Do negative emotions threaten to overwhelm you? You can overcome through the power of God’s word! Whether you are struggling with feelings of abandonment, anger, anxiety, doubt, or fear, you will find people to whom you can relate in the book of Psalm. Learn how to work through these emotions so that you can come out on the other side victorious!
Kimberly Taylor
Day 1
Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 10:5, 1 Peter 5:7
Managing Your Emotions God’s Way
Do negative emotions threaten to overwhelm you? Through the power of God’s word, they do not have to overcome you! God created us to experience emotions, however, there are Godly and ungodly methods to manage them.
Consider the word itself: e-motion. Emotions move you to action. Your emotions originate from your thoughts. If your emotions are based upon lying thoughts (those that do not agree with God’s word) then they can lead you to take ungodly actions.
Here is an example: I suffered from depression for many years. One thought driving that depression was that no one cared for me. While the feeling was true, it was based upon a lying thought. If I had not questioned it (and persistent thoughts like them), they would have led me to suicide.
The enemy often sows lying thoughts into Christians’ minds to steal, kill and destroy us. But Jesus came that we might have life. We can live in His peace when we develop His mind according to 2 Corinthians 10:5: “casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…”
Because Jesus is the living Word, your goal is to assess your thoughts to ensure they agree with His word. Acknowledge your feelings but then ask yourself, “What must I believe to feel this way?” That will help you to uncover the thought behind the feeling and see if that thought agrees with God’s word.
From my example, I believed that nobody cared for me. To take the thought captive to the obedience of Christ, the next question is important: Is this thought true?
If I only kept looking at my circumstances, I could say ‘yes’ because no one was around to comfort me. But human perception is limited. So I realized that I needed to look into God’s word because His thoughts are higher than ours and so are His ways.
Looking at God’s word in 1 Peter 5:7 revealed to me why my thought was a lie: “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” So that scripture told me that God cares!
Remember: Just because you “feel” an emotion does not mean the thought behind it is true. Therefore, to glorify the Lord with your actions, ensure that your emotions are based upon the truth in God’s word.
Day 2
Scriptures: Psalms 88:1-2, Deuteronomy 31:6
Feeling Abandoned
I have been abandoned before. My father left my mother when I was just a baby. Even though my mother loved me, I spent a great part of my life with a painful question: Why didn’t my father love me enough to stay?
So I can relate to Psalm 88 in which Heman the Ezrahite wrote about feeling as if he was abandoned. He felt despondent, as if there was no hope in his situation. He felt far from friends and family to care for him.
As you read the Psalm, you can feel his raw pain through the words he has chosen to use to describe his feelings. His word choice largely included those associated with death: grave, pit, slain, depths.
Psalm 88:8-9 summarizes the height of his despair: “You have put away my acquaintances far from me; you have made me an abomination to them; I am shut up, and I cannot get out; My eye wastes away because of affliction.”
In this Psalm, the writer expresses his belief that God was responsible for his troubles. He felt as if God was nowhere to be found in his troubles and that God was angry with him.
Now the writer’s words were true in that they truly expressed how he felt at the time. But were the thoughts behind those feelings true according to God’s word? No, they were not.
Even though the writer felt like God had abandoned him, God’s own word in Deuteronomy 31:6 says that He will never leave us nor forsake us. So even though the writer couldn’t “feel” God with him, yet God was there because He promised He would be.
So if you are feeling abandoned, you can acknowledge that you feel that way, but give yourself a reality check. God’s word promises His eternal presence. Feelings change all the time which is why they can’t be trusted, especially if they are based upon lying thoughts.
You are not alone. You are not abandoned. Some people may leave you but God never will. Comfort yourself by reminding yourself of the truth. God is with you, even during times of affliction. If God is for you then who or what can be against you?
