Drowning in the Psalms

Overwhelmed, anxious, swamped, overworked, underappreciated, depressed, rejected, disgraced, lonely…do any of these words describe you? If you are drowning in a deluge of demands? You are not alone. I always know that the week I start back to school will be the most hectic week of my whole year. Somehow though, I forget from year to year just how overwhelming it can be.

There are more tasks than time to accomplish them and by the first day back to teacher planning, I feel like I might not survive. Then before I know it, I am all jittery inside and I am short with the people that are dearest to me. I can’t stand feeling that way! By Tuesday morning I knew I wasn’t going to make it through the week without someone to rescue me.

One thing my faith has taught me is exactly where I should go when I feel this way. Psalms! The Psalms contain the most comforting of scriptures when life has me feeling like I am always driving on two wheels. It is through many of the Psalms that David praised God when he felt the much the same way. The Psalms always provide a lifeline for me and rescue me from ruin.

The more I feel like I can’t keep my head above water, the more deeply I drown myself in the Psalms. They put into words exactly how I am feeling and give hope that God is in the midst of my emotional roller coaster. I invite you to begin drowning in the Psalms; lifting praise even when it feels like you would rather be complaining.

The Lord is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 34:18

Why my soul are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Psalm 43:5

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble.

Psalm 46:1

The Psalms are packed with verses like this that make you feel like someone is peering in on how you feel. God is not just peering in on believers, He is on the inside moving and working! When I read the Words of David, I feel completely understood. Though King David and I have drastically different lifestyles, we share the same emotions like everyone.

David understood that nothing is hidden from God and so he didn’t try. The Psalmist spoke in depth about how he felt even though God already knew it. I have found that just talking to God about how I am feeling on the inside and reciting Psalms out loud takes the spiritual into the physical. Try confessing your emotional state to the Lord and find that He understands.

God desires for us to share all the small details of our life with him. David is a perfect example of this. The mark of a Christian is not to be stoic and unmoved by life’s troubles. On the contrary when we are weak, we give God’s strength an opportunity to shine. David is not whining to God in the Psalms, he is being transparent about the emotions God built in to each of us.

If God gave us all the same exact emotions to experience throughout our lifetime  then He has a perfect plan to help us deal with them. David was a man after God’s own heart because he sought the heart of God in the most difficult of circumstances. When life feels like a deep ocean, dive into the Psalms and drown yourself in the comfort only God can provide.