(An ongoing series on
the 48 psalms listed as “recommended reading” for times of depression, as
listed in counselor/pastor David Seamands’ book Healing for Damaged
Emotions.)
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| A reminder of abundant blessings.... |
Some churches have a
“children’s sermon” time of about five minutes when the little ones gather around
the pastor or an assistant for a simple Bible story or instruction. The second
half of Psalm 34 seems to do that with its invitation, “Come, my children, and
listen to me, and I will teach you to fear the Lord” (v. 11). Where the first
part of this psalm is a testimony of trusting God in dire circumstances, the
second half relates practical spiritual and relational skills. These, too,
matter a lot when we’re trying to get through difficult and depressing times. Among
the classes David was authorized to teach:
Tongue Control 101 (v. 13). Avoid lies. Don’t do
evil. Do good. Have a peaceable disposition.
Romans 12:18 aligns with this: “If it is possible, as much as depends on
you, live peacefully with all men.” I’m
grateful for that middle phrase—“as much as depends on you”—as I’ve encountered
people so hardened by negativity and bitterness that kindness seems to bounce off
them. But God sees my efforts, and understands when I have to tell Him,
“They’re your problem now, God. I’ve done the best I can and it’s damaging to
me emotionally to remain in contact with them.”
Graciousness 101 (vv. 14-16). Don’t answer “meanness” (ungracious, demeaning words and
behavior) with the same. Peter’s letter says “amen” to that: “Do not repay evil
with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing” (1 Peter 3:9a).
Divine Dependence 101 (vv. 17-18). Ask God for help in trouble. Tell Him if
you’re brokenhearted. Imagine: an instant audience with the Lord Most High! He
knows already, but He’s ready to reach out to those with crushed spirits. He has something better ahead.
Back to the verse highlighted
in last week’s exploration of Psalm 34:1-10:
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those
who are crushed in spirit.
Broken hearts litter the
emotional landscape. There’s a breach in a relationship, and two people are
hurt badly as they draw apart. The brokenness may come from abandonment,
rejection, oppression, abuse, or even death. Dreams are shattered and there’s
typically a physical reaction, like a heaviness that rightly is called “heartache.” Fear, loneliness, and despair arise along with reluctance to love or
trust someone again.
But that’s not the end of the
story. Jesus came, as Isaiah prophesied, to heal the broken- hearted (Isaiah
61:1-3, Luke 4:18). He showed us up-close the character of a God who wants us
to know peace, and to give us a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11).
Such verses brought me hope
in the late 1970s when the man I thought I’d marry decided to end our
relationship. That’s when Psalm 34:18—about the Lord being close to the
brokenhearted—became my healing hope. I
moved away. Each of us completed graduate degrees and settled in our
careers. One sad year, I buried both my parents. As the years ticked by, I
figured he had already married someone else. Then, one day eight years later, out
of the blue, he called. I was now living two thousand miles away. Friends had
given him my phone number. He'd never married. When he asked if he could write, I was astonished.
The end of the story is that we got back together and married. And for our
wedding verse, we chose this:
O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name
together.
Did you guess? Yes, Psalm 34,
verse 3.
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