First Baptist Church, Stillwater Weekly Newsletter  the week of July 5, 2026

“I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.” -Psalm 13:6, (NIV)

Have you ever felt out of place? And I don’t mean like a low-stakes event like you’re a new person to a job or friend group. I mean like you just don’t fit in no matter what? The term is called: “dislocation.” In the non-medical sense of the term, dislocation means “disruption of an established order,” (Merriam Webster’s Dictionary).  When the things that you thought you can rely on are gone. When life seems upside down. It can be very distressing to feel like that. 

The Psalmist in Psalm 13 expresses the feeling of dislocation in their heart. After voicing the feeling that God has forgotten him (Ps. 13:1), the Psalmist goes on to express that they are struggling to cope with their own ability to process change: How long will I store up anxious concerns within me, agony in my mind every day? (Ps. 13:2). You and I can become weighed down by unhealthy thought processes that feed us lies that make us feel God has forgotten us. The Psalmist goes on to voice that because of the challenges he is facing with other people, he feels hopeless. Maybe you’re feeling that way right now. It’s pretty hopeless when we feel like the God we count on isn’t paying attention. 

So how do we reclaim the assurance of God’s love and care over us? How do we relocate ourselves in God’s loving plan? The psalm contains three steps we can take: 

1) We admit our need for God’s help. As quoted above, verse 2 of the psalm names the issue: anxiety and troubles are plagueing the psalmist. He feels surrounded by enemies. The first step to fixing a problem is admitting there is one. The psalmist gives a name to his issue: he is storing up anxiety. This takes for us the wherewithal to examine ourselves and ask: “what’s really going on in there?” We can get help from pastors, friends, or counselors in identifying the problem. 

2) We fill our despair with God’s hope: “But I have trusted in your faithful love;

my heart will rejoice in your deliverance” (v. 5).  The “but” there is what theologian Walter Brueggemann called the “adversarial but.” The adversary is despair at the way things are, BUT there is an alternative. God has a new and better plan. The psalmist calls this “deliverance.” We admit our pain but sing anyway. This isn’t ignoring or suppressing but it is living in defiance of the troubles that plague us. 

3) We recall God’s past provision, and apply it to our future. “I will sing to the Lord

because he has treated me generously” (v. 6). Our testimony of how God has worked in our life is how we overcome the temptation of despair. The same God who loved us then loves us now even in our current trials and tribulations. 

These three principles found in Psalm 13 can help us relocate ourselves in God’s plan and God’s love. And we can then go in boldness to share His love with others. 

May it be so with us,
Matt 

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