In our society today there is a lot of conversation that centers around mental health.
Health conditions involving our emotions, thinking, and behavior (or a combination of these) are all associated with a struggle sometimes of the mind. It is estimated that one in five adults in the United States live with the struggle of mental illness. It turns out, however, there is good news. The Bible speaks to the struggle of our emotions and thinking.
God’s steady and everlasting work brings stability to a mind that is sometimes dominated by grief and agony. Psalm 102 begins with a prayer of distress. It is a picture of someone who is distressed. It is a typical scene of someone who has no answers and yet cries out to the Lord. As you read it you can almost “feel” the affliction. But the beautiful reality is that God gives those who are genuine followers of Him the ability to access Him through prayer.
The agony and affliction are expressed in the Psalm. There is a downward spiral. Many have been there. Maybe you are there. The Psalmist faces the inward reality of living in a broken world and there is an emotional deterioration in the mind. It leads to feelings of no meaning and purpose to life. He has not heart for life. He expresses loneliness. It is a dangerous place.
But this isn’t the end of the story. Verse 12 declares, “But you, O Lord, are enthroned forever; you are remembered throughout all generations. You will arise and have pity on Zion; it Is time to favor her; the appointed time has come.”
It is a significant turn in the mind of the Psalmist. You can “feel” the mind changing.
There is always a battlefield of your mind. It is what you choose to meditate on and dwell on that leads you to have a change of heart. Colossians 3 says, “Set your minds on the things above, not on the thing on earth.” Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”
Where are your spiritual allegiances right now? Where you allow your mind to dwell, your imagination to run, desires to lead, motives to drive you, etc. will lead to action.
Dwell on God’s character. Psalm 102:25-27 say, “Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but you are the same, and your years have no end.”