Day 3
Scriptures: Psalms 58, Luke 9:51-56, Matthew 5:43-48, Ephesians 4:26
Feeling Angry
Psalm 58 can be politely called, “David’s rant against the wicked.” When you read it, you can practically hear David’s indignation about people who wrong others. David’s anger is perfectly natural as he describes the character and deeds of these people. However in verse 6, he takes a dark turn. He starts asking God to hurt them physically!
I have read that certain pastors say that it is okay to pray for harm to come to your enemies. They call it “imprecatory prayer.” But that is wrong and it contradicts what God tells us to do.
In Luke 9:51-56, a Samaritan village did not receive Jesus. When His disciples saw this, they asked Jesus if they should command that fire should come down from heaven to consume them.
But Jesus said they did not know what manner of spirit they were of. In Matthew 5:43-48, he tells us how to deal with enemies: “’You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.’”
In Ephesians 4:26, we are told “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath…” David was okay in expressing his anger, but he started sinning when he prayed for harm to come to his enemies.
You might say, “Well, he didn’t do anything; what could be the harm in wishing, hoping, or praying that your enemies be hurt?” Well, Jesus also taught that murders, adulteries, and other sins come from the heart.
We need to avoid allowing anger to take root in our hearts. One way you can do that is to forgive quickly. Forgiveness is not a suggestion but a command. Jesus says that if you don’t forgive others, that our Father in heaven will not forgive you.
God says that vengeance belongs to Him and He shall repay. So trust in the Lord to mete out justice in His good time and in His sovereign way. Plus, you know your obedience will be rewarded. God’s word says that it will and you must take God at His word.
Day 4
Scriptures: Psalms 23, Psalms 46:10
Feeling Anxious
When I read the 23rd Psalm, I am taken to a place of tranquility and peace instantly. My anxious thoughts quiet down at just the first sentence: “The Lord is my Shepherd.” I love the image of God being my Keeper, Protector, and Deliverer. I am not alone. I have His Presence with me at every hour of the day.
Have confidence that the Lord makes you lie down in green pastures, which means that He is taking you to a place of rest and stillness in Him: “Be still and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10).”
If you are always running around and don’t have quiet time with the Lord, then how can you receive restoration in your mind, will, and emotions? Modern life can drain you dry if you let it. That is why so many people are emotional wrecks. They are running on empty. But God promises to restore us.
Once you receive rest and restoration in the Lord, then you can walk with Him as He leads you in paths of righteousness. He shows you how to think right, believe right, and live right.
Even though your circumstances may make you feel like you are walking through the valley of the shadow of death, you will not fear because you know the Lord is with you. God’s goodness toward you will be so visible that even your enemies will see His handiwork upon your life. They will see God’s grace abounding toward you.
What is God’s grace? Grace is everything God is and God has made available to you. In old movies about royalty, you see people addressing the King or Queen as “Your Grace” as they bow down. Jesus is “Your Grace.” He gave His very life for you. In Him, you have a new identity as the beloved of God.
In Jesus, you have forgiveness of sin and victory over sin. In Him, you have peace and joy because He left you with both. In Him, you have love and with His love, you are empowered to love your neighbor as yourself. When you consider this, then you see that material things cannot compare with the riches of His grace! Because Jesus is your Shepherd, then you indeed shall not want when you meditate on all you have in Him.
Day 5
Scriptures: Psalms 42, Isaiah 49:16
Feeling Discouraged
In Psalm 42, the sons of Korah wrote about discouragement. Discouragement means that your courage is taken away, which can happen when the source of it is misplaced.
When I am discouraged I often ask myself, “Where is your hope?” I never fail to recognize that I have placed my hope in another person or circumstance during those times. But the truth is that other people can fail or disappoint you; circumstances can change unfavorably. However, our God in heaven is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
I believe that during times of discouragement, your soul is really thirsty for God. That is when you need to re-connect with the source of your hope and courage, seeking the Lord’s presence, studying the Word, prayer, praise, worship, singing Spiritual songs, and serving others for God’s glory.
