Hurting Hearts and Struggling Souls - Part 4

When the hurting and struggling becomes intense, and someone desires his heart and soul to change, he must first realize that he is dependent on God to help him. The realization of dependence logically leads to prayer, and it should not be surprising that God often gives emotional help in response to the prayers of His children. David says that is precisely what happened to him. "You have given him his heart's desire, and You have not withheld the request of his lips" (Psalm 21:2). David asked for something regarding his heart, and God answered.

On another occasion, David struggled in his soul. When he started out, he was not bold or strong internally, but he became bold. The change was not his work, but God's, and in answer to David's prayer for help. "On the day I called, You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul" (Psalm 138:3).

In Psalm 86, David was "afflicted and needy" (86:1). He prayed for God to deliver him, and his prayers were frequent. "To You I cry all day long" (86:3). He made fourteen requests in seventeen verses. Those requests were varied, but one of them was regarding the emotional state of his soul: "Make glad the soul of Your servant" (86:4).  He followed up his request with this argument: "For to You, O LORD, I lift up my soul" (86:4). He depended on God, openly dedicated himself to God, and prayed with that foundation.

In Psalm 62, David uses an interesting term for prayer. "Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge" (62:8). This is more involved than merely mentioning a request. The picture literally is to empty a liquid from a pitcher or cauldron, spilling all the contents onto the ground. When used of solids, the idea is to create a mound as the substance is poured from its container. The term can refer to completely using up money or another resource until it is exhausted. This action is intense, thorough, and exhaustive. Not many people want that level of accounting of someone else's troubles, especially regarding the heart. Such "dumping" is considered TMI - too much information. The overload is more than people can comfortably manage and process. God is not limited in His desire to hear every detail or in His ability to absorb and process it all. God cares enough to continue listening until His children have finished sharing.

Another level of prayer is appropriate, especially when the heart concern is spiritual in nature. David prayed, "Test my mind and my heart" (Psalm 26:2). Deeper than a routine request, David deliberately invited God to evaluate his inner-most being. He wanted God to refine and prove it to be true. He asked God to purify him and purge out anything that would keep his heart and mind from being what they should be.

Similarly, in Psalm 139, David prayed, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way" (139:23-24). David was both concerned and uncertain about his heart; the heart is indeed hard to know. Not fully understanding his own heart, David asked God to search it for him. He was particularly concerned about "anxious thoughts" and "any hurtful way." He acknowledges that the anxious (disquieting) thoughts did exist; he was unsure whether those anxious thoughts would lead him in a wrong or painful way. If such danger existed, he wanted God to redirect him into the right way. Unsettled hearts do have the potential to lead one in the wrong way, often swinging out of control very quickly. When David recognized the potential danger, he wisely asked God to examine him, identify any actual concerns, and direct him accordingly.

There is reassurance in the realization that God "knows the secrets of the heart" (Psalm 44:21). God actually knows the truth about what is in the heart, and the assumption is that He will respond accordingly. If the heart were wrong, such knowledge could bring fear, but in this case, the heart was right, so God's knowledge brought comfort. The speakers recognized ways that hearts could be wrong, but affirmed that such guilt did not apply to them. They had not turned back from God in adversity. In their difficult place, they did not see the answer yet, but they expected God to do what was right because He knew their heart. Their faithful commitment to God meant something. They were comforted in remembering that an all-knowing God would ultimately give the right answer. The bond with God freed them from worry about the circumstances and concern over the evaluation of others.

A final aspect of prayer that is often needed during heart struggles is confession.  David prayed, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation" (Psalm 51:10&12). The struggles of David's heart were a direct result of sin. David was not right in his heart and spirit, and he knew the reason why. He desired a clean heart, a steadfast spirit, and joy - none of which he had at the moment. He wanted a heart that was cleansed and pure, rather than polluted and defiled. He wanted a spirit that was firm, established, and secure; at the moment it was fragile, struggling, and vulnerable. He wanted gladness, exultation, and rejoicing in place of the sober sadness that fettered him. David did the right thing to achieve those results by humbly acknowledging his sin, asking for God's gracious cleansing, forgiveness, and restoration. For David, the only path to a restored relationship and renewed spirit was humble, dependent, and open confession of sin.

Change in the heart, always dependent on God, often comes as a result of prayer, necessitating action from the person seeking help. He must pray.