MENTAL HEALTH IN THE PSALMS: 142
PSALM 142:1-7
#mentalhealth
INTRODUCTION 1 … POOR BISHOP HOOPER PSALM 142 (EVERY PSALM) youtube.com/watch?v=cnjIGGu77Jo [4:27]
INTRODUCTION AND NEED FOR METAL HEALTH EMPHASIS… who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-strengthening-our-response
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines mental health as “a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community.”
I brought this definition up as we began this series of sermons in the Psalms weeks ago because our focus has been mental health and mental health impacts countless areas of our lives:
social interactions, the ability to go to church or school, control of emotions and feelings, gastrointestinal issues, marriage relationships, school and work performance, identity struggles, anxiety, eating disorders, our view of God, the ability to pay attention, and so many other areas.
I would add to the WHO’s definition of mental health and add spiritual aspects to it in that mental health also is “a state of spiritual well-being that enables people to cope with sin, navigate spiritual struggles, realize their identity in Christ, learn the Bible, and contribute to the Body of Christ.” It has been my hope these past weeks that you have seen how mental health and/or mental illness is addressed in the Bible and is an integrated part of our spiritual life. Mental health and physical health and spiritual health are all tied together. They are not separate. When we treat them as separate, we are not fully considering how Almighty God has made us.
The Bible absolutely addresses our mind and heart and emotions and patterns of thinking and when we ignore such things, we do so to our detriment. My point is simply this: We should not ignore mental health for it is an integral part of how God fashioned us as human beings. Because God knows us best as our Creator and as the All-Knowing Almighty, we should absolutely understand God’s Word for us about mental health.
TRANSITION
The Book of Psalms in the Old Testament, many written by King David, is an ideal book to dig into mental health because the psalms often share with us unfiltered thoughts, raw emotions, and a mind that is awash with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Psalms are our mirrors for our souls. Our Psalm today is Psalm 142. Some of the words may sound familiar from the video I showed a few moments ago.
READ PSALM 142:1-7 (ESV)
With my voice I cry out to the LORD; with my voice I plead for mercy to the LORD. 2 I pour out my complaint before Him; I tell my trouble before Him. 3 When my spirit faints within me, You know my way! In the path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me. 4 Look to the right and see: there is none who takes notice of me; no refuge remains to me; no one cares for my soul. 5 I cry to You, O LORD; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” 6 Attend to my cry, for I am brought very low! Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me! 7 Bring me out of prison, that I may give thanks to Your Name! The righteous will surround me, for You will deal bountifully with me.
TRANSITION
The life situation David was in when he wrote Psalm 142 is one that we know about from other passages in the Old Testament. It is most likely reflected in 1 Samuel 22 and 24 which means David probably also wrote Psalm 34 and Psalm 57 about the same time. David was on the run for his life from King Saul. The amount of stress and fear and constant pressure would have been overwhelming for anyone. David was literally hiding for his life and overcome with helplessness and hopelessness.
* I see David dealing with much anxiety
* I see David wracked with depression
* I see David invaded with loneliness
* I see David doing his best in a terrible situation
Psalm 142 reflects all of what was going on inside of David and shows us how David was struggling. There are three primary thoughts in Psalm 142 and all of them direct us to think about mental health because we see ourselves reflected in David. After we talk about these three areas, I want to also investigate what we can do to help and love and minister to those in our lives who may deal with such emotional and mental obstacles. You see many times a mental illness or struggle will prevent someone from helping themselves and so help comes from God and many times help comes from God through another person which may in fact be us!
TROUBLE AND LOWNESS
First, David felt trouble and lowness in his spirit.
In verse 1 he says: “With my voice I cry out to the LORD” and asks for mercy.
In verse 2 he says: “I tell my trouble before Him.”
In verse 3 he says: “When my spirit faints within me”
In verse 6 he says: “I am brought very low!”
