As a theological point, we might well insist that God knows us and loves us forever, and is always present with us. Yet God’s people have not always experienced it that way. Sometimes it feels like God is very far away: such as when the psalmist asks, “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?” (Psalm 13:1).

The psalms do not shy away from expressing vivid feelings: in this case, the anguish of abandonment. “How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all day long?” (13:1-2).

The cause of the pain here turns out to be some kind of controversy where the opponent is winning (13:2); so God, the only one who can fix this situation, had better hasten to get to work: “Consider and answer me, O Lord my God! Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death, and my enemy will say, ‘I have prevailed!’ ” (13:3-4).

It’s a great psalm to pray in our own trying circumstances: it is not afraid to rail at God’s slowness, and also not afraid to conclude with trust: “I will sing to the Lord, because you have dealt bountifully with me” (13:5-6).

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We need you always, O Lord, and at times we cry out that we need you Right Now: yet you act on your own timetable and not on ours. We pray for patience. And we pray especially for the courage to tell you, in our prayers, how we really feel, in the confidence that you will not be caught off guard by our strong emotions.