This is an interesting psalm, and one that I really connected to for many years, when I was in the midst of one of the greatest struggles of my life. But what jumps out at me today is the beginnings of verse 2, "How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day?"
What I notice is that this is really a struggle with self. When you think about it, anguish is self-produced. It is caused by our reaction to extreme circumstances, but WE get to choose how we react. I am reminded of people who live in extreme poverty situations and yet have great joy. Often this is found in other countries...and with people who love Christ a great deal that their circumstances are unimportant to them. On the other side, when trouble befalls, some people fall into great anguish and we know that David struggles with a lot of emotions.
So it is interesting that he asks how long will he deal with anguish and sadness, when we know David has such a heart for God...but of course, by the end of the psalm David has returned to praising a good God.
I think one of the things that attracted me to this psalm during that period of life was that I could relate to the idea of life's circumstances overwhelming me and at moments, not being able to push through that with my faith and praise of God, but that it was just moments and not a permanent thing. As David would push through, he would also help me.
Do you ever find that David helps you to move from one set of emotions to another? That is one of the greatest things about sharing emotions with another, is that each can help the other find a way to a higher place. If you have never experienced this with the psalms before, give it a try next time life has knocked you down. Walk with David in his sorrtow and rise with him in his praise of the Lord!
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