There are many wonderful principals we have been taught in Sunday School and Bible studies, but coping skills that create a sense of balance and an atmosphere of happiness may not have been part of that curriculum. Along with the Psalms that describe David’s anxious moments, there are also many Psalms of gratefulness and thanksgiving. Perhaps, one of the most memorable is Psalm 100, but the list could go on and on. I have no doubt that it was David’s ability to find emotional balance by remaining heavy on the thanksgiving even when in emotional pain that kept him from losing his mind.

 

Psalms 9, 34, 103, 107, 113 and so many others reveal that David learned a powerful coping skill and that is simply gratefulness. Even the Psalms in which he poured out his fear, anxiety and pain often ended with thanksgiving.

 

Did you know that it is impossible to be grateful and angry at the same time? David ending his Psalms with thanksgiving, means that even in despair, he found a way back to gratefulness in the end… and we can too.