Psalm 5

Psalm 5:1,2

Give ear to my words, O Lord;

Consider my groaning.

Give attention to the sound of my cry,

My King and my God,

For to you I pray.

What should I do when I’m sad? Reading the Psalms is teaching me to pray differently. When I’m sad I should at least acknowledge to God that I am. So often I want to hide from myself the condition of my own heart. I’ve learned over time that I’m supposed to be happy. Sadness is not an emotion I approve of. If I reject it by telling myself, “I’m not sad,” then maybe I won’t feel sad.

There’s something even more silly I do. I pretend to God that I’m okay. I’m not fooling him! He knows my circumstances and the depth of my emotions. My self-protection and my guarded prayers don’t help me much. Instead, I find myself lodged in a morass of my own making.

Learning from the Psalms I move from guarding my own heart to presenting myself to God, unfiltered, honest, raw, and desperate, and…what wonder, I discover His healing, His safety, His grace.

Pastor Wes