Source: Psalm 55:4-7, HCSB
In this passage, David is pouring out his heart to the Lord after being betrayed by a friend. As in other psalms, David is unreserved in his lament and shares real and troubling emotions with the Lord.
The Christian culture in which I grew up spoke often of the power of "positive confession" and warned against the dangers of "negative confession." The culture seemed to glorify those that repressed their emotions and ostracized those who expressed their real feelings when enduring troubling times. Those who suffered trials and let that suffering show externally were regarded as "less spiritual" than those who put on a brave face. I can't help but wonder if opportunities to minister to hurting people were lost because of that flawed perspective.
I'm not suggesting that Christians enduring trials share their raw emotion with everyone who asks how they're doing today. Nor am I suggesting that resigning oneself to depression is an acceptable solution, either.
What I want to point out is that David expressed his anguish to God and called out to Him for a solution. David recognized his own state of emotion without excuse and, in the same breath, recognized God's authority. If David did not believe that God would rescue him, then he would not have called out to God.
David also recorded his anguish, meaning that his emotions were not exclusively a private matter between him and God. David's cries also ended up in Scripture, meaning that his psalms were divinely inspired. If David's powerful expressions of emotions are included in Scripture, it suggests that we, as Christians, can learn from his example: We can express how we truly feel, without reservation, to the Lord while at the same time recognizing our dependency on Him and His authority.
