Psalm 13, 1 Peter 1:6-7

Howard Drummond considers how we handle the difficult seasons in life

Howard Drummond

I'm sure we've all had telephone calls; the phone rings, you pick it up and the person on the other end starts the conversation. What comes next could bring exciting news; news of a new job, a promotion, the coming home of a loved one after a long trip away, the birth of a child, or a call about receiving a significant inheritance. On the other hand the news could be that someone is in hospital, or that they have received some sad news about themselves or someone else; it could be the losing of a job.

We could sit and ask ourselves, why do we have difficult times and joyous times? Why do we have sorrow and grief? Why have both pain and happiness?

I want to say that 'life happens' and life brings us seasons in our lives, whether sorrowful or joyous, whether seasons of happiness or unhappiness, or a season of having to be patient. We all experience seasons in life.

When I look at seasons of life I believe they come to do four things:

• awaken our spiritual values


• challenge us with the realities of life and death


• help us to look at our Christian commitment and connection


• help us look at what God would have us do with our lives

With the seasons can you say that God does everything right on time; right on schedule, even if it seems like a last minute.com moment or lasts a lot longer than you think it should?

Read Psalm 13. I want to point out two things in light of us experiencing seasons of life:

The first is what David does four times; he ASKS a question. Four times David asks, 'how long'.

How long may seem like an eternity. God knows how long our trials should last, because He knows exactly what we need.

1 Peter 1:6-7 says: 'In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed.'

Psalm 13 suggests that David is experiencing a season of life; a season which starts with the question, 'how long will it last'? It's a point in his life that causes David to express to God exactly how he feels. I believe this is a season of depression and discouragement, where he is overwhelmed with sorrow. It is a season where he thinks God has abandoned him at a crucial point in his life. He's experiencing a season where he needed and expected relief from God and it doesn't happen. God hides himself from David and leaves him somewhat in the dark.

If like David you are experiencing the feeling where everything is falling down around you and that life is becoming somewhat of a cold, bleak and a lonely place, then the first thing is that you need to be honest with God and tell him exactly how you feel. Like David, you may also ask, 'how long'?

The second thing David does is ARGUE with God, praying to God.

I don't know about you, but when I complain I get a little angry; my blood begins to boil and I become a little less righteous in my behaviour. Most of our logic tends to go out of the window and we become this 'Incredible Hulk' type character who is not only changing colour but also changing in personality.