MENTAL HEALTH IN THE PSALMS: 28
PSALM 28:1-9
#mentalhealth
INTRODUCTION 1… POOR BISHOP HOOPER PSALM 28 (EVERY PSALM)… youtube.com/
watch?v=Pcazsb9uGNs [3:08]
INTRODUCTION 2… Tremper Longman III, How to Read the Psalms. IVP Academic; Inter-Varsity Press, 1988, 76–85. [adapted]
We are beginning today a series of three sermons where we are focusing on the Psalms and mental health. Last April (2023) we focused on this same topic with the Psalms and I feel led to continue our conversation about mental health and the Scriptures. It is not a topic that is spoken about often in Church, but is a worthy topic for us.
The Psalms are songs in the Old Testament part of the Bible. Psalms are worship songs that the people of Israel would sing when they gathered together to worship and confess and support each other. Psalms teach us about God and ourselves.
Psalms are very emotional. We can’t read the Psalms without an emotional response. As the psalmists cry out in joy or grief, they stir us as we identify similar emotions in ourselves. Many people call the Psalms mirrors of the soul. The Psalms are soul music. The Psalms speak to us in a wide variety of situations and a wide variety of emotions.
SG Meyer, a psychologist, wrote in the Journal of Psychology and Theology (1974): “The range of emotional expression often allows the reader to express [his or her] inner life. They assist [us] in verbalizing what [we] have been unable to communicate. In doing so, [we] often crystallize the nature and identity of [our] problem[s].”
The Psalms put us in touch with our deepest emotions. As readers of the Psalms, we feel seen and understood. The Psalms can also make us sensitive to the emotional struggles of others. These Holy Spirit inspired songs show us that emotions and struggle are part of a relationship with God and not separate and can help us understand our emotions. The Psalms were born from life struggles and speak to people who struggle today. They also arose from people who had experienced liberation in God from struggle whether a permanent victory or victory that comes day by day.
TRANSITION
It is my hope and prayer to overall encourage you in these three weeks as we dig through the Psalms to look at mental health and to see it as a normal regular important part of life and health and wholeness. I want you to see the spiritual and the mental together rather than something that is separate. Mental health and spiritual health are not mutually exclusive. I want you to see that therapy or medicine is a blessing or a tool given by God to help. I want you to see that God provides healing or also grace to make it just through one day… for He does both. My prayer is that you know that God cares about your mental health.
The mirror to the soul that we are going to look at today is Psalm 28. Psalm 28 is a psalm by King David. When he refers to God’s “anointed” one in verse 8, we see that he is referring to himself as the anointed covenant king. Psalm 28 is a royal prayer and a call out for help to God. We can tell from the verses that he is praying in the midst of some crisis. To be honest, if you look at David’s life, he lived through one crisis after another. It was either trouble from an enemy that wasn’t his fault or the results of poor parenting on his part or a boneheaded move that created heartache or just a natural disaster. No one knows what particular trouble David may have been in and it could have been any of his issues!
Let’s read God’s Word.
READ PSALM 28:1-9 (ESV)
To You, O LORD, I call; my Rock, be not deaf to me, lest, if You be silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit. 2 Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy, when I cry to You for help,
when I lift up my hands toward Your most holy sanctuary. 3 Do not drag me off with the wicked, with the workers of evil, who speak peace with their neighbors while evil is in their hearts. 4 Give to them according to their work and according to the evil of their deeds; give to them according to the work of their hands; render them their due reward. 5 Because they do not regard the works of the LORD or the work of His hands, He will tear them down and build them up no more. 6 Blessed be the LORD! For He has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy. 7 The LORD is my Strength and my Shield; in Him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him. 8 The LORD is the strength of His people; He is the Saving Refuge of His anointed. 9 Oh, save Your people and bless Your heritage! Be their Shepherd and carry them forever.
TRANSITION
What do these verses share with us? As I looked over Psalm 28, I noticed the cry in verses 1-5 and the One Who responds in verses 6-9.
THE CRY (verses 1-5)
Verses 1-5 share with us the state of the heart of David. These verses are filled with words like: “call,” “deaf,” “silent,” “cry,” “pit,” “plea,” “drag,” “wicked,” and “evil.”
The word he uses in verse 2 that is the English word “cry” is a very specific intense word. It means “to cry out for help” or to “shout in need.” This is the cry heard when someone is wounded and cries out for aid (Job 24:12). This is the cry heard when someone is on the street and is oppressed and hungry and they call out for someone to help them (Job 29:12, 35:9, Psalm 72:12). This is the sound that someone who is afflicted makes (Psalm 22:24, Jonah 2:2).
Do you know how I know this cry on David’s heart is terrible and heart wrenching? Do you know how I know this is an intense word? It is exactly the same word used later by the Prophet Jonah in Jonah 2:2. Jonah 2:2 says:
READ JONAH 2:2 (ESV)
“I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and He answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried,
and You heard my voice.”
