How long?

Psalm 13

This is another psalm written by David. The circumstances are not noted but it is obvious that David is suffering and this is another psalm of lament. The repeated refrain is "How long, Lord?" David recognizes that unless the Lord intervenes, all is lost and his enemies will triumph and rejoice in David's downfall. As in most of his psalms of lament, David ends with a declaration of trust, a recognition of the Lord's goodness and a pledge to praise.
I'm only at Psalm 13 and I am realizing that David is writing a lot of psalms of lament. It seems that David has a keen sense of justice and of right and wrong and when things are not right, he feels that deeply. Not only that, but he recognizes that the reason that things are wrong is because God's right to rule is not recognized. He acknowledges that God is in control even when people do not submit to his right to rule and that ultimately all things will be made right and justice will be restored. These are the reasons for his praise.
There are definitely times when I've wondered, "how long, Lord?" How long until we have a baby? How long until our house sells? How long until poverty is abolished? How long will evil people triumph? How long will injustice go unpunished? There is comfort in the questioning because the questions acknowledge that God is in control; it's his "fault" that these things are happening. When I focus back on God rather than just on the circumstances, I remember that God is also good and loves me very much and then I can turn to praise. I think we need to give each other permission to ask these questions of God. I think we need to acknowledge that our lament and our questions are an aspect of worship. In some ways it is a deeper worship than the surface praise we so often engage in.