In this episode of Living in Step with the Holy Spirit, Bruce Downes reflects on Psalm 13 and the painful experience of disappointment in the spiritual life.

There are times when we pray and the answer does not seem to come. We ask for healing, guidance, restoration, breakthrough, or change, and the situation remains the same. In those moments, disappointment can begin to speak.

It asks: Has God forgotten me? Does He see what I am carrying? Is He listening?

Bruce reminds us that these questions do not mean our faith is weak. When we open the Scriptures, we discover that many of God’s faithful servants asked the same kinds of questions. David begins Psalm 13 with the honest cry, “How long, O Lord?”

He does not pretend. He does not hide his disappointment from God. He brings it directly to Him, and in doing so, he keeps the relationship alive.

The Holy Spirit does not invite us into a relationship built on pretense. He teaches us to pray honestly, to bring sorrow into the light, and to keep trusting God’s steadfast love even when His timing remains a mystery.

Today’s invitation is to bring your disappointment before God and allow the Holy Spirit to keep your heart open.