Psalm 19 Meditations

           Cognitive distortion is a term used for erroneous thinking that leads to believing things that are not true, and thus causing actions and reactions not based in reality. In my previous article simply called Cognitive Distortion, I listed some of the common ways our thinking processes can go astray (and cause us to believe lies). One of the best prevention strategies against distorted thinking is reorganizing (restructuring) our thinking according to biblical truth. Psalm 19 gives us a solid foundation  upon which to build our structures of clear thinking.

 Let’s look at this Psalm and begin with the ending.  The final verse (14) of Psalm 19 reads,

“May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable to You,
Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.“ (HCSB, Homan Christian Standard Bible)

The Good News Translation says, “May my words and my thoughts be acceptable to you, O Lord, my refuge and my redeemer!” (Psalm 19:14; GNT).  Substituting the word “thoughts” for the phrase “meditation of my heart,” brings us to some remarkable conclusions.  First, the thoughts in our mind and the attitudes and motivations of our heart are intrinsically linked.  The direction we allow our thoughts to go will feed our desires, and the desires we choose to allow to surface will fuel our thoughts. Secondly, to avoid distorted thinking, our heart must be kept from distorting our desires. If our desire is to please God, the focus of our thoughts must be on God (as our Refuge and Redeemer).

                Focusing our thoughts on God can be a challenge, as we live in a very distracting world. But soaking in (meditating on) this Psalm can help immensely.  The first six verses speak of God’s handiwork in creation. The Psalmist ponders how the light and heat from the sun works to sustain the life of man on planet earth. Important to note however, is the emphasis on the glory of God. God’s glory is contemplated, and not merely nature itself. The God who fashioned creation is worthy of worship, causing the creation to bring fame to God’s name.  It is God in nature that makes it beautiful and harmonious, not merely the elements themselves.

                As God’s creation, man is brought together with the rest of creation through the God in man. God gives man the ability to enjoy God’s goodness and God’s perfect and all-loving qualities. Verses 7 – 11 of Psalm 19 discuss some of these qualities and how they benefit us. In the Good News Translation (GNT) they are referred to as laws, commands, and judgments. They give us strength, wisdom, and trustworthy assurance (verse 7).   They are always right, just, fair, make us happy when we follow them, and help us to understand life the way it is meant by God to be understood (verses 8-11).  

                What comes in the next 2 verses is a solemn reminder that we have been tainted by a sinful nature that entered the world through Adam and Eve.

“None of us can see our own errors;

    deliver me, Lord, from hidden faults!

Keep me safe, also, from willful sins;

    don't let them rule over me.

Then I shall be perfect

    and free from the evil of sin.” (Psalm 19:12-13; GNT)

God’s laws, commands, and judgments reign supreme. Our best understanding and intentions to follow them, fall short. At least to some degree, there is no escaping distorted thinking and feeling and the accompanying sin that results. Man, in his greatest need, is supplied with God’s greatest provision. “Lord, my rock and my Redeemer” is the final thought of this Psalm.Jesus Christ is the Redeemer. Jesus is the final Word. Jesus is the Savior from all our distorted thinking and feeling. In Christ Jesus our salvation is complete. Meditating on the completeness of Jesus as our Redeemer provides thoughts  for  the most peaceful, pure, and pleasing posture before God. When we practice this as a daily habit, and adopt heart transformation as a lifestyle, we are changed more and more into the person we are meant to be according to God’s original design . Psalm 19:13 calls this “freed from the evil of sin.” The completion of God’s redeeming grace is a process that continues throughout our whole lives.

                May I encourage you to take a few moments right now and read Psalm 19 several times, in several versions of the Bible, and allow God to renew your thinking (Romans 12:1-2). Psalm 19 is a great treatment for cognitive distortion, and the best cure for doubt and unbelief. May we live in truth, and not by lies.

 by Ed Hersh, Blue Rock BnB Healing Ministry

Overcoming Grief and Loss

As I write this, looming as large as a pandemic of coronavirus outbreak, is a pandemic of grief.  I’m not talking about the obvious grief of those losing a loved one who dies.  I’m talking about the grief caused by more generalized losses.  These may include  sudden illness, public safety, home safety, necessities of life (food and shelter), physical health, life routines, peace of mind,  emotional security, employment, business ownership, trust in people, privacy, social interaction,  faith in science, faith in God, self-image, self-worth, and a host of identity issues and beliefs questioning who we are and where we’re going.  There is no shortage of loss these days.  I used to think of grief in terms of mourning the death of someone in close relationship, but have learned that grief applies to all types of losses and hurts.  For loss to be recovered (large and small losses alike), loss must be grieved.

When things feel so out of control, as in these times, how should we respond? As a Christian, the obvious answer is to turn to God.  But in our human condition, what does that look like?  We see in the Bible that Jesus bears our grief and carries our sorrows for us (see Isaiah 53:1-6).  Jesus came to redeem us from our sin and to bear the pain of the consequences of sin in our world.  Although Jesus accomplished this work for us, it is often very difficult for us as individuals to surrender to His way of working it out in our humanity.  Processing grief can be hard work, but it is essential for our well being.  Grief is something everyone is going through in the midst of pandemic, whether they are willing to admit it or not.