If you know your Bible, you know where Jonah is at in Jonah 2:2 when he makes this cry of distress. He was being digested as a tasty morsel inside of a huge fish in the ocean. Jonah had rebelled against God and God called a pre-planned pre-meditated audible and snatched Jonah from the ocean to teach him a lesson. Jonah is literally in the belly of the beast and knows death is near. He cries out in deep distress to God. This is the same word David uses that frames his emotions and his state of mind in Psalm 28.
David cries out to God and names his fears:
He fears that God will not listen to him and He will be silent (verses 1-2)
He fears that he will die without hope (verse 1)
He fears not having strength or what is needed to make it (verse 1)
He fears wicked people will win over him (verses 3-4)
He fears that injustice will have its way in his life (verses 3-5)
The major fear of David is that his prayers are ineffective and that he is only talking to himself. In our wording, David was afraid that his prayers were “bouncing off the ceiling.” It can feel like that because God is spirit and we are not. It can feel that way because God does not always answer right away. It can feel like that because God doesn’t answer in the way we want. It can feel like that because doubts can be strong. David’s perspective is pain and anguish and hurt and it makes his world seem smaller and it makes him doubt God. He feels powerless.
CONNECTION TO MENTAL HEALTH
I’d like to review just a minute about what is going on in David’s life and make sure we connect it with us in our lives. The sense we get is that David is enduring some kind of crisis. His emotions are all over the place including fear, anxiety, sadness, anger, and a whole host of other emotions. Tension exists in his life. He is even having doubts that God is hearing him.
The thing about stress and tension and fears is that everyone processes life a bit differently. For instance, one person may become angry and overwhelmed by traffic, while another person might just turn up their music and enjoy the extra time in the car. A fight with a friend or family member or spouse might follow one person around for the rest of the day, while another person shrugs it off. We all have trouble, but it impacts us differently.
We all have issues and stress and crisis just like David. There are folks who deal with someone completing suicide. There are the people who suffer from daily physical pain or a prolonged sickness. There are widows and widowers who are left alone after many years of marriage. Each of these deal us stress and anguish and issues with which we must deal.
Financial problems cause stress and anxiety. Financial problems cause arguments, guilt over spending money, and fear whenever the phone rings. Changes in job or schooling or housing is also something that can bring fear. Change is not easy and most change comes with a healthy dose of the unknown which fuels anxiety. Conflicts with bosses or co-workers can create long lasting stress and issues. Crisis at work can create anxiety, depression, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, headaches and heart palpitations, mood swings, muscle pain, and even stomach problems.
I haven’t even talked about parenting, being too busy, changing priorities, miscommunication in marriage, dating woes, sexual problems, entering a new life stage, the nightly news, or the fact that the McRib keeps popping in and out of existence at the whim of some McDonalds executive.
Life is difficult and people are even more difficult and our mental health is always under assault. In this psalm, we find David in a situation where his emotions and mind are in crisis. He doesn’t say it, but we can guess he is feeling his emotions physically as well. I hope you see that we can relate to him. He is relatable. His emotions are relatable. His life crisis (whatever it is!) is relatable.
TRANSITION
What do these verses share with us? Verses 1-5 in Psalm 28 frames the emotions and mental state of King David. Next, the Responder is found in verses 6-9. I’d like to re-read Psalm 28 so the verses are fresh in our minds:
RE-READ PSALM 28:1-9 (ESV)
To You, O LORD, I call; my Rock, be not deaf to me, lest, if You be silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit. 2 Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy, when I cry to You for help,
when I lift up my hands toward Your most holy sanctuary. 3 Do not drag me off with the wicked, with the workers of evil, who speak peace with their neighbors while evil is in their hearts. 4 Give to them according to their work and according to the evil of their deeds; give to them according to the work of their hands; render them their due reward. 5 Because they do not regard the works of the LORD or the work of His hands, He will tear them down and build them up no more. 6 Blessed be the LORD! For He has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy. 7 The LORD is my Strength and my Shield; in Him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him. 8 The LORD is the strength of His people; He is the Saving Refuge of His anointed. 9 Oh, save Your people and bless Your heritage! Be their Shepherd and carry them forever.
THE RESPONDER (verses 6-9)
The entire tone of Psalm 28 changes in verse 6. Verses 6-9 share with us the changed state of the heart of David. These verses are filled with words like: “blessed,” “heard,” “mercy,” “strength,” “shield,” “trusts,” “helped,” “exults,” “thanks,” “saving refuge.”
I think Psalm 28 is helpful for people who claim faith in God and plead the blood of Jesus Christ and try to live in step with the Holy Spirit because David is a God-fearing man and his life was not going well! Difficult circumstances come for everyone whether we believe in God or not. Sometimes finances and relationship problems or the impact of the nightly news is the same for all of us… but what is different for some of us is faith in the Responder.
We may think there is nothing we can do about stress or anxiety or depression or anger or obstinate trouble-causing people in our lives. Psalm 28 says we can do something. We can turn to God and look for His response.
