I’m an emotional person. No matter the situation, I’m going to have a knee-jerk emotional reaction. Joy or anger or worry can burst out of me before I’ve even registered the trigger. My whole adult life I’ve struggled with trying to be more level in my responses.
Lately (the last few years), I’ve realized that God designed me to be emotional. My responses come from the core person that He created me to be. That abundant joy I have encourages others. My genuine love for God’s people bubbles out of me. That emotional aspect of my personality should be embraced. However, those wonderful positive emotions come along with the negative ones.
My mistaken belief was that even the hint of worry or anger meant I had sinned. By studying God’s word, I realized the problem was not the initial emotion but dwelling on it. This concept is plain in verses like Ephesians 4:26:
And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry
and James 1:14,15:
Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.
The next challenge was learning how to deal with those emotions when they arose, so that I didn’t sin by clinging to those feelings. I’ve gotten pretty good at it in most situations. But hard times are a different story. Relationship problems, financial issues, and health scares are breeding grounds for negative emotions. Situations like these continue for extended periods of time. You can’t get over the feeling and move on because each day is a fresh reminder of your struggles.
David’s Model
All of that leads me to King David’s Psalms. When read chapter after chapter a pattern becomes evident in his writing. Remember David had problems–big ones.
People trying to kill him. Psalm 3:1 “O Lord, I have so many enemies; so many are against me.”
Psalm 7:2 “…they will maul me like a lion, tearing me to pieces with no one to rescue me.”
Depression Psalm 6:6 “I am worn out from my sobbing. All night I flood my bed with weeping, drenching it with my tears.”
People spreading gossip. Psalm 5:9 “My enemies cannot speak a truthful word. Their deepest desire is to destroy others. Their talk is foul, like stench from an open grave…”
Frustration Psalm 12:1 “Help, O Lord, for the Godly are fast disappearing. The faithful have vanished from the earth!”
1) Pour out your emotions to God.
These verses and all the others like them make me feel seen. David had negative emotions, and he didn’t try to stifle them. He freely shared them with God because David understood the relationship. God is not an angry teacher, waiting to rap our knuckles if we speak out of turn. He is a loving father, who wants to comfort us. He wants us to come to him with all of our yucky thoughts and leave them at his feet. But He can’t take those emotions from us, if we don’t give them to him.
2) Remind yourself that God is the scary one, not your situation.
Sometimes we are so immersed in our circumstances, we forget our Father is all-powerful. We forget the promises that He’s made to us. After David spills his emotions, he reminds himself of God’s power and his promises.
Power Psalm 3:8 “Victory comes from you, O Lord. May you bless your people.”
Psalm 7:12 “If a person does not repent, God will sharpen his sword: He will bend and string His bow.”
Psalm 5:12 “For you bless the godly, O Lord; you surround them with your shield of love.”
Promises Psalm 6:9 “The Lord has heard my plea: the Lord will answer my prayer.”
Psalm 12:6 “The Lord’s promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over.”
Quick note: you can’t remind yourself of God’s promises unless you know what they are. This is one reason to study and meditate on God’s word. The better you know it– the more you can combat these feelings. Along with reminding yourself of God’s power and promises, remind yourself of the specific ways He has blessed you in your life.
3) Remember to praise Him when it’s all over.
After David spends a few psalms dealing with his scary stuff, there will be one or two beautiful psalms of praise. He remembers all that God has done and glorifies Him. Psalm 8 praises God for His creation, acknowledges His mighty power, and His eternal love:
1 O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens.
2 You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength, silencing your enemies and all who oppose you.
3 When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers— the moon and the stars you set in place—
4 what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?
5 Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor.
6 You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority—
7 the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals,
8 the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents.
9 O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!
The cool thing about David’s model is that it’s not just a prayer template or a ritual. If you follow his method, you’re actively retraining your brain. You are teaching your mind how to replace negative emotions with positive ones. Praying this way when hard times arise helps keep those negative emotions from festering and turning into sinful thoughts, which lead to sinful actions.
The Lord showed me this concept not long before I experienced a very tough situation. I followed David’s model crying (literally) to the Lord, then reminding myself of his many promises, and praising him along the way. Did it make things less painful? No! Scary stuff is scary and painful things are painful. However, I emerged without a bunch of regret due to bad behavior. I experienced healing instead of bitterness. Now, I’m ready to write him a beautiful psalm of praise.
All scripture is New Living Translation and copied from Bible Gateway.
Six5mom 
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