PART SIX

Expressing Ourselves in Hardship & Suffering

In the midst of hardship, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and unsure of how to express yourself. Like the song Express Yourself by Charles Wright, there’s an invitation to express what’s on your heart—even in suffering. The question is: how do we express ourselves honestly before God in the hardest of times?

Psalm 13 gives us a powerful example of this. David, a man after God’s own heart, expresses his feelings of abandonment, weariness, and sorrow to God, and yet he doesn’t stop there. He moves from lament to trust, from feeling forgotten to worshiping God for His goodness.

In the first two verses of Psalm 13, David repeatedly asks, “How long?” These are not questions of disbelief but honest cries of weariness. He feels forgotten and wonders if God has hidden His face. Yet, deep down, David believes in God’s presence and omniscience.

In verses 3 and 4, David’s tone shifts as he respectfully petitions God, asking for relief and clarity, all while acknowledging his dependence on God. By the end of the psalm, in verses 5 and 6, David declares his trust in God’s steadfast love and salvation, resolving to praise God for His faithfulness.

This psalm shows us that it’s OK to be honest with God in our pain. David models a way to express feelings of sorrow, defeat, and even doubt, but he doesn’t stay there. He moves toward trust, worship, and praise because he knows that God’s presence, even in darkness, is constant. Our feelings of abandonment are not always reflective of God’s absence.

When hardship comes, we are invited to express our emotions openly to God, trusting in His steadfast love and faithfulness. As we cry out, we can do so with confidence that God meets us in our suffering, just as He met David and, ultimately, as He did through Jesus in the darkest hours on the cross.

Key Takeaways

• It’s important to express your emotions honestly before God, especially in times of suffering.
• David’s lament in Psalm 13 shows that feeling forgotten by God does not mean God has actually abandoned us.
• Moving from lament to worship is a process of trusting in God’s steadfast love and promises.
• God’s presence is constant, even when we feel alone in the darkness.
• Expressing ourselves before God is part of deepening our relationship with Him through hardship.

Additional Scripture References

• Psalm 13
• Isaiah 26:3-4
• Psalm 88:1-6
• Genesis 1:2
• Exodus 20:21
• Luke 23:44-46

Study Questions

1. What does Psalm 13 teach us about expressing feelings of abandonment or sorrow to God?
2. How does David’s shift from lament to praise in Psalm 13 encourage you in your own struggles?
3. In what ways can you be more honest with God about your emotions in times of hardship?
4. How does understanding that God is present even in the darkest moments change the way you approach suffering?
5. What steps can you take to move from expressing pain to praising God in your difficult seasons?