Psalm 13—How long will I be left with only the quiet wonderings inside myself as I carry my grief from day to day?

A Note from Andy

Some of you may notice that the customary list of completed psalms at the bottom of this post is diminished. This project is in its third year and it has grown and changed so much that I’ve had to go back and rewrite the older psalm renditions—and remove many of them. This isn’t a bug; it’s a feature. This is part of the wonderful magic of serial publishing. I’m making the versions of these psalms in public and releasing them digitally. This means that nothing is set in stone—intentionally. These psalms are all free to keep getting better over time until they finally find their place on a printed page.

We - reader and writer - are in dialogue, and there is a magic to that too. You’ve influenced this project in countless ways. I get to learn from you in real time and watch what resonates and work your feedback back into earlier drafts—with the result that the final product that is much better than it could have been otherwise.

The psalm below is a great example. I posted it a few years ago and recently got to re-work and improve it. I’m much happier with this version and I hope it speaks to you as well.

Rendition of Psalm 13

Will you forget me forever, God?
Why would you hide from me? 
My enemies all stand over me and crow.
How long will I be left with only
The quiet wonderings inside myself
As I carry my grief from day to day?

Look at me. Consider me. Answer me, God.
Break your light over me.
Open my eyes before I close them in death.
Don’t let the things that have hunted me this far
See my fear but not my faith.

I have sworn myself to your love.
I  walk the long road to a distant victory.
In my heart, I feel the joy of it already.
Even poetry, even song rises out of me. 
Because you are nearer
Than heart could hope 
Or mind hold at once.

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Psalms: 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 38, 39, 40, 43, 47, 54, 61, 63, 66, 70.

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Photo by Simone Dinoia on Unsplash