Psalm 13:5

Psalm 13:5 is the turning point of a desperate prayer, as David moves from anguished questions to a confident declaration: he has trusted in God's mercy and his heart will rejoice in God's salvation. The psalm begins with the cry "How long?" repeated four times, voicing the feeling of being forgotten by God. Then comes this verse, and everything changes.

The little word "But" carries enormous weight. David's circumstances have not changed -- his enemies still threaten, his sorrow is still real -- yet he deliberately turns his focus from his trouble to God's character. He grounds himself in God's "mercy," a rich Hebrew word for God's steadfast, covenant love, the loyal kindness that never lets go. This love is the anchor David clings to when feelings of abandonment threaten to overwhelm him. From trust flows joy: "my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation." Notice that David rejoices before any visible rescue has arrived; his joy rests on his confidence that God will save, not on a change he can yet see. This verse models the honest journey of faith. It does not pretend the pain away, but it refuses to let the pain have the final word. By choosing to remember God's unfailing love, David finds his way from despair back to hope and even to joy.