1. Psalm 13 1 How long, L ORD ? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?

2. 3 Look on me and answer, L ORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, 4 and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

3. 5 But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. 6 I will sing the L ORD ’s praise, for he has been good to me.

4. “Voicing Our Complaints” Psalms 10, 13, 22, 34 Have you ever had someone bring a complaint to you? Sometimes we are just whining… But even whining gets things off your chest. Sometimes there are serious complaints that need to be addressed.

5. God wants to hear our complaints. In many psalms, David voices… Complaints Frustration Anxieties Exasperation

6. Psalm 4:1 Psalm 5:1-2 Psalm 6:1-3, 6 Psalm 10 Psalm 13:1-2 Psalm 22:1-2

7. There was a time in my life when I thought – how bold of David!! But when we are in a relationship, our honest thoughts and questions are part of that relationship. In families In marriages In friendships Why not with God?!

8. David’s Questions: Why is it that evil people seem to be winning and the righteous suffer? Why is God silent– or at least, taking so long to answer– when enemies seem to be overtaking him?

9. In each of these psalms: As he keeps talking, his tone changes. It is as if the talking, helps him process the situation. He remembers the Lord’s unfailing love.

10. Psalm 13 begins with an agitated tone, but by the end, David is talking about the “unfailing love” of the Lord. Talking helps us to process, and often helps us re-frame our situation.

11. Psalm 13 1 How long, L ORD ? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?

12. 3 Look on me and answer, L ORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, 4 and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

13. 5 But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. 6 I will sing the L ORD ’s praise, for he has been good to me.

14. “Prayer changes things… and it changes us.” Prayer is the vehicle that releases God’s power. Prayer can change the situation. Sometimes, instead, prayer changes our us and our attitude about the situation.

15. Prayer often helps us change our perspective. Psalm 22 Yet…

16. Sometimes the situation cannot be changed… we pray for the strength to go on. Even when we are in an irresolvable situation, God can provide comfort in unexpected ways.

17. Psalm 34 assures us of the importance of communicating with God… We are assured that God hears our prayers and watches over the righteous. Perhaps we won’t always get the answer we want, but we can rest assured of his love and deliverance.

18. Psalm 34 Promises: 15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry. 17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. 18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

19. 19 A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all. 22 The Lord redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.

20. Virginia’s Blessing

21. Putting it all together We can take our concerns and complaints to the Lord. The worst thing is when people bury their complaints and don’t talk about it anymore. They have given up and closed the door to a healthy relationship. Anger, bitterness usually follows.

22. Putting it all together As we talk to the Lord, He may change our situation… or He may help us see the situation differently… or He will help us cope with a situation that cannot be changed.

23. Putting it all together Persistence in prayer is important. Look at the repeated calls for help in the Psalms. The more we are in communication with God, the stronger and healthy our relationship, the more effective our prayer.