In verse 2, David uses a specific word that means trouble and sharp distress. In verse 6, he uses a word that means to “be brought low” and has physical weakness attached to it. Overall, David is feeling trouble and lowly in his spirit. His situation is overwhelming his heart and that overwhelming of his heart is also impacting him physically. That is how mental health works. A struggle in our spirit or emotions or patterns of thinking translates to sleeplessness, physical weakness, heart issues, weight issues, stomach problems, headaches, and a whole host of other physical issues. David is dealing with all of that as he sits in a cave and hides for his life.
We need to realize that mental struggles impact us physically. We should realize it, but maybe we do not. We should always keep in mind that anxiety or grief or intense emotions always impact us physically because human beings are made that way. It was that way for Jesus as well. Before He was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus’ emotions overwhelmed Him in wave after wave. Luke 22 describes it best:
READ LUKE 22:42-44 (ESV)
“Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me. Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.” 43 And there appeared to Him an angel from heaven, strengthening Him. 44 And being in agony He prayed more earnestly; and His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
Jesus was in such emotional agony that the capillaries in His head burst and blood mixed with His sweat. These verses are not fiction, but describe a real human physical reaction to emotion. Jesus is experiencing intense emotion combined with a physical reaction. It is how we are made as human beings. Our emotions and mental health impact our bodies and physical health. David was undergoing something similar as he sat in a cave hiding for his life as a madman pursued him.
TRANSITION
David not only speaks about trouble and lowness in Psalm 142, but he also curiously speaks in Psalm 142 about feeling very alone.
ALONE
Second, David felt very alone.
In verse 4 he says, “there is none who takes notice of me”
In verse 4 he says, “no one cares for my soul”
In verse 6, he mentions that no one is around to hear his cry.
I find it very interesting that David feels alone. I say that because in 1 Samuel 22-24 which gives the background of this season of David’s life, we note that he is not by himself in anything he endures. David is not on the run by himself. David is not hiding by himself. David is surrounded by others; many others. 1 Samuel 22 tells us that relatives came to aid him and others which numbered around 400 also joined him. These others that joined him were not of the best of character, but that is not the point. David was in fact not by himself and yet he felt alone.
That small truth gives us a hint about the power and nature of the mind. David was not alone and yet his mind and heart told him he was lonely therefore… he was lonely. Loneliness has absolutely nothing to do with the facts of real life if you are by yourself or in a crowd of people. Feeling alone is a state of mind and a pattern of thinking mixed with emotions where you are isolated in your heart. Loneliness is painful inner emptiness. Mental illness whether short-term or long-term is something that is very isolating. A person feels like they are alone feels as they do because patterns of thinking lead them to see their lives according to the facts their heart is telling them rather than reality.
We should realize that mental struggles impact us in terms of how we see ourselves and how we relate to other people. We should realize it, but maybe we do not. We should always keep in mind that anxiety or grief or intense emotions can impact us by isolating us from people and from social situations and decrease our willingness to be social. Our minds and hearts can even lead us to isolate ourselves from God and push Him away. Before He was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus’ emotions overwhelmed Him in wave after wave. In the same passage we looked at a moment ago, Luke 22, note what is described just a few verses later as it relates to feeling alone:
READ LUKE 22:42-46 (ESV)
“Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me. Nevertheless, not my will, but Yours, be done.” 43 And there appeared to Him an angel from heaven, strengthening Him. 44 And being in agony He prayed more earnestly; and His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 45 And when He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, 46 and He said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
The Gospel of Matthew (26:40) adds the phrase from Jesus in this same timeframe of His life: “So, could you not watch with Me one hour?”
What additional emotion is Jesus feeling in that moment of complete anguish and grief and anxiety when He walks back to the disciples and they are all sound asleep? I think He feels alone. I think He feels isolated. He feels like He is by Himself in the Garden of Gethsemane even though He is clearly not physically alone for all the disciples are all right there. He even had the benefit of an angel to attend Him at one point. And yet, Jesus felt alone.
