Sunday 15th October 2023 | Psalms 13, 88, Matthew 27:45-46 | Pastor Rolly Stahl | God’s People at Prayer (Psalms) series
Everybody hurts!
Pain may be a consequence of our own actions. We often reap what we sow.
But then there are the disasters that ambush us and devastate us.
- Like road accidents, bushfires, or floods that take lives, destroy property, and leave families shattered.
- Or acts of violence inflicted by perpetrators who leave their victims traumatised.
- Or the brutality of war when one country invades another – leaving a wake of death and destruction.
- Or the death of a loved one – that leaves us reeling with sorrow and despair.
In times like this, we wonder: “Where’s God when I’m hurting?”
Psalms of complaint to God[1]
Friends, every generation has wrestled with this since Adam and Eve. History shows how people can shriek when in pain. Many have hurt bad enough to write or sing about it. Archaeological digs have unearthed laments from thousands of years ago, where people say: “It hurts!” “I am hurting!” ‘We are hurting!”
What is unique to Israel is not the lament, but their complaints to the Lord. People are telling God exactly how they feel.
I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy.
I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble. (Psalm 142:1-2 NIV)
In the Bible, these complaint Psalms[2] reflect pain, rejection, abandonment, persecution, chaos, confusion. Hurting people are questioning God and his faithfulness:
- “How can you let this happen to me/us?!”
- “What about the covenant promises you made with us?!”
- “Why have you turned your face away from me/us?”
- “Why are you using me for target practice?” (Job 16:12-13)
- “Why are you mugging me?!” (Job 30:18)
The language is of threat, betrayal, accusation, even blame. It’s not polite pious gush. It’s not faking it before God; or diminishing one’s feelings. Rather, it’s raw, honest shooting from the hip, and letting God have both barrels of our disappointment: “You could be doing better for me than this!”
William J. Parker comments:
The language… can seem scandalous. How can faithful people speak to God that way? … We may even be uncomfortable with these prayers. Yet they are the collective prayers of a people in pain. They are not magical, however; praying these psalms will not make everything better. But unless they are spoken, we run the risk of trivialising our relationship with God. The language of the lament calls upon God by name and expects a response. It takes a great faith to be so candid.[3]
These Psalms can give shape to our prayers whenever we are hurting – and wondering: “Where’s God in this mess.” “Why is this happening to me?” Or: “How long, Lord?”
Psalm 13 – How long, LORD?
How long, LORD?
Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me? (Psalm 13:1 NIV)
While stuck in despair and yearning for a glimmer of hope, we cry, “How long, Lord?”
The psalmist complains to God of being abandoned. Why has the Lord forgotten his child? And why has God hidden his face?
When God hides his face, those who depend on him can only despair (Ps 30:7; 104:29). When God’s face shines on us, he brings hope and life. As in the Aaronic Blessing:
The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. (Numbers 6:24-25 NIV).
Peace, order, right relationships, and health is dependent on God’s attention and participation in human life. But when God’s face is hidden, there is none of this.
The first two “How longs” are complaints to God.
The next two reveal the person’s anguish:
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and every day have sorrow in my heart? (Psalm 13:2 NIV)
While in pain, we ache for resolution. While in pain, we cannot focus on everyday tasks; or cope with everyday relationships. Suffering brings dis-ease. Suffering is disabling. Suffering seems to make time stand still.
The psalmist cries out about his situation.
How long will my enemy triumph over me? (Psalm 13:2 NIV)
He wonders: “Will my enemy triumph and gloat over my demise? Won’t God break in to defend his servant? Why is God taking so long to vindicate me?” When facing ridicule or hostilities from others, we wonder the same thing: “How much longer do I have to put up with this? Lord, when will you do something?!”
The psalmist desperately appeals to God for deliverance:
Look on me and answer, LORD my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death; (Psalm 13:3 NIV)
In other words: “I’m about to die unless you get me out of this!
Give light to my eyes. A person’s eyes reflect their condition. Eyes are the window to the soul. Even today we have a saying: “bright eyed and bushy tailed” to describe a person in robust health. When sick or sorrowful, a person’s face and eyes are dull. When healthy, faces and eyes shine. When David’s friend Jonathon ate honey his “eyes brightened”. His strength returned. (1 Samuel 14:29). Light is life. Darkness means death.
and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
and my foes will rejoice when I fall. (Psalm 13:4 NIV)
The psalmist often quotes taunts of the enemy. Jesus was mocked at the cross: by religious leaders, people passing by, soldiers, and even the criminal next to him. This mocking is not just gloating over the psalmist’s misfortune, but a defiance of God in whom the psalmist trusts. None of us likes to see evil triumph – do we!
Pause – In the murk and mess of life, these complaint Psalms urge us to acknowledge our feelings – and vent them to God. Having complained, it’s now time to pause… to listen and wait on God to act.
Friends, the love of God can meet us in our desolation. We can’t skip these dark moments. Yet in his time, God will bring us to a new place where we will see God, ourselves, and the world in a new perspective. So we come to the last 2 verses:
But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing to the LORD,
for he has been good to me. (Psalm 13:5-6 NIV)
There is movement: from complaint…to trust and celebration. God has heard and saved his servant. Because of God’s unfailing love and saving acts, the psalmist is rejoicing.
Many complaint Psalms express confidence that the Lord will act – or give thanks and praise to God because that He has acted. One notable exception is Psalm 88!
