How long, Lord?
—Psalm 13:1
It’s a lonely hike when you lose your beloved companion and must walk the path alone that you two traveled for so long together. And it’s a lonely room when ill health comes for a visit and refuses to leave.
“How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? . . . How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart?” (Ps 13:1, 2).
Listen for the Lord’s assuring whisper, “I will not forget you! I have engraved you on the palms of my hands” (Is 49:15–16).
Psalm 13 begins with a lament but ends with praise: “I trust in your unfailing love . . . I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me” (Ps 13:5, 6).
Loneliness hurts. But it’s not forever.