Maybe its a stretch to say that the psalms are from David's journal, but of the 150 psalms in our Bible, 75 of them are attributed to David. They tell the story of David's life! Surely, Psalm 23 was written during his young years when he was spending much of his time watching his father's sheep! The leisure of this role may have allowed him to develop skills on simple stringed instruments. He had plenty of time to reflect on God and His goodness! From the rest of his psalms we find reflections on various times - good and bad - throughout his remarkable career.
What an amazing archive of resources for us to turn to 3,000 years later! Psalms of comfort, joy, conflict, urgency, and praise that speak to our lives and situations with cutting edge accuracy! They are indeed a treasure; although originally they were just the musings of a man's heart and mind.
For David, most of these private thoughts must have simply been memorized and repeated periodically as part of his private worship. Yet somewhere along the way, someone wrote them down and they became a written treasure that would nourish the children of Israel [and us] many years later!
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There is value in recording our thoughts. I often just open a new document and start writing a prayer to God. I just re-read one that's been open since I wrote it probably two months ago [I should have dated it]. It reflects on the changes that had taken place in my life as a result of accepting the role of 'Interim Pastor' at The Foundery.
This process has a release to it! Somehow, I feel better about my life and my situations after I have written/prayed.
The adjective therapeutic can be traced all the way back to the Greek word therapeutikos (from therapeuein, meaning “to attend” or “to treat”). Although the word relates to healing or soothing, therapeutic isn’t reserved only for drugs or medical treatments. [vocabulary.com]
Some of us are wired to find relief through writing. Our thoughts and feelings flow out through our fingers. On some occasions, these collections find their way to a larger audience. Consequently, others receive help because someone initially expressed their thoughts and they became published for others to read. We benefit vicariously from the disciplines and reflections of others. This is a good thing!
Can you imagine the comfort that has been gained over the centuries by people who have reflected on the meaning behind David's 'Twenty-Third-Psalm'? In the King James Version it includes 118 words. The most significant are: Lord, want, still waters, restores, righteousness, staff, rod, comfort, overflows, forever. These words ministered to David first; then, through the years they have brought comfort, encouragement and strength to countless others!
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I must confess that I have some reservations about this. Occasionally [okay, more than occasionally] my journal became a place to vent my thoughts and feelings. I've made no secret of the fact that I've wrestled with periods of depression that began when I was about forty. My entries painfully reflect the anger, despair and desperation I was experiencing.
I have a 'to-do list' of projects that I hope to accomplish before I move on to Heaven - which is, of course, my hope! One of those projects is to go through those journals and rip some pages out! I may or may not fulfill this plan.
David's psalms reflect his deepest and darkest experiences. An example would be Psalm 51, where he confesses following his indiscretions with Bathsheba! The great Apostle Paul responds to the posers of his day with a kind of tirade reflecting on the many inconveniences and painful experiences that he had endured while serving his Lord [II Corinthians 11:21-33]!
On a more secular note, consider the revelations we benefitted from of a young girl who faithfully recorded her personal experiences of the tragedies in Germany during Hitler's tyrannical leadership in THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK!
During my lifetime, we were graced by the presence of a tried and true believer. We simply came to know her as 'Mother Teresa'. Her servanthood was internationally known, respected and adored! She modeled a humility that we admired. Most of us came to think of her as a living saint!
From the fly-leaf of MOTHER TERESA: The Private Writings of the "Saint of Calcutta":
A moving chronicle of her spiritual journey - including moments, indeed years, of utter desolation - these letters reveal the secrets she shared only with her closest confidants. She emerges as a classic mystic whose inner life burned with the fire of charity and whose heart was tested and purified by an intense trial of faith, a true dark night of the soul.
Who would have imagined? With intentional humility, I wonder if she did us a disservice by hiding these struggles. Might her spiritual impact have been even more significant if she had been transparent about these struggles of the soul?
But the writings of a soul bent toward God will inevitably include reflections of pain and suffering! Our walk with Him is not protected from troubles and stresses! Jesus is the one who said: [John 16:33]
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
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I fully recognize that most people will not take the time to journal their thoughts, feelings and experiences. It is a practice of a minority. But thanks be to God for those who have recorded these experiences - the heights and depths of their walk with God!
Special thanks to those whose diaries have become part of the Holy Scriptures! But thanks also to those who have lived less significant lives, yet have given us penetrating exposés of their journey!
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