A few years ago, Lydia and I were big fans of an NBC television series called, “Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist.” In the show, Jane Levy plays Zoey Clarke, a software developer who learns she can hear people's innermost emotions as songs. Each episode has several musical numbers that advance the plot, with each cast member singing the songs of their respective characters. There is a song that I discovered through the show that has become a regular part of the LaRue household. The song’s lyrics have been a way for Lydia and me to express ourselves through times of trial and great stress.
“I get overwhelmed so easily
My anxiety creeps inside of me
Makes it hard to breathe
What's come over me?
Feels like I'm somebody else.
I get overwhelmed…”
I know that isn’t the uplifting story that one hopes will begin a blog post. However, I believe that is my assignment to discuss today, because it is perhaps something that we all identify with. We all struggle with our emotions. We all go through times of anxiety or depression. We all have times when we feel overwhelmed. Charles Spurgeon, the nineteenth-century British preacher, and revivalist, said, “Men will never become great in divinity until they become great in suffering." Martin Luther said, "Affliction is the best book in my library." However, it is made most clear in the words of Jesus written in the Book of John.
33 “I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.”
Jesus clearly tells us that there will be times when we will become overwhelmed with the tribulations of life, and there will be times of anxiety. The difficulty with anxiety and depression is that they frequently develop into an even bigger issue if we ignore them when they are first mild. "Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards…" the speaker cries in Song of Solomon 2:15. In essence, the order is to "Take precautions to safeguard their love from everything that can harm it." Likewise, we have to take precautions in regard to our mental health. We must recognize that leaving small things unattended can create major problems concerning mental health. One piece of Scripture that perhaps best addresses our struggles with our emotions is the one-hundred-thirtieth Psalm.
1 From the depths I call on You, O Lord!
2 O Lord, hear my voice;
let Your ears be attentive
to the sound of my supplications.
3 If you, O Lord, should keep track of iniquities,
O Lord, who shall stand?
4 For there is forgiveness with You,
that You may be feared.
5 I wait for the Lord, with bated breath I wait;
I long for His Word!
6 My soul waits for the Lord,
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.
7 Let Israel wait for the Lord!
For mercy is found with the Lord;
with Him is great redemption.
8 He shall redeem Israel
from all their iniquities.
From the depths of human sorrow, the writer cries out to God, hoping, insisting, and expecting that God would hear. Because God is merciful, the psalmist insists, the writer has every reason to believe that God will hear and answer every cry of suffering. Psalm 130 is a lament psalm. Laments make up more than one-third of the Psalms. Laments also have a specific format: they are addressed to God and begin with an appeal, follow with a complaint, finish with an affirmation of faith in God (typically marked by the words "but" or "nevertheless"), and conclude with a declaration of God's faithfulness and assurance that He will act. This five-part structure is crucial when we put all of our complicated emotions before God, realizing both the depth of our sorrow and God's greater faithfulness toward us and his people. Sadly, our emotions can often overwhelm us to the point of feeling stripped of our humanity. However, it is our humanity itself that allows us to process those emotions and bring us to an understanding of our dependency on Jesus. Put simply, He will not leave us trapped in our emotions whenever we turn to Him. As I conclude, I am reminded of a scripture Pastor David Willis spoke on recently. The passage comes from the fourth chapter of the book of 2 Corinthians.
8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; 10 and always carrying around in the body the death of the Lord Jesus, that also the life of Jesus might be expressed in our bodies.
The apostles faced many challenges, yet they received incredible support. Although, as believers, we might experience the betrayal of friends and the persecution of enemies, our God will never desert them. We are not destroyed even though there may be conflicts both inside of us and outside of us. The apostle contrasts their suffering with that of Christ in order for people to comprehend the power of Christ's resurrection and the grace in and from the living Jesus. I close with the words of the twenty-third chapter of the book of Numbers.
19 God is not a man, that He should lie,
nor a son of man, that He should repent.
Has He spoken, and will He not do it?
Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
The bridge of one of my current favorite worship songs perhaps says it best. It declares, “You've never made a promise You couldn't keep. 'Cause You don't lie to me, You don't lie to me.” God is unchanging and immutable. In contrast to men who are able to change their minds, change their beliefs, violate their commitments, shift their plans, and spew lies with a serpent's twisted tongue. However, the Lord our God is unchangeable.
Worship Team Insights
We never know when a significant emotional event can be triggered. Training for those who lose a loved one learn that it takes 3 to 5 years to properly process the loss of a close loved one.
I can remember 8 years following the death of my daughter when I took my son to the Little Rock Zoo. Just the occasional view of Children’s Hospital played on my memory and emotions. By the end of the day I had a massive headache that resulted in the loss of my lunch.
That was the last time that has happened.