Music is a special gift from God. As a musician and music lover, I know how deeply it helps us express the full range of the human experience—joy, sorrow, hope, loss, even doubt. God created music for us, and not just for worship, but for a wide range of feelings, seasons, and experiences. And when it comes to music, sometimes the most God-honoring songs come from the valleys of life.
That’s exactly what we find in David’s Psalm 13, a song of lament.
How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
Psalm 13:1-2 (ESV)
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I take counsel in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
If you’ve ever felt like God was distant, you’re not alone. David felt it too. He didn’t hide his pain or pretend everything was fine. He poured his heart out honestly, asking, “God, where are you?”
But here’s what’s powerful: Even when David felt abandoned, he didn’t give up. He kept praying. He kept asking. He kept trusting.
But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
Psalm 13:5 (ESV)
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
David’s situation hadn’t changed, but his focus had shifted. He stopped staring at his pain and started remembering his God. That is faith!
So what do we do when God feels far?
- Be Honest — Tell the Lord how you feel. God is not afraid of your honesty, but he is still holy. So bring your raw emotions with reverence, not rebellion. Usually, honesty is the instant reaction to being in pain. So take off your mask and come to Jesus with it all.
- Be Persistent — Pray even when it feels pointless. Even when he felt that God was distant, David prayed, “Consider and answer me, O Lord my God” (Psalm 13:3, ESV).
- Trust God’s Character — God hasn’t moved an inch from you. Your feelings are real, but that does not make them equivalent to truth. If you build your hope, like some do, on the feeling of God’s presence or good vibes, you have no real hope. What is theologically true should surpass what is experientially felt. You must trust in truth over feelings because God’s love for you is true, no matter how you feel.
Sometimes your most honest act of faith is singing in the midst of your sadness. So if you’re in a season of silence or sorrow, sing anyway. Pray anyway. Trust anyway. God is still near. He still sees you. And his love still holds you. This is the same God who did not leave you in your sin, but came to bear the weight of it all on the cross. He’s not abandoning you now either.
Bee-Attitude
Blessed are those who draw near to God in the silence, for they will find joy in the truth and realize he was never far.
Grant Turner is the editor of the Barnesville Buzz and an educator, coach, and writer based in Barnesville, Georgia. He shares stories that bridge community, faith, and personal growth. In addition to teaching and coaching, Grant is Director of Musical Worship and a Sunday School teacher at New Hope Baptist Church in Zebulon, Georgia. He lives in Barnesville with his wife, Haley.
