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

We start out every week with an inspirational lesson from the beloved Psalms. For centuries, these ancient poems of King David and others have been the foundation for Jewish and Christian worship. Enjoy!

When I was in my teens, an elderly Jewish woman in our community once said something to me that I’ll never forget. “We should be grateful that we don’t know the future. We’re better off dealing with things as they come.” The reason this piece of wisdom struck me was that it’s such a common human desire to want to know the future.

I’ve thought about her statement a lot ever since. And the older I get, the more sense it makes. She wasn’t simply being pessimistic, implying that we shouldn’t want to know the future because of the tragedies that we’ll see on the horizon. I think she was saying that we’re simply better off not knowing because our knowledge of the future would take us away from our real task in life — dealing with the situation as it presents itself in the here and now.

At the same time, while the future is uncertain, there are certain things we do know. After all, as people of biblical faith, we know that God has a plan and that ultimately, we will see the triumph of good over evil and the kingdom of God established here on earth.

God’s Love Is Certain

Psalm 13 expresses this combination of sentiments beautifully. The psalm opens with David crying out to God, seeking knowledge about the future of his suffering: “How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 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?” (vv.1-2)

That was David’s present situation. He was pursued by enemies and turned to God for clarity. His repeated question “How long?” expresses that basic human desire to know what the future holds, when the suffering will end, where it is leading.

The psalm doesn’t include any answer from God, and yet, David closes this prayer on a high, hopeful note: “But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the LORD’s praise, for he has been good to me.”

We may not know the future. But we do know that God is in charge and that His love is certain. No matter what we’re going through, we can rejoice in God’s salvation.

Your turn: Are you or a loved one going through a tough time? As you pray to God, be sure to follow David’s lead and let God know that you trust in Him and His kindness.