READ: Psalm 6
“Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint; heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in deep anguish. How long, Lord, how long?” Psalm 6:2-3
It’s amazing the stuff teenagers do for fun. Back in the day, my friends would hang out in the Walmart parking lot, feed ducks, and spend hours in front of a blinking television playing Mario Kart.
I was different. I would go to “shows.” These were not fine-art productions like Phantom or Hamilton. Think of the polar opposite. I would go to punk and hardcore shows. Droves of teenagers, donned in all black, would gather in damp basements and dive bars. We would all cram into a tight space that reeked of sweat and smoke, screaming at the top of our lungs as the artists thrashed around stage.
Regardless of how hardcore the band was, something almost always happened at these shows. They would mutter something into the mic about the pain or joy of love just before slowing it all down. It was time for the anthem. Every great punk band had an anthem or two, and these were always the crowd favorites. My youth was largely defined by these emo anthems.
During this time, the crowd became a choir. Each of us would sing as loudly as physically possible, declaring each word as if we wrote it. There was a communal electricity that energized the room during these anthems. We did not know each other, but we were brought together by the message of these songs.
Songs about heartbreak.
Songs about infatuation and love.
Songs about loss and grief.
Psalm 6 is the first of many penitential Psalms. These are ancient songs used to express deep hurt, sorrow, or repentance. I love that works like this show up in Scripture because they show us what it means to be human. We can relate to the dark language and feelings of emotional turmoil. Life isn’t always pleasant; sometimes it’s downright painful.
Take a note from David. Express your raw emotions in your prayer life. Pray with passion. Pray with emotion. Pray through your pain. Just like any relationship, your relationship with God cannot truly thrive without emotion. If you feel hurt in your personal life, express that in your prayer life.
If you try to swallow your pain, it’ll make you sick. Work through it with God.