11 Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion;
Declare among the peoples His deeds.
12 For He who [i]requires blood remembers them;
He does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
13 Be gracious to me, O Lord;
See my affliction from those who hate me,
You who lift me up from the gates of death,
14 That I may tell of all Your praises,
That in the gates of the daughter of Zion
I may rejoice in Your [j]salvation.
15 The nations have sunk down in the pit which they have made;
In the net which they hid, their own foot has been caught.
16 The Lord has made Himself known;
He has executed judgment.
In the work of his own hands the wicked is snared. [k]Higgaion [l]Selah.17 The wicked will [m]return to [n]Sheol,
Even all the nations who forget God.
18 For the needy will not always be forgotten,
Nor the hope of the afflicted perish forever.
19 Arise, O Lord, do not let man prevail;
Let the nations be judged before You.
20 Put them in fear, O Lord;
Let the nations know that they are but men. Selah.
The psalmist says a strange thing toward the end of this cry for help. In verse 18, we see that the “needy will not always be forgotten” and hope will not perish forever. Yet, this seems to imply that the needy might appear to be forgotten, and hope might seem dead… for a time.
We go through things in this life where we cannot see the end, and certainly where hope seems dead and gone. We may be in a situation where we feel destitute and forsaken. Yet God knows what you need, and He sees where you are, at all times.
He doesn’t only see you when you cry out in distress, but God is with you always. As the famous song so aptly says “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He’s watching me…” This is based on something Jesus told his followers, which is that we are worth far more to our Father than a sparrow, yet not one of them falls that He doesn’t know it.
No matter what life throws your way, no matter how desperate your circumstances seem, hold on to hope. Even more, hold on to Jesus, for he is our hope and sure foundation, an “ever present help in time of trouble.” Remember, God not only sees you, but He walks beside you every step along the way. Difficult as those steps may be, His strength makes them possible.