TRANSITION
David not only speaks about trouble and lowness and feeling very alone in Psalm 142, but he also speaks in Psalm 142 about feeling trapped.
TRAPPED
Third, David felt trapped.
In verse 3, he says: “In the path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me.
In verse 6, he says: “Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me!”
In verse 7 he talks about being in prison.
All three of those verses speak about this feeling of being trapped or in a situation where there is no way out or feeling emotionally backed into a corner. This feeling is very real for David and I imagine that this feeling of being trapped presented itself as anxiety. When I use the term ‘anxiety’ in the context of mental health, I am not speaking of worry, although it can encompass that. ‘Anxiety’ in a mental health capacity is a bit broader than just a feeling of worry or the inability to control worry.
Anxiety includes feeling nervous, restless, or tense. There is also fear of being trapped, helpless or embarrassed depending on the person. Some feel impending panic or doom which results in increased heart rate, sweating, and trembling which then means they are often weak or tired. Anxiety can bring on gastrointestinal issues. The anxiety that I am speaking about has made a huge surge after the COVID-19 pandemic and I can almost guarantee you know someone who is dealing with increased anxiety after the shutdowns and isolation and arguments over masks and the shift that happened in many communities, organizations, and schools. Anxiety is real and it is all the more real after COVID-19.
We need to realize that anxiety is real and impacts us physically and socially and eventually spiritually. We should realize it, but maybe we do not. We should always keep in mind that anxiety is a real struggle for some around us. I believe Jesus endured anxiety before He was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane as Jesus’ emotions overwhelmed Him in wave after wave. We have been reading from Luke 22, but let’s also read from Matthew 26 and I want to read the whole section and I want you to see in Jesus of Nazareth the presence of anxiety about what is about to happen to Him:
READ MATTHEW 26:36-46 (ESV)
36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and He said to His disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” 37 And taking with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, He began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then He said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with Me.” 39 And going a little farther He fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” 40 And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And He said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with Me one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 Again, for the second time, He went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, Your will be done.” 43 And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 So, leaving them again, He went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. 45 Then He came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going; see, My betrayer is at hand.”
Jesus is about to be betrayed by one of His dearest friends and tortured and subjected to unfair trials and will die the most horrible death ever invented. Yes, Jesus felt anxiety. Yes, Jesus prayed about it earnestly. He prayed and the anxiety and fear about crucifixion and separation from God and all that He would endure was there. Over and over that night He dealt with emotions that overcame Him. Jesus seems so very much like us in the Garden of Gethsemane, don’t you think? Like David in a cave in Psalm 142, Jesus was feeling great anxiety pressing down on His heart in a garden in Luke 22. Anxiety is real and a struggle for some.
SUMMARY/TRANSITION
Psalm 142 presents a window into David’s heart and mental situation and we see him as full of trouble and being low, feeling alone, and also riddled with the feeling of being trapped which causes anxiety. The Psalms are often mirrors for ourselves. These struggles are real and are even present in the life of Jesus which to me makes it all the more real. Such feelings may be centered around a catastrophic event or a drastic life change or may be a persistent mental illness challenge.
So, what can we do?
Why should we bother being an encourager when it comes to mental health?
How can we love someone who is full of trouble and brought low?
HELP
Overall, I think about the following Bible passages in answering some of those questions:
READ GALATIANS 6:9-10 (ESV)
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
READ Colossians 3:16 (ESV)
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
READ 1 Peter 4:10 (ESV)
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace:
I cannot help but see an overall message in the Bible that we are to constantly do good for each other and help and carry burdens and admonish and teach and encourage each other and love others and minister to each other in as many ways as we possibly can. Mental health is not excluded anywhere in there. We just assume we can’t help so we don’t. We just assume it is someone else’s problem so we do not make the effort and investment to love each other when struggling with mental health.
God would have us love and encourage people no matter their internal struggles.
How about some practical examples?
