“For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes: nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee.” (Ps 31:22 AV)
Praise the LORD that He doesn’t react to our ill-advised and spontaneous utterances. David was under the impression his enemies were winning. He thought he was meeting an untimely end before he had the opportunity to ascend the throne. He wrote this psalm when he feigned being mad in front of a pagan king. His plan was to gain the protection of the pagan king against the threat of Saul. He was at the end of his rope. Having run from Saul for several years, he felt he was running out of options. David felt the LORD was not doing all that he could do. This is how he felt as opposed to the reality of his situation. His emotions caused him to say things that were not true. And, he knew it. He was processing his trauma, so to speak, so he could refocus and continue in faith. The most beautiful word in the verse above is ‘nevertheless’. Even though David said things that were not true because he had to process how he felt, the LORD did not hold that against him. God understood the extreme stress under which David lived and gave him a pass. Praise the LORD He doesn’t hold things against us when He could.
Job comes to mind here. The Bible tells us Job did not sin with his lips. That does not mean everything Job said was exactly true. Job spoke generalizations and exaggerations that were not technically true. Yet, the Bible says with all that he said, he did not sin with his lips. Job suffered a great deal. More than most would ever understand. It would have been one thing to suffer such a loss over years or decades. But he lost everything within a matter of hours or days. One day, Job was sitting on top of the world. He had a great family. He was the wealthiest and wisest man in the region. He was in perfect health. All this changed in an instant. He lost all his children, and his wealth, and sat while scrapping the boils from his skin. To say Job has troubles is to vastly understate his circumstances. To say Job was in shock doesn’t really cover where Job was, emotionally. For thirty-plus chapters, Job and his three friends work out the meaning of his circumstances. Or, at least they try to. For thirty-plus chapters, they try to figure it all out. Job was processing his emotional state.
When I attended PTSD training as a hospital chaplain, I learned some very valuable skills that translate very well into the ministry. Among other things, I was trained to accept the words of someone who had suffered traumatic injury with patience and affirmation. Not that the details were correct, but rather, affirm their emotions as real and worthy to be recognized. When dealing with people who have suffered, they tend to say things that, in retrospect, they probably regret saying. Words and thoughts arise that shock even them. A good counselor will recognize these words come from a heart in distress. They are verbally punching an imaginary bag so that when they get it all out, counseling can proceed. Sometimes, those words are aimed at the one trying to help. Things are said rashly and with very little forethought. The counselor will take them and understand his client or fellow believer is simply processing. He becomes a sounding board and punching bag and will take it with the grace that the situation requires.
The LORD does the same. He understands are under great stress. He understands we often suffer far more than we think we can handle. He knows how frail our frame is. The LORD also understands the verbal explosion we express is part of the process of learning to trust Him more. With great patience, He endures our folly. With great compassion, He listens with compassion. He does not hold us accountable for some of our excited utterances if our intent is to work toward a resolution. God is so good to us and He knows us better than we know ourselves. Praise be to a gracious God who will not react to our hasty words.
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