Psalm 88 – Why LORD, do you reject me and hide your face from me?
The psalmist keeps turning to God for help.
1 O Lord, God of my salvation, I cry out to you by day. I come to you at night.
2 Now hear my prayer; listen to my cry.
9b Each day I beg for your help, O Lord; I lift my hands to you for mercy.
The psalmist tells God: “I’m hurting!”
3 For my life is full of troubles, and death draws near.
4 I am as good as dead, like a strong man with no strength left.
5 They have left me among the dead, and I lie like a corpse in a grave.
I am forgotten, cut off from your care.
The psalmist complains to God: “You’ve done this to me!”
6 You have thrown me into the lowest pit, into the darkest depths.
7 Your anger weighs me down; with wave after wave you have engulfed me.
8 You have driven my friends away by making me repulsive to them.
14 O Lord, why do you reject me? Why do you turn your face from me?
15 I have been sick and close to death since my youth.
I stand helpless and desperate before your terrors.
16 Your fierce anger has overwhelmed me. Your terrors have paralyzed me.
17 They swirl around me like floodwaters all day long. They have engulfed me completely.
18 You have taken away my companions and loved ones. Darkness is my closest friend.
Note there is no resolution! I’m glad this Psalm is in the Bible. Sometimes we keep praying – and there’s no resolution. But it doesn’t stop the psalmist sharing his pain and crying out to the Lord for help. Neither should we!
Application
1. Complaint Psalms urge us to stay in the conversation with God
If you want an example of this, read the book of Job. In his suffering, Job accuses God of abusing him. Job’s pious friends are shocked at his audacity. But at no time does Job curse God to his face – or behind his back! Instead, Job vents his pain and frustration directly to God. And God commends him!!!
In the final chapter, God says to Job’s pompous friends, “You have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.” (Job 42:8 NIV)
Likewise, complaint Psalms remind us: whenever you’re devastated, overwhelmed, or life is the pits… tell God all about it. [4]
RATHER THAN COMPLAINING ABOUT GOD, COMPLAIN TO GOD!
GOD DESPERATELY WANTS YOU TO STAY IN THE CONVERSATION!
God knows your situation and God knows you!
God wants a relationship with you that embraces ALL of life
– not just bits and pieces.
2. Go to the cross of Jesus
“Where’s God when I hurt?” Go to the cross of Jesus and you’ll find out! Jesus is God with us in our suffering. Jesus cries Psalm 22:1 from the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46 NIV)[5]
In the shadow of Jesus’ cross, we see that there is no valley so deep that he has not been deeper. There is no pain so great that he has not experienced greater. In his darkest hours, the Son of God questions Father God. We can too!
3. Encourage hurting people to tell God how they feel
Some people think that prayer should be niceties addressed to God in pious language. Rubbish!! Our relationship with God can only grow to the depth of our honesty with him.
When people are complaining ABOUT God, ask them: “Have you ever told God exactly how you feel?” Encourage hurting people to get honest with God. Point them to these complaint Psalms as examples (and/or the book of Job).
4. Listen to people in pain
Allow hurting people to grieve, lament, complain, or verbally “vomit” their pain. When pain/grief is raw, have the grace and compassion to listen. Don’t give glib answers, pious clichés, or advice. Just be present and share their sorrow. A Jewish custom: “sitting shivah”. For a week after a funeral, friends sit in silence with those in mourning. They don’t rationalise or give cheesy answers. They just sit and listen.
5. Articulate people’s heart cries to God
Always ask permission before praying with hurting people: “Hey, would you like me to pray with you?” You could offer to read one of these Psalms. Or you could use these Psalms as a model in praying for your friend – complaining to God and committing their situation to God. We can be angry at God and desperate for his help at the same time!
My hope is that today’s message will help us to get real with God about what’s going on inside us – whether it’s good, bad, or ugly. Intimacy with God demands that we stop hiding – and share our true selves. No matter what we’re going through or how we’re feeling, thank God that he always wants us to stay in the conversation. Amen.
(c.1775 without footnotes)
[1] There are around 50 lament Psalms where people pour out their souls to God. “Lament Psalms” include: 3-17 (except 8, 9, 15); 22-28 (except 24); 31, 35-43 (except 37, 40a); 51-64 (except 60); 69, 71, 73, 86, 88, 102, 109, 130. Outside the Psalms, Lamentations 3, Jeremiah 11, 15, 17, 18, 20. Then there are Job’s complaints to God for assaulting him.
[2] William J Parker comments: “Psalms of Disorientation… reflect the brokenness of life when it is no longer orderly but savage. Spoken out of the depths, they are still bold acts of faith. E.g. 13, 22, 32, 35, 50, 51, 73, 74, 79, 81, 86, 88, 130, 137, 143.” Reference at footnote 3.
[3] William J Parker, Psalms of Orientation, Disorientation and New Orientation. http://www.ascensioncatholic.net/TOPICS/bible/Psalms.html
[4] Patrick Miller, writing on the First Commandment: “This means that it is precisely in the worst of circumstances, those situations signalled by the laments, that the First Commandment comes strongly into place. In the face of disaster, one turns to this deity for refuge and not to any other.” (Kindle 1476-90)
[5] Jesus’ final words from the cross: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46), are from Psalm 31:5a.
St John's Lutheran Church, Tea Tree Gully 
Powerful post dear soul thank you for creating and sharing 🙏
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