It’s recorded in the 25th Psalm, that King David sent heavenward this heart-felt entreaty:
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
Psalm 25: 16-17
for I am lonely and afflicted.
17 Relieve the troubles of my heart
and free me from my anguish.
We often see the things we read in the Bible through the lens of the times in which they were written.
We might think, for example, that David had troubles of the heart served up with a side dish of anguish, and–if we take the time to carry the scenario out to its end–chalk it all up to some passing problem he was facing at the time.
And we may not think to take a closer look and put his prayer into a contemporary context, including what we know today about Mental Health issues.
If we put this Psalm into that context, I think we’d draw the conclusion that David suffered from depression. And–no doubt–anxiety as well.
Reading further through the Psalms reinforces that conclusion.
I think one of the reasons many Psalms resonate with me is that I have long traversed a lot of the same territory.
I think we’d all agree that keeping one’s emotional equilibrium, staying calm and serene through life’s inevitable ups-and-downs, is a very big deal.
Going through that kind of thing is quite common. You might say that King David has plenty of company among us modern folk.
And among all people of all times, all of us who’ve ever walked around in human skin.
No doubt David and people living at that time could have benefited from the insights and practices of modern medicine.
And having at their disposal modern meds that can help us keep our emotional balance and cope successfully with our “troubles of the heart” and “anguish”.
They didn’t have those helpful tools in their time, of course.
It’s such a good thing that we do.
Prayers like David’s in this passage may help when those dark clouds begin to gather around us.
Compassionate and effective care from professionals in the Mental Health field can certainly help too.
Brother Ben
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