David and Paul and the Suffering of the Righteous

I am continuing the theme on suffering. In today's scripture reading (Psalms 13-15; Acts 19) King David poured out his heart to God when he faced his enemies who seemed to have the upper hand. Listen to his prayer:
"How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?
    How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
    and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
    How long will my enemy triumph over me?
Look on me and answer, Lord my God.
    Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,
and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
    and my foes will rejoice when I fall." (Psalm 13:1-4)

That's the beauty of the Psalms - such brutal honesty! If I can't be honest with my inner turmoil before Jesus, who else can I turn to? Like Simon Peter, I find these words truly precious in times of troubles:
"From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”" (John 6:66-69)

Likewise Saint Paul met with resistance and death threats everywhere he traveled. Here in the great city of Ephesus after some initial success of leading both Jews and Greeks to the Lord, then a riot started. And yet, Paul remained committed to reach the lost souls. "After all this had happened, Paul decided to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. “After I have been there,” he said, “I must visit Rome also.”" (Acts 19:21). Paul knew the dangers that lied ahead (see Acts 20:13-38). We know that's where Paul became a martyr.

So this is what I learned today. When I suffer, do I turn away from the Lord? Or do I all the more commit to trusting Him - "But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise for he has been good to me." (Psalm 13:5-6)
Instead of wallowing in self-pity I must remain firm in obeying His command to reach out to others in His Name. The Lord is not finished with me yet. Towards the end of Paul's life, he wrote to encourage His son (in the Lord) Timothy:
"Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."
(2 Timothy 4:8)
Let me keep my eyes focused on the end goal - to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. (Westminster Shorter Catechism)