Have you ever felt like God has abandoned you? That is how David felt when writing this psalm. Many Christians feel this way at some time in their lives. I felt that way for twenty years. I thought God was punishing me for something, but I could not understand what it was. I got involved in my genealogy about that time, found out I had ancestors who weren’t perfect, and remembered that in the Old Testament God said He would punish descendants to the 3rd and 4th generation for the sins of people. I was a mess for too long a time; it was a test as God was trying to strengthen my faith. If I had been aware of this psalm, my recovery may have been sooner.
We don’t know how long David was feeling this way. By faith, David discovered strength in the Lord to move through this problem. David put his trust in God’s unfailing love and believed God would rescue him. He lifted his own spirits by singing praise to God. James tells how to deal with these situations: “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” James 1:2-4(NLT).