Here are some questions based on last Sunday’s sermon text (Psalm 13), in case they’re helpful to you for personal growth or group discussion…

• [1] The Psalmist is distressed primarily by God’s apparent absence—difficult circumstances are distressing only insofar as they call God’s care into question. What distresses you most about difficult circumstances you face? Have you ever lamented God’s apparent absence? Do you believe that God is actually absent, or do you just feel that way? Why is there a difference between your beliefs and your feelings on the matter?

• [1-2] Four times the Psalmist asks, “How long…?” Implicit in the question is the belief that there will eventually be an end to the distress. Why do Christians have such a belief? Do you have this hope for the future? Does this hope enable you to stoically face difficulties in life, or does it cause you to cry out to the Lord, “How long?“

• [2] Where does the counsel of your own soul take you during times of spiritual turmoil? Has God been silent regarding your spiritual condition? Has he left you to your own counsel? How is the counsel of your own soul different from God’s counsel? Why is it hard to remember or to believe God’s counsel during times of spiritual turmoil?

• [3-4] The Psalmist basically prays, “Unless I see you, I will die, and the enemy will win—don’t let that happen!” God teaches us to wrestle with him in prayer this way. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote that God gave us Psalms like this “to do battle against God for God.” Do you feel your prayers to be wrestling with God in order to get God? Do you see it as a privilege to be able to do so, or do you suspect it is impertinent? Has God “lit up your eyes” with a vision of himself that sustains you? If so, how?

• [5-6] The Psalmist reflects and rests upon what God has made known about his nature (“steadfast love“) and actions (“salvation“). It transforms his distress into a joyful song. Does that make any sense to you? Have you experienced that transformation, or can you imagine it? Do you tend to reflect/rest more upon your perception of God’s dealings with you in your particular life, or upon God’s authorized revelation in the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Why might it be better to rely on the divine record of redemptive history (Scripture) than on a list of providential circumstances we’ve seen in our own lives?