by Dave and Jan Dravecky
Psalm 6:1-9 In the midst of great physical suffering it is important not to ignore the emotional side of suffering. The advice, "Just suck it up," does not work. Our mental state enormously affects our physical state. Fears, grief, and anger all need to be expressed in order to bring physical healing. When bottled up inside, these emotions will destroy us. God knows what we're feeling anyway, so why try to hide it? It was so helpful to me during my long bout with depression to read the Psalms. Kind David, especially, poured out his heart to God. He was absolutely unafraid of bringing all his emotions into the open. Name an emotion, and you can probably find it in one of David's psalms. Fear? "When I am afraid, I will trust in you" (Psalm 56:3).
Weakness? "Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am faint (Psalm 6:2).
Anguish? "My soul is in anguish" (Psalm 6:3).
Impatience? "How long, O LORD, how long?" (Psalm 6:3).
Grief? "All night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears" (Psalm 6:6).
Sorrow? "My eyes grow weak with sorrow" (Psalm 6:7). Note that all of these examples (except for the first one) are from a single Psalm! David was unashamed to pour out his heart to God in all its emotional intensity and even fury. And note something else, too: God saw fit to put these emotional Psalms into Holy Scripture. Why? Because he couldn't find anything more doctrinally correct to include and he had to put in something? Hardly. God wants us to be truthful with him, and the Psalms are among the most transparent human records in existence. They prove that is possible to be both godly and honest. Excerpted from "Do Not Lose Heart" by Dave & Jan Dravecky, pgs 46-47.
|
