This Psalm is a roller coaster of emotion – it begins quite sorrowful and desperate, but gradually builds into praise and hopefulness at the end.
“Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me. I am weary with my crying out; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God. More in number than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without cause; mighty are those who would destroy me, those who attack me with lies. What I did not steal must I now restore? O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you. Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, O Lord God of hosts; let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel. For it is for your sake that I have borne reproach, that dishonor has covered my face. I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother’s sons. I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving. This will please the Lord more than an ox or a bull with horns and hoofs. When the humble see it they will be glad; you who seek God, let your hearts revive. For the Lord hears the needy and does not despise his own people who are prisoners. Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and everything that moves in them. For God will save Zion and build up the cities of Judah, and people shall dwell there and possess it; the offspring of his servants shall inherit it, and those who love his name shall dwell in it.” (v1-8,30-36)
I’m not sure about you, but I’ve had days where I felt like this. I have experienced the overwhelming sensation of hopelessness, that feeling of drowning, that ominous weight that sits on the shoulders. It’s difficult to put these profound emotions into words, which is possibly why so many people find solace in the Psalms. David and others put words to the difficult and often crippling emotions we can experience.
Though it’s very easy to dwell in deep waters, the Psalmists realize that long-term emotional suffering isn’t God’s desire for our lives. Of course God allows these things for a season, but ultimately His heart’s desire is to bring us to a place of healing, joy, love and peace. The poetic transition of this Psalm makes this process seem a little seamless and timely, however we know that is often not the case.
We have many verses in addition to v30-36 which offer us hope of a future where emotional struggles are lessened. “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” (1 Pet 5:10) “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” (Psa 34:17-19) “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jer 29:11) “And Jesus answered them, ‘Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, “Be taken up and thrown into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.’ ” (Mk 11:22-24)
You (like I) may be thinking “But I’ve read those articles titled ‘101 Encouraging Verses’, and I don’t feel more hopeful than I did before.” Of course that’s a possibility, and I understand your skepticism. I’ve heard some cliche verses many times and the verses themselves were unfortunately not the solution (that would be too easy…). The verses after all are just written words, right? Not quite – those written words are given power by the One who wrote them, our living God who created from your innermost being and knit you together in your mother’s womb (Psa 139:13).
If the scriptures are more than just written words, how do we receive the emotional/spiritual healing and redeeming power of which these verses speak? Only through submission through Christ to God will that healing eventually come. It may take time (perhaps months or years), but God does heal the brokenhearted, I’ve experienced it. God’s promises will not return void, He does provide healing and transformation, though He has a few conditions. Though God’s love is unconditional, some of His blessings do require our obedience/submission to Him. “He said, ‘If you listen carefully to the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.’ ” (Ex 15:26) ” ‘When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.’ ” (2 Chr 7:13-15) These and many other verses clearly articulate that obedience to God is part of the equation when it comes to restoration.
Yes, emotional/spiritual healing is promised to us by God, though He doesn’t give a time frame (this is partially contingent on us) and He has a condition of obedience, humility, and submission to Him (this is also contingent upon us). So we have an active role to play in any blessings of healing that we are to receive – sometimes we even need to seek outside help of a friend, pastor, or counselor to aid us in the process. It’s often a long and messy road, however, we have a faithful God whose steadfast love endures forever, who promises to never leave or forsake us, as long as we don’t turn our backs on Him first.
Father God, Healing One, Blessed Redeemer of the Broken, we come before You today, a broken and hurting people. You know the anguish of our hearts, You know the burdens of our souls, You know the tears we cry and the pain we suffer. Father God we ask Your forgiveness of any unconfessed sin in our lives, and we acknowledge the ransom price Jesus paid on our behalf. We praise You in advance for any and all healing You will provide for our broken hearts and crushed spirits. May You receive all the glory that our stories will tell to those around us, and may Your light shine through our brokenness and bruises to reach others who are in equal need of healing. Thank you for meeting all our needs according to the riches of Your glory in Christ Jesus.
~ Conqueror in Training