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

The first part of this Psalm details David’s struggle with silence from God. I’ve talked about that here before (and if I haven’t I probably should) and I think that every believer has times in his/her walk with the Lord where he is silent. Sometimes the silence is because of unconfessed sin, sometimes I think God withdraws so we will advance toward him and seek him out, and sometimes we just won’t know the reason. Whatever the reason for God’s silence in this season of David’s life, David was suffering. He missed fellowship with his heavenly father and knew that without God, he was as a dead man.

But then he gets to verse 5.

Even in this season of silence, David says, “But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.” David was not swayed emotionally from what he knew factually. He trusted in God’s unfailing love, a love based on the expectation of relationship. He rejoiced in his salvation. The silence wasn’t bigger than his salvation.

How many times have I let my insecurities sway my convictions?

Then David wrote “I will to sing to the Lord for he has been good to me.”
I will sing–future tense
He has been–past tense

In the midst of the silence, David chose to believe that all that God had done for him wasn’t all that he was going to do. But even if it was, he was going to praise God anyway.

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This morning during my quiet time, I asked God for direction about a very specific issue. Specifically, I asked the Lord for a sign or signal that he was hearing my prayers. I mean, I know he hears our prayers when offered sincerely and of a pure heart and I acknowledged that the asking indicated a lack of faith, but I asked anyway.

And I got it.

I got it!

Lord, I praise and thank you for your goodness and your faithfulness. I called out to you and you heard me and you answered my plea. Just like you promised! Thank you for being steadfast when I am not. Thank you for speaking to me when I desperately needed to hear from you. And I even thank you for the silence because it caused me to seek you more fervently than ever before. (But it would be okay if we didn’t do that again anytime soon.)