First, share with the person over and over that God’s Word is the power and help and an aid for their patterns of thinking. The Bible is God’s supernatural revelation that speaks right to our hearts (RB, pg 142). The Bible presents our identity in Christ and proper patterns of thinking. Our faith in God’s deliverance and help and strength must be foremost in our minds and hearts if we are to navigate mental illness properly and sometimes we need someone else to point that out for us. We must cling to God when nothing else makes sense because we should not believe everything we think. We must cling to God when our patterns of thinking lead us to trouble and low places. As a spouse or friend or parent or family member, we can encourage the person to cling to God and His Word because we don’t want them to lose Him as their focus in the midst of struggle.
* Text them Bible verses daily when you pray for them
* Use You Version to read the Bible together
* Pick them up and bring them to church even when they don’t wanna
I know that focusing on God is something we should do because it is specifically what David did. The same verses that I mentioned a few moments ago which expressed his trouble and lowness also express his vision and focus and prayer and attention and hope are all on God Almighty Who listens to our cries (verse 1, 5, 6), grants mercy (verse 1), hears our troubles (verse 2), shows us the way (verse 3, 7), offers deliverance (verse 6) and bountiful blessings (verse 7). David sees trouble all around, but he also knows to keep his believing loyalty on God.
Second, encourage the person not to neglect medication (RB, pg 162). It may be that a person does not understand that their emotions are impacting their physical body and sending their spirit out of whack and a medication is needed. Mental illness is not only in the mind, but medication can help the mind and the body and the spirit recover and heal and create a balance. The soul and body are linked and wonderfully partnered in both disease and healing (RB, pg 166). We do not need to say just pray more to help with mental health, but be wise in that a medicine may be needed to address a physical root cause of mental illness or anxiety.
We might also need to lovingly remind the person that they are important, needed, loved, and deserve to get the help, counsel, and medicine needed to get mentally healthier. When you pray with them and for them, ask God to help them see themselves as God sees them.
* Help them search for a doctor that will fit their needs
* Offer to take them to the doctor if they aren’t sure about medication
* Offer to talk about how medication might be helpful for them
* Pray with them for wisdom about what is good and right for their health
* Help them see medicine as a tool and blessing from God to help
Third, we may need to compassionately intrude into their space and interrupt the unhealthy patterns of thought with loving and unwavering consistent insistence (RB, pg 160). We can make sure a person we love and care for does not spend too much time alone. We can arrange for friends to visit or take them with us to visit with people or go out to eat. Sometimes idleness can breed loneliness or anxiety and so maybe doing an activity with them that is physical as well as mental can be helpful. Now, the person may not want to do it because they do not see the value in it, but that is where the compassion-loving consistent insistence comes into play. The other side of this is that presence of others may not automatically sure loneliness, but it is a step in the right direction.
* Encourage them to comfort others because encouragement is contagious (RB, pg 161)
* Insist that they continue to go to church and serve
* Be compassionate but firm when mental illness is winning over reality
* Pray for them and with them about God reshaping their patterns of thinking
CONCLUSION/BLESSING
As we conclude this morning, it has been my hope and prayer these past weeks as we have read from the Psalms and thought about mental health that you see in the Scriptures the importance of mental health. Mental illness is something that impacts us all whether it be in ourselves for a season or a lifetime or in someone we care about who is in our lives. Being cognizant of our patterns of thinking and our emotions and how they impact our physical selves and our spiritual life is important. We are created to be whole in all these areas.
I would like to be prayerful and bless those who struggle with mental illness:
* May you find peace and strength in Christ first for He is the source of peace and strength.
* May you find medicine to be helpful as a tool of God for wholeness and health.
* May you have support and love and firmness from people around you.
* May you forgive those people around you who say the wrong things at the wrong times.
* May you know your brokenness brings you closer to God Almighty not further away.
* May you know that God sees you each and every day as you struggle.
PRAYER
INVITATION