Grief is the process of engaging loss, making adjustments, and recovering new hope for meeting life’s needs.   Let’s briefly consider these three elements.

First, consider your losses.  Identify them, and make a list.   Name not only the tangible losses like job, finances, school, time, health, relationship, too much or too little personal space etc., but also name the intangible (emotional)  losses that go with each tangible loss.  Intangible losses may be things like confidence or competence level, sense of safety or security, degree of peace of mind, personal dignity, self-sufficiency, sense of control, beliefs about God, other people, or self,  trust in people or institutions, and self-worth and values issues.  Making this list may sound like a goofy idea, but it will have a huge payoff in the long run.  If you don’t name, you don’t know what to reclaim.  There’s no recovery without discovery.  It’s that simple.   An exercise in naming losses requires some time alone and free from distractions.  It can be emotionally draining, so take a break if you feel overwhelmed.  

With a written list, you now have something to return to as you go through making adjustments which is the core work of grief.   Making adjustments involves stepping through at least four phases of re-orienting yourself to life.  As many counselors do, when I explain grief, I usually draw an inverted bell-shaped curve on a blank sheet of paper.  The curve slopes downward on the left side, and back up on the right.   

Beginning on the left, the first, initial impact phase is the shock of it all, likely including some numbness, denial, and maybe even some  erratic emotional reactions.  Second phase, wrestling with reality, is where the anger and fear may kick in with searching for answers, and sometimes some panic feelings with an incident of high impact.  A third phase, dealing with the pain, is at the bottom of the curve.  This Is where the feeling and emotions need to be identified and worked through to resolution.  Things like guilt, shame, fear, anxiety, loneliness, abandonment, powerlessness, depression, and confusion are normal responses and felt in varying degrees by different people.   Resolving to a tolerable degree of  pain may take time--hours, days, months, and years for deeper losses.  Time periods for grieving losses  are also unique to the individual.  

 This process is much too involved to completely describe here, but an important key is to permit  yourself to feel.  That might sound strange, but most of us have been taught to ignore, deny, or minimize, as much as possible, the emotional part of our being.  Dumbing down emotions without first discovering the message they are trying to relay to us, is a perilous mistake.  Be honest with yourself and name the feelings and emotions.  This is the phase of grieving where many people get stuck.  Even if you give up (intentionally or unintentionally) on grief, grief will never give up on you.  Grief is real.  If not processed through, it can haunt you the rest of your life.  If the unpleasant emotion is too hard to work through, seek out a good counselor to help you to recovery.

Recovery is on the way when you can start to look back and see your quality of life returning in a positive direction to what it was before the loss.  Recovery is a process of re-organizing your life and finding new hope for the future.  After job loss, for example, a person may develop a new skill, or discover a hidden  talent that helps them find a more suitable job than their previous employment.  Recovery is being able to say, “If I hadn’t lost my job, I wouldn’t be in a better place today.”   Things like new skills, new relationships, new beliefs, and ways of seeing things around you, all provide hope.   Hope is what keeps us going.  The journey isn’t always a smooth ride neatly progressing through the phases.  There may be some degree of victory, and then another reminder, negative event, or trigger raises more concerns or things to process.  Re-processing is not to be considered a setback, but growth.  Growing involves periods of stretching.  

As believers in Christ, our true hope is in the Lord, as our Bible tells us.  God is at the center of this entire process and as we walk with Jesus, he transforms our heart along the way.  The inner person healing journey is very similar to working through grief.  New understanding and practice of forgiveness is often a part of this. Refer to my previous articles for more on pursuing transformation and sanctification.  

 The process of grieving losses described above can be as reflective and prayerful as you choose to make it.  The greater the seriousness you give it, the greater the potential blessing God has for you on the recovery side.  Grief can be viewed as a gift to give us an invitation to press into God to know him more, and be known by him.  

Whether you work with God to respond  to loss, or not, there is one more thing to consider.  Unresolved grief produces high levels of toxic stress.  When this stress becomes intolerable, very unhealthy things occur.  One of three scenarios is likely--victim, survivor, or rescuer.  A victim interprets life from a poverty mindset and acts out by rejecting (victimizing) self or others.  A survivor stuffs the pain, and appears to have survived with a decent level of functionality, but losing control is always a threat.  A rescuer turns to unwittingly helping others out of their pain to compensate for their own lack of pain processing.   Examining ourselves to see where we may have tendencies of victim, survivor, or rescuer can make us aware of unprocessed pain.

           Although I’ve barely scratched the surface of this topic, please give it more consideration.  If you are struggling, you are not strange and you are not beyond hope.  Reach out to someone you trust today.  If you want someone to pray with or discuss this more, give me a call.  If I can be of help to your group (online or in person when we are allowed to return to gathering), please call.  I have helped many people through this process, and I have my own grief to process as well.  

My prayer is that we are willing to do the hard work of grieving losses, to become more resilient and better prepared to help as help is needed in our communities.  

Note:  Sometimes accumulated losses (many losses in a short period of time) can have a similar affect as a traumatic event.  Trauma complicates this process and puts you at greater risk of doing harm.  If you are having lingering thoughts of suicide or hurting someone else, call for emergency help immediately.

by Ed Hersh, Blue Rock BnB Healing Ministry