Verse 1 says God is our Rock.
Verse 8 says God is our Strength.
Verse 8 says God is our Stronghold.
Verse 9 says God is our Shepherd.
[repeat]
The tone of the psalm changes in verse 6 because David’s heart turns towards God and his thoughts change. David has been pouring out his fears about people and situations and about things he cannot control. David has been talking out his anxiety in prayer and writing down his thoughts. David shares his doubts and anger with God. It is in the sharing through prayer and writing that David takes a step towards wholeness. It is in taking a step of faith towards God Who is our Rock and Strength and Stronghold and Shepherd that David begins to make his way through the crisis.
Moses says the very same words of faith in Deuteronomy 33:27:
READ DEUTERONOMY 33:27 (ESV)
“The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”
The Prophet Isaiah says the very same words of faith in Isaiah 40:11:
READ ISAIAH 40:11 (ESV)
“He will tend His flock like a Shepherd; He will gather the lambs in His arms; He will carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.”
Many times, we believe in the separation of the mental and the spiritual and we do so at our own detriment. Also, many times we have attitudes and say things that are not helpful for those who deal with any type of mental illness or extreme stress or anxiety or situational fears:
* Churches traditionally tell people with mental illness to go elsewhere for help.
* Christians tell other Christians just to pray more and stress and anxiety will disappear.
* Christians tell other Christians just to read their Bible and everything stressful will get fixed.
* A common suggestion is also to sleep with a Bible under one’s pillow to help feel happy.
* Christians also say that ‘real’ Christians don’t get depressed or have doubts or stress.
Every. Single. One. Of. These. Is. Wrong.
As we think about Psalm 28, it is my hope that you see in the Scriptures the importance of mental health. Mental illness and situational anxiety and fears and extreme tension are something that impacts us all whether it be for a season or a lifetime or in someone we care about who is in our lives.
A step in the right direction when in a crisis is to turn to God as we see in Psalm 28. We need to turn to God Who is our Rock, Strength, Stronghold, and Shepherd in times of crisis. Prayer should be our first action towards mental health, but it doesn’t have to be the only action we take.
I would like to be prayerful and bless those who struggle with extreme fears and anxiety:
* May you find peace and strength in God first for He is Rock, Strength, Stronghold, and Shepherd.
* May you find medicine to be helpful as a tool of God for wholeness and health.
* May you have support and love 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 in each and every crisis as you struggle.
APPLICATION: A PRACTICAL ITEM
As I was reviewing Psalm 28, it occurred to me that David did something that we all can do when in a crisis. I mentioned it earlier, but it might be helpful to highlight it again. David is in crisis and in the midst of his crisis he wrote down what was going on inside of him. He probably called it: writing a song. We might call it: journaling.
How does jotting down our emotions and stress to God help?
CONTENT… innerdrive.co.uk/blog/feelings-down-on-paper/ [adapted]
#1 Processing emotions: Getting our emotions down on paper helps us to recognize our emotions and process our feelings. Writing them down will be an invitation to the Holy Spirit for Him to help clear our mind and spirit. Giving time and space to our emotions allows Him to bring us peace and direction.
#2 Alleviating stress: Concealing emotions increases stress. Getting them out and down on paper can help to reduce the stress surrounding negative emotions. Again, being open with God in confession or expressing our stress opens our heart and mind to God and engages with Him.
#3 Melting ‘snowballs.’ ‘Snowballing’ occurs when we let negative emotions build up and race out of control. When we grab a piece of paper or write ourselves a text or doodle out how we are feeling it can put a stop to this acceleration and we rest in the Spirit with self-control.
We all have moments when things get on top of us and we struggle to cope with our emotions. Whatever is causing us stress, scribbling down our emotions inviting the Holy Spirit to minister to us is a step in the right direction. Writing down our thoughts and feelings may help us label our emotions. Labelling is key for understanding “what” we are feeling. It may help with the “why.” Being self-aware or emotionally intelligent is not something many of us do well or comes to us naturally. Writing out what we are thinking and feeling in a crisis may also help us process our feelings, which can reduce the intensity of emotions… and as I said… we are doing this to invite the Holy Spirit to do what He does best. I’m also not talking about writing these thoughts down to yourself, write these thoughts down TO GOD. Write out your prayer amid the stress.
There is no right way or wrong way to write a prayer journal or write out our emotions to God. Picking up the pen and opening up (literally and figuratively) to God can be a great way to begin a prayerful dialogue with Him in the midst of a crisis. It worked for King David.
CONCLUSION
The Psalms have been called a mirror and the mirror of Psalm 28 shares with us King David who is in a crisis and fears greatly that God will not hear His prayers or answer. He writes down his doubts and stress and God meets him in the midst of the trauma of life. That was true for David and it can be true for us.
PRAYER
INVITATION
RE-READ DEUTERONOMY 33:27 (ESV)
“The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”
