Turning Negative Emotions into Positive Faith

Each one of us on the human journey has struggled with some degree of unpleasant and tormenting emotion. Maybe you are in the middle of a storm that has you reeling to find true north in your feelings and thoughts. Many of the great people in the Bible can relate. So can I.
Recently I was struck by the emotional battle but positive breakthrough described in Psalm 22. We know it as a “Messianic Psalm” because it echoes the very words and experiences of Jesus during the darkest moment in human history. He hung on the cross in agony and utter rejection, bearing the full weight of His Father’s wrath against our sin. He cried, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

Yet, the Psalm was also written as an expression of the real-life distresses of David. We read of his genuine battle to keep faith and embrace hope while grappling with deep anguish and pain. The focus of the Psalm bounces back and forth from descriptions of David’s misery to declarations of God’s character and ways. This is clear when you see him interrupting his emotional struggle with the repeated declaration of faith, “Yet You, God, are…” (vv. 3, 9 & 19). His emotions swing repeatedly from his real feelings of pain to his faith in his God.

OUR STRUGGLE THROUGH FEELINGS TO EMBRACE FAITH
In so many ways, this is a picture of our own struggle to survive and endure the trials of our lives. The battle is not just daily – it is moment by moment. Observe this basic outline of the Psalm that I composed as I have meditated on it in recent days:

• FEELINGS: The agony of feeling utterly forsaken – vv. 1-2
• FAITH: The truth of God as the holy, reigning God in whom his fathers trusted – vv. 3-5
• FEELINGS: The pain of repeated rejection and ridicule – vv. 6-8
• FAITH: The truth of God’s care and presence in his life since birth – vv. 9-11
• FEELINGS: The torment of being threatened and attacked by evil – vv. 12-18
• FAITH: The truth of God’s present help and deliverance – vv. 19-21
  

A BREAKTHROUGH IN PERSPECTIVE
It seems that a breakthrough occurs between vv. 21 & 22. The remainder of the Psalm reflects a restoration of perspective and hope. Here is how it unfolds:

• LOOKING OUTWARD: Enlisting others to praise the Lord for His saving help – vv. 22-24
• LOOKING UPWARD: Receiving grace for continued praise, obedience, and satisfaction from God – vv. 25-26
• LOOKING FORWARD: Declaring God’s ultimate victory and the eternal worship of His glorious name – vv. 27-31

Of course, if we go back to the Messianic relevance of the Psalm, we know it is only through the suffering and finished work of Christ in death and resurrection that we can have such a powerful perspective of victory and hope as seen in vv. 22-31. Praise God for the indescribable gift of Christ and His salvation.

OUR CHOICES TODAY
All of this brings us to the fact of human suffering and the basic set of choices we face every day. Pain, disappointment, fear, and trouble are inevitable in this life. A breakthrough of perspective is optional.
I have learned – and have to re-learn every day – that in the midst of trials I must make a choice:

• Will I believe what I feel, trusting my emotions in the midst of the storm?
• Will I believe what I see, settling for the temporal problems that surround me?
• Will I believe what I know to be true about God, keeping my eyes on the eternal reality of who He is and what He will accomplish?

Today, your life may be painful – but God is still holy and faithful. Things may seem out of control – but God is sovereign and wise. The situation you face may feel very unfair – but God is just and righteous in all His ways. Things may appear to be very bad – but God is good and compassionate. You may feel all alone – but God is ever-present and able to comfort your heart. The horizon may seem dark and hopeless – but God is glorious and victorious.

Our emotions are very real, and sometimes troubling. Yet, as David demonstrated in this Psalm, we must keep subjecting what we feel to what we know to be true in order to experience a positive breakthrough in perspective. Jesus also understands our pain and agony. He went from the cruelty of a cross to the darkness of a grave to the glories of Heaven. He lives today, making intercession for us and sympathizing with our weaknesses. He can give us grace to manage our emotions and live in dynamic faith today. Yes, it is a battle – but it is a battle that has been won, and can be won, through Christ.