A prayer for the distressed

I often find myself coming face to face with reality. A whole lot of it. I have a friend who is not afraid to speak of reality. I appreciate that. When you really know what you're dealing with, you can actually work on it. Or, more and more often, pray more specifically about it and look to wise ones for counsel.

When people bring their realities to me, I try to 1. help them understand that reality as a fellow human being with my limited abilities 2. help them understand that reality with the wisdom God gives in Scripture and 2. assure them that God is with them in that reality, no matter how dark the road.

I remember praying this one Psalm daily, if not several times a day during some rough stretches of college.

I recently opened up a Bible study on "Dealing with Depression" with this Psalm to give those who suffer in the "cloud" a light. Does it make the cloud go away right now? Not necessarily. Is the light there in the cloud? Yes, even if you can only see a sliver of it. And even if you're wondering why you can't see the light yet, remember how the star led the wise men to see Jesus even as Herod sought to kill Jesus. Remember how God's smile glowed from heaven when he was baptized, even though Jesus would later be condemned for what we have been and said and done that God frowns upon.

Our light, Jesus, had much more darkness in front of him after those moments in the spotlight. In fact, the darkness was always all around him while he was here. But every time he came up against darkness, his light pierced it. Demons fled. Diseases reversed. Life came from death for Lazarus and for him. Jaw-dropping perfection came from his life instead of oh-so-common sin.

And even though he now sits in the most brilliant light in the heavens, he is with us in our darkness. He has rescued us from the darkness of not knowing God or where we stood with him. He has brought us into God's light. Why would he turn the lights off on those he has already rescued? His light can't go out because in him there is no darkness at all. He will finish what he started. He will lead us all the way through the darkness. He will light our way through our present darkness until light is all there is and all we see.

Psalm 13 English Heritage Version (I love the guidance in praying this Psalm that the headings provide)

Anguished Questions

1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I experience worries in my soul,
sorrow in my heart every day?
How long will my enemy tower over me?

An Urgent Prayer

3 Look at me. Answer me, O Lord my God.
Give light to my eyes
    so I do not sleep in death,
4     so my enemy does not say, “I have overcome him,”
    so my foes do not rejoice when I fall.

A Solid Answer

5 But I trust in your mercy.
My heart rejoices in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord
    because he has accomplished his purpose for me.