an amazing thing. We serve in all wise God. He has a purpose behind every affliction, and it is our duty to say, the Lord has given, the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord. It is our duty to say, God works all things for good for them that love Him. And yet, the Lord doesn't leave it simply at, do your duty and accept my providence. I am wise and you I'll only understand the tiniest fraction of a sliver of my purposes. The Lord doesn't only leave us in that position. He gives us leave to come to him and pour out our griefs. which is very merciful. It is an aspect of his fatherly acceptance. God, as a loving father, allowing his children to come to him with their griefs and sorrows. There is an aspect of the priestly intercession of Christ. Christ did not experience the seeming hiding of God's face, but the actual hiding of his face when he cried, having our sins imputed to him, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And there was no exaggeration in the expression. He was truly forsaken by God. And he, his heart, he has the heart of a man. He has a heart left with a tender place toward his suffering saints. He remembers his affliction. And he is the one, as we enter into praying and singing these words, who will take them and present them acceptably to the Father and will meet us in this exercise. We think of the Father, we think of the Son, we think of the Spirit. All along with this, it is the Spirit of the Lord who is working in the saints as they pour out their complaint before the Lord. We would never even pray apart from the Spirit of God. We would simply murmur and turn away from the Lord rather than coming unto him. It's an evidence of the Spirit's work. when we pour out our complaint before the Lord. So, the first thing in the exercise of David's soul was his lament, but also, secondly, his petition in verses three and four, and complaints that stir up prayer can never be far wrong. He now asks God to do something. He reinforces his petitions with pleas. That's interesting and instructive for us to see that in biblical prayer, there is, properly speaking, a petition where we ask God to do something. And together with the petition, there is often joined a plea as to why the Lord should do it. What is at stake in terms of the glory of God and the good of his people? Here we have petitions joined with pleas and think of them as like three advancing steps. The first petition is consider and hear me, oh Lord, my God. We think of the Supreme Court. We have a federal Supreme Court, state Supreme Courts, and those courts can decide whether or not to review a given case. And perhaps if we had a lawyer advocating for us, the lawyer might aim in the first place simply to argue that the court ought to hear your case. And that's a good thing for the saint to pray. That is a step forward in faith and petition. Consider and hear me, oh Lord, my God. It's a humble petition. because it leaves room for the all-wise God to dispose as he sees fit. It does not dictate to the Lord, here is what you must do, but pleads in the first place, simply for God to consider about how good it is. that we don't simply ask for an uninterested judge to hear our case, but we seek the one who is the Lord, our God, taking hold upon him and upon his promised and sealed mercy in Christ as we pray, consider, and hear. From that step, he goes on to a further step of petition. Lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death. You'll remember that story about Jonathan when Saul had made a rash oath and he had bound his men that they would not eat anything until the enemies were fully Struck down before them and Jonathan not knowing about it took some honey on the end of his rod and partook and it says that his eyes were lightened that vitality and energy returned to him as he was strengthened by the sweetness of the honey. When we pray, light in mine eyes, we're praying that the Lord would revive us. And sometimes it's literally reflected in our faces. We can have a downcast and a clouded countenance under our troubles. But how good when the Lord gives the lightening of the eyes, not an artificial pasted on smile or something that we would drum up from within ourselves, but a true joy given by the Lord. David pleads his petition, lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death. I think that we're sometimes too inclined to say without thinking something like, this is killing me. However, there is a proper time to say such a thing. And it's actually true. If the Lord does not lighten our eyes, we will sleep the sleep of death. The Christian pilgrimage through this world is a matter of life or death. Satan and the world, unless the Lord arises to help you, they will wear you down to death. It's interesting the way it's described. Not necessarily a bloody martyr's death, but the sleep of death, that the danger is that the adversaries of your soul will keep wearing you down until you collapse in the exhausted faint of death. And what a plea that is to use with the Lord. Lord, don't let your servant perish. You have promised that whoever believes upon Christ's name, that he will not perish. Don't let me die, oh Lord. And then. He takes another step onward in his petitioning. Lest mine enemy say I have prevailed against him. And now he rises to a very high point of petition. He is pleading concerning the Lord's own honor and glory. Just think what it would have meant if David, as the head of the Lord's people, the one with whom the Lord had made a covenant that he would never lack a man to sit upon the throne, the one with whom the Lord had made an everlasting covenant, the one whom had become a type of the Lord Jesus Christ, the head of God's church, if that one if the type of Christ should be rejoiced over by the Lord's enemy. then Antichrist would be triumphing over Christ. And that can never happen. God's glory is at stake. God won't leave the battlefield to be the ground where his enemies rejoice. And what a comfort that you, as you abide in Christ and believe upon him, that you have that assurance as well. If the head cannot be rejoiced over by God's enemies, then not even a single member of the body can be left by the head to be rejoiced over by the Lord's enemies. It cannot be that God would let the triumphing and joy go to his enemies. Take that to the Lord in your petitions. Then we see that secondly, there is petition of the Lord. And in the third place, the resolution. There is a fixedness of David's heart. He is purposing to do things. He says, My heart shall rejoice in thy salvation, and I will sing unto the Lord. I think there are two things happening here. There is a forward-looking aspect and a backward-looking aspect. He says, I have trusted in thy mercy. My heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. Trusting is leaning upon something that we cannot see. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. The Lord so privileges his children that we get to enjoy our good things two times. We enjoy them first by faith and then a second time all over by sight. and David was at the point, and you and I are at the point where we walk by faith. We trust, we lean upon that which we cannot see, the mercy and love of the Lord, and trusting upon it without seeing it with our eyes, even that enables us to rejoice in the midst of conflict in this life. There's a forward-looking aspect of trusting in the Lord's mercy. There's also a backwards-looking aspect. I will sing unto the Lord because he hath dealt bountifully with me. One man of God has wisely said that in our afflictions, we are prone to be hasty in charging the Lord. And he gives us liberty, as we've seen, to pour out our lament. How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord? But if we will patiently endure for a season, if we will consider upon what he has promised, if we will seek him in prayer, then it may very well be in the end that we will retract. our hasty charges against the Lord. And no longer will we be saying that God has forgotten me, but that he has dealt bountifully with me. Our eyes will be opened to remember and think upon the mercy and goodness that have truly followed us all the days of our life, even in the valley of affliction. And this ought to be that which fills our heart with rejoicing and indeed fills our mouths with singing praise unto the Lord. In all of this, we have that great comfort that one has gone before us. As in the pilgrim's progress, in the progress through the valley of the shadow of death, we find that Christian heard one singing ahead of him the Lord is my shepherd and so on. And that we have the comfort that the Lord Jesus has gone before us, that he has tested these things in his own experience and grants them to us, that we might own them. May God help us to take hold upon these things by faith. Amen. Would you stand with me for prayer? O Lord, our God and our Father in heaven, we do give thanks for thy faithfulness, and we pray that patience would be given to us in our souls to press on still through the season of darkness and affliction. Do show thy face to us, O Lord, and dispel the darkness and sorrow sometimes of our hearts and lift us up to a place where we may be able to sing to the Lord, for he hath doubt bountifully with us. We pray, O Lord, that thy word would go with us We pray that the precious seed would be not snatched away by the fowl, but rather treasured and capped in our hearts. Help us to bring it to mind, meditate upon it, and bring forth the fruit of it. We ask it for Jesus' sake, amen. As we remain standing, let's sing once again.