Howling and Howling and Howling Some More

Riley the Beagle howls. Our dog doesn’t bark too much and he never bites, but oh he can howl! And Ian and I, on many occasions, howl with him! If fact, sometimes we are the instigators of the howling, and when we start, Riley just can‘t help it and he joins in and howls with us, harmonizing quite beautifully! The three of us are a site to behold! And to hear!

A few years ago, our friends Mike and Susan stopped by our house, and in the midst of our visit, we couldn’t find Riley. Assuming he was wandering the neighborhood, we searched for him outside, but we couldn’t find him anywhere. Until we heard his howling.

Riley wasn’t wandering. A door had closed and he was stuck in a small room off the kitchen, and since he couldn’t get out on his own, he was howling like crazy. That’s how we found him. And when we finally rescued him, he followed me around for a long time, howling and howling and howling some more.

A mighty man of God, King David howled mighty long and loud on many occasions. Stuck and unable to get out on his own, David howled. In fact, Charles Spurgeon referred to Psalm 13 as David’s Howling Psalm because he incessantly howls -- “How Long” -- throughout the first two verses.

“How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?
 How long will you hide our face from me?
 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart?
 How long will my enemy triumph over me?”  

Impatient to be relieved of his suffering, David howls with all his might. In fact, this isn’t an isolated incident for the Psalms record David as a regular howler. Anytime David felt shut away from God, he howled and he howled and he howled some more until he remembers who God is; and then he goes from howling with all his might to praising God with all his might. Whether it was howling or praising, David did it with all his might!

David’s howling was directed at God, which led him to focus on God. In verse 5, David remembers God’s “unfailing love” and his “salvation” and how good God has been to him. In a distressing situation, David remembers God is trustworthy, and he gradually starts to sing, which he probably did with all his might! 

Even though we don‘t know the situation that prompted the writing of Psalm 13, the desperate words can be applied to any situation where someone is suffering and feels like howling! It’s certainly applied to my life from time to time. And it’s probably applied to yours as well. Maybe it even does today. If so, this Psalm of Howls can bring relief to our soul as we follow David’s example, crying out to God, yet remembering his  “unfailing love” and “salvation” and how good he is to us, too. One brings us help; the other brings us hope.

Corrie ten Boon said, “If you want to hear God’s voice clearly and you are uncertain, then remain in His presence until He changes this uncertainty.”  Maybe that’s why David rarely appears uncertain – he stayed continually in God’s presence – even if he’s howling. And after God repeatedly rescues David, he stayed as close to Him as he possibly could - sometimes howling, but always praising and trusting God to be God.