Exodus 12:14-51, 13:1-16; Matthew 20:29-34, 21:1-22; Psalms 25:16-22; Proverbs 6:12-15

“Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and afflicted.
Relieve the troubles of my heart
and free me from my anguish.
Look on my affliction and my distress
and take away all my sins.”
Psalms 25:16-18

I absolutely love the Psalms because they are so angsty! That might seem like a silly thing to say, but it’s so comforting to me that David, mighty warrior and King, wrote so many Psalms filled with despair and uncertainty. It reminds me that humans are humans, and despite being separated by thousands of years and vastly different life experiences, we all still identify with the same emotion and basic human experience.

You would think that as one of God’s chosen people from a very young age, David would have a bit more confidence in himself and in God. When I imagine David, I think about him chosen out of all of his brothers, killing Goliath, becoming a mighty warrior for Israel, eventually being a respected king, and producing another wise king in his son Solomon. But the truth is that there was a lot of angst and uncertainty in David’s life, and from it, we get some of the most beautiful and dramatic poems that exist still today.

I feel like all of us go through times in life where the verses above describe exactly what we are thinking and feeling. We’re feeling alone in our pain, troubled, distressed, and we’re begging God for relief from the constant negative emotions and weight we feel on ourselves. Maybe what started off bad just continues to get worse and worse the more you try to remedy the situation. Maybe as soon as one hard thing feels wrapped up, the next thing hits, and you feel like your back to square one. It’s incredibly hard to keep going through these cycles, and after weeks, months, or years of feeling this way, we can feel ready to throw in the towel, completely retreat from life, and decide that it would be easier to live in a dark hole. While we know that this world is filled with sorrow, I feel like the Lord speaks so much about laying burdens on Him and trusting Him because we aren’t actually supposed to take any of it on.

How do we not take on the sorrow and defeat of the life around us? To be honest, I don’t know. That’s something I am going to have to pray about and work on, but I feel like that is what the Lord asks of us. If we want to be fully dependent on Him, then we trust Him at every turn: every lonely situation, every frustration, every moment of heartbreak. Instead of carrying it for even a moment, we take a deep breath, and lay it down at his feet. Which means trusting Him to pick it up and handle it.

I would love to be able to do this. Do I actively position myself to try to do this? Honestly, no. I have such a big desire to control things, that my anxiety and fear keep me holding on to what hasn’t even happened yet. Do I think the Lord will still keep working on this with me? Yes! Absolutely! I know he desires me to be whole and at peace by His presence, which means He will keep positioning me to let go and lay at His feet the many things that I want to control in life.

Father God, I ask that when we identify so strongly with the Psalms, you would be near to us, encouraging us and bringing us peace. As we know sorrow, would we be strengthened by your promise to take on any of our fear, cares, and concerns. Thank you for being a loving Father. Thank you for showing us that we can trust you in all things. Father, we ask that you would consistently remind us of your love and provision each time we forget. And Father, when we fail to trust you, show us your forgiveness and grace as we continue learning and growing by your spirit. Amen.