A Comforting Thought

[Anonymous]

After a short series of unfortunate events between last night and this morning (that were actually due to my own forgetfulness), I was extremely frazzled and overwhelmed. Do you know the feeling of other people having to pay for mistakes you’ve made unintentionally or not?

It really feels bad. My restlessness was so apparent.

To make a long story short, I read over a piece of this Psalm and was so emotional after reading.

All I could manage to get out was tears and a quiet “yes.”

1 I am restless in my complaint and I moan…

4 My heart is in anguish within me;

the terrors of death have fallen upon me.

5 Fear and trembling come upon me,

and horror overwhelms me.

6 And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!

I would fly away and be at rest;

7 yes, I would wander far away;

I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah (<— pause and think)

8 I would hurry to find a shelter

from the raging wind and tempest.”

– Psalm 55

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that I’m sure the writer of this psalm did not have ADD. And from the rest of that psalm it seems he is expressing his anger from friends who’ve betrayed him. But man do those words strike a chord in my heart.

Just to know that there were words then that could express such an emotion as mine at this moment brought comfort.

Just trying to sit and rest is hard work, articulating my thoughts is hard work, attempting to contain emotion over something minuscule is hard work. “My years are spent with sighing…” another Psalm says.

I am so grateful that I can find comfort in being familiar with the suffering of others. It is such a strange gift to us.

I hope the comfort that I was given can comfort you somehow.

Does anyone have any verses or quotes that have comforted you?

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[Anonymous]

Jordan, I heard someone who was running a workshop on psalms say “The psalmist never says to God “I’m fine”. It’s great joy and celebration, or equally great turmoil, bewilderment or regret. There are no small measures, and the writers of the psalms laid down what was burdening them, even to the point of huge questions and demanding answers of God. That’s why I am so inspired by them – I believe we are invited into the same closeness of relationship that allowed the psalmists to be so familiar.

Psalm 30, specifically vs 8-12 are the ones that I have claimed for myself for totally different reasons.

I can well relate to wishing things had gone differently in a situation and regret having caused pain or misunderstandings. It’s easy to hang on to the guilt and then it drags us down. Even when we’ve been at fault we need to get to the point of forgiving ourselves the same as we would someone else. Sometimes I’m a very slow learner.

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