The sons of Korah knew how important it is to seek God’s face continually. You can hear their longing for God in the question “When shall I come and appear before God?” You see, they did not have the indwelling Holy Spirit inside of them.
However when we accepted Jesus as our Savior, the Holy Spirit came to live inside of us. So we can go into the temple, into our innermost being, to meet with the Spirit of God right where we are. We have confidence that when we hunger and thirst after righteousness, we are filled!
The sons of Korah knew the source of encouragement: “Hope in God.” When you remember that your hope is in God, not a person nor circumstance, it steadies your soul and makes your countenance brighter. In the Psalm, they speak of remembering the Lord, His presence, His power, His lovingkindness, and the song He has placed in their hearts.
Although you may feel that the Lord has forgotten you sometimes, he hasn’t. This is another situation in which your feelings have to be measured against God’s word. Scripture records that the Lord has his people engraved on the palms of His hands (see Isaiah 49:16)! So we are with Him permanently.
During times of discouragement, we must always remember where our help comes from. Our help comes from the Lord, who made heaven, Earth and us.
Day 6
Scriptures: Psalms 56, Matthew 10:28-31, Psalms 91:1-2
Feeling Fearful
Remember the story of how David defeated Goliath of the Philistines (see 1 Samuel 17)? A few years later, the Philistines captured David and he wrote about his fear of being in the enemy’s hands. However, he chose not to give in to his fear but put his trust in the Lord instead.
David knew that his trust was not misplaced: “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?”
Now someone in David’s situation might have said, “Well, the Philistines can hurt you and they can kill you.” But Jesus taught his disciples the proper mindset: “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows (Matthew 10:28-31).”
Nothing happens to you without the Lord’s knowledge. Because you are valuable to Him, you have no need to fear what man can do to you. Like David, you are confident that whatever happens is in the Lord’s hands.
This scripture also reminds me of Psalm 91:1-2, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.’”
Check your positioning when you are afraid. Are you abiding under the shadow of the Almighty? Make the Lord your hiding place. Scripture tells us that God’s perfect love casts out fear. The Lord does not want any of His children living in fear of man nor circumstances.
Because you are secure in God’s love, you know He will answer you and at the sound of His voice, the enemy has to flee. So whenever you are afraid, put your trust in the Lord and ensure that you are positioned under His shadow, in the will He has for you. There is no safer place to be than the center of God’s will!
Day 7
Scriptures: Psalms 139, Jeremiah 29:11
Feeling Insecure
Psalm 139 is the perfect antidote when you are feeling insecure. You may think that people would not like you if they really knew you. But the Lord knows you so well that He even understands your thoughts. He knows you intimately and loves you anyway!
David also talks about the Lord’s protection, how the Lord hedges him from behind and before. To me that means the Lord redeems your past, therefore you don’t have to replay all of your past mistakes. In Christ Jesus, you are forgiven and He helps you profit from the lessons of the past.
In addition, the Lord hedges you before, which means the Lord secures your future. In Jeremiah 29:11, the Lord gives you a promise: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Because the Lord has your future in His hands, there is no need to worry about it!
David also talks about the Lord’s constant presence in his present. Isn’t it comforting to know that the Creator of the entire universe is with you always? In Him is all the wisdom you need to handle every circumstance. Imagine having an audience with the smartest man on earth. Even that man will look like an idiot compared to God’s wisdom!
I also love that David affirms the person that God created him to be. He talks about the Lord forming him and creating his inward parts. Once you know that God took a personal interest in man’s creation, how can you ever think that He would forget about you?
To think that, it would mean that God Himself is like a neglectful landlord. He owns the property, but has no interest in taking care of it. But because you know God then you know that is not true. You can have security in your identity in Jesus Christ, knowing that you belong to Him.
You can also find security in the fact that Jesus has overcome the world! So you can walk forth in all confidence in God, knowing that He will lead you and guide you into the wonderful future that He has for you.