Psalms: “Turnaround of the Heart”

I’ve spent several years, sloooooowly ENGAGING the Psalms.

I used the word engaging on purpose to better describe that I was not just merely reading; I was diggin’ in to this rich book of the Bible. I was INTENTIONALLY looking for the characteristics of God. I was also asking “Just WHY is THIS particular Psalm included in Scripture?” Along this journey, I discovered that every human emotion is recorded in the Psalm. “Why?” I asked. “And what does this tell me that God is saying about our emotions?”

I discovered that when the psalmist was flat out honest with pouring his heart out to God, not holding back his emotions, that something AMAZING happened within the context of that ONE psalm…

a TURNAROUND OF THE HEART happened!

Here’s a sampling of just some of these TURNAROUNDS OF THE HEART:

• From foolishness “There is no God” to seeking God, Psalm 14
• From lament to praising God, Psalm 22
• From crisis to confidence, Psalm 28
• From independent to dependent spirit, asking God to be his helper, Psalm 30
• From anguish to assurance, Psalm 31
• From concern over reputation to laying it down and trusting, Psalm 31
• From desire for revenge to trusting God’s sovereignty, Psalm 31
• From complaint to praise, Psalm 35
• From desire for vindication to praise, Psalm 35
• From anger to peace, Psalm 37
• From turmoil to hope in Christ, Psalm 38
• From mourning to exceeding joy, Psalm 43
• From “let me plead my case” to “deliver me,” Psalm 43
• From guilt to restoration, Psalm 51
• From guilt to singing aloud of His righteousness, Psalm 51
• From personal collapse under guilt to forgiveness, Psalm 51
• From taking matters into own hands to trust/praise in God and His sovereignty, Psalm 52

This happens over and over in many of the Psalms. (and I’m going to share specific ones in future blog posts!)

Scripture is ALIVE, RELEVANT, and APPLIES to EVERY emotion.

It applies to me… and it applies to YOUR life and the very emotions that you’re faced with right now.

That emotion you’re feeling… anger, fear, bitterness, depression, desire for revenge, guilt, deep mourning, hopelessness… it’s all in there. DIG IN to the Psalms.  Tell God directly how you feel, lay it all at His feet. Cast your cares on Him, knowing He cares for You. He is the only one who can perform the TURNAROUND of your heart.

You may be like me, a few years back, in a season of such pain in which once a day wasn’t  enough. I did this multiple times each day… or even each hour… capturing wrong thoughts, expressing real, RAW feelings to God Himself, telling Him  all about it, then literally picturing that “weight” of the wrong emotion and laying it right there at His feet…only for Him to miraculously turn that emotion into trusting Him.. and get this… even PRAISING Him.

WOW! That’s the Christian journey we have access to. Don’t just get through a crisis…DON’T WASTE A CRISIS. Instead, persevere with all diligence to KNOW Him and to be different when it’s over or when the situation isn’t as intense.  He is all-powerful, caring, loving and trustworthy with our very lives-even when things simply don’t make sense.  Don’t miss out on a time of SWEETNESS that is only found through the darkest of times when you need Him most. Most don’t look beyond the problem or their misery… but you, friend.. I want YOU to know how His sweetness meets our suffering.

I want to shout it from the mountaintop, so I guess the mountaintop is this blog. ENGAGE the PSALMS. Dig in. You will know God more intimately and you will be a life transformed.

Rhonda didimentionILOVEpsalms ellis