POUR OUT YOUR HEART

"I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears…" — Psalm 6:6

Sometimes when we are at our lowest moments, in our deepest despair, we tend to withdraw from others. When asked, "How are you doing?" we stoically answer, "Just fine." We don't want to admit to others, even those who care most about us, that we're struggling, whether it's with despair, loneliness, or depression. So we put on a brave front and do our best to carry on.

During those periods in our life when we are reluctant to share our struggles, we need to remember that there is Someone with whom we can be completely honest — God. We can bring to him our anger, our despair, our doubts, our disappointments, and our weaknesses, without fear of rejection or judgment.

David models this for us in Psalm 6. As he comes before God, David pours out his heart. He is weary from groaning; his bed is drenched in tears; his vision is blurred from his grief; he is wasting away from the strain. In anguish, David cries out, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak" (v.2, NKJV)

David is completely honest with God. He tells God exactly what he is feeling, and in doing so, David is able to turn his inward grief toward God. He concludes this short prayer for deliverance by stating in verses 8-9, "the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping. The Lord has heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer." David had complete trust that God would take care of him in this situation.

We, too, can be honest with God even when we're filled with anger or despair, because God knows us thoroughly and desires the very best for us. He knows our situation and He alone can guide us through those valleys. As we pour out our hearts to God, we will also find ourselves, as David did, turning from a focus on ourselves to a focus on our all-powerful, all-loving, merciful Father.

And isn't that a better place to be looking?

With prayers for shalom, peace,


Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
President