DIAGNOSIS NEEDED (Psalm 38)

(An ongoing series on the 48 psalms suggested as “recommended reading” for times of depression, as listed in counselor-pastor David  Seamands’ book Healing for Damaged Emotions.)
“Sick as a dog”: the expression goes back to the early 1700s, when dogs weren’t pampered pals their owners took to veterinarians. If a dog was too sick to get well on its own, nature took its course. Not so today, when pets visit vets not only for illness and wound care, but also for wellness checks and vaccinations, dental care, neutering, and more.  

The “sick as a dog” idea has even come to the floral industry, which offers a special bouquet for somebody having a “ruff” time. You’ve guessed it: a cheery yellow and white bouquet with get-well balloon.  Oh yes, the white flowers are arranged to look like a dog, and there’s a bandage on one of its “paws.”  Only $55.

In Psalm 38, David would have probably called himself “sick as a dog.”  Given the primitive state of medicine in his times, he likely was sick often. You get a glimpse of medicine in his last days, when he was so old and cold that there just weren’t enough blankets to keep him warm. His caretakers’ solution: a beautiful young woman as a real-life heating pad. He was failing so badly that there was no hanky panky (1 Kings 1:1-4).

But at the time of this psalm, earlier in his life, we’re left to guess the medical diagnosis for the foul and festering wounds he attributed to his foolishness (v.5) or being bent over and racked with pain (v. 6, NLT). Nor do we have a medical name for “my loins are full of inflammation” (v. 7), or verse 10’s panting heart, failing strength, and dimming eyes. He was so sick that friends and relatives avoided him (v. 11). He had numerous “vigorous enemies” who hated and slandered him (v. 19-20),  adding to his emotional burden.

David would have had a full medical chart, but he identified his biggest problem as sin-sickness. The psalm begins with an appeal for God’s grace:

O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath,
For your arrows have pierced me, and your hand has come down upon me. (vv. 1-2)
My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear. (v. 4)

I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin. (v. 18)

The Bible describes David as having a heart for God (1 Samuel 13:14), and when serious illness slowed him down, he became introspective about his relationship with his Creator.

Sickness has a way of reminding you of eternity.  Despite good medical care, I am feeling the downward pull of aging.  Serious illness seems to hit me more often and harder. Two recent illness that lasted weeks (including pneumonia) reminded me that I won’t live forever on earth.  I faced again the question: am I ready to meet the Lord?  That’s why I “get” Psalm 38.  When physical illness or the downward pull of negative people become a burden, I seek the Lord’s perspective. David’s prayer becomes mine:

…be not far from me, O My God,

Come quickly to help me, O Lord, my Savior. (v. 22)

The encouraging news is that God is not far away. He’s behind the scenes of medical treatment.  But He’s also in the shadows when illness shuts me away for a time, ready to listen to my heart.