How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy rise up over me?
David describes a prolonged inner struggle. In his mind he keeps searching for a way out, pondering various plans, yet he finds no solution. That uncertainty fills his heart with daily sorrow. When a person carries his worries alone for a long time, his thoughts can continually return to the same pain and make his inner condition heavier. David’s suffering is not only inward. His enemy has risen against him and seems to have gained the advantage. For this reason, in his sorrow both uncertainty and real danger are joined together. Yet David does not remain only within the bounds of his thoughts. He brings all his turmoil before God, and in this way he no longer bears it alone. The believer also can sincerely tell the Lord his concerns and entrust to Him the burden of his heart. Prayer is not a means of ignoring hardship, but the way of entrusting the heart’s burden to God and waiting for His help and wise guidance.