"The Lord is near..." - Psalm 34:18 (GNT)

One of the topics often overlooked in this time of social distancing is mental health, and what this type of separation can do to a person over an extended period. 

The back story behind this Psalm for today is that Saul was King of Israel, and He wanted to kill David. David ran away and created his type of social distancing to protect himself from Saul, but Saul still perused after him. 

David decided to leave Israel for safety's sake and go to the land of Gath, a Philistine city which was also the enemy of Israel. The king of Gath was Abimelech, who was not a friend to David. Now David became afraid for his life from King Abimelech as he did from King Saul. This was an emotionally stressful time for David.

We would have probably advised David to put His trust in the LORD try not to make a scene and have the LORD fight for and protect David, but he ended up enacting his plan, He made Abimelech think that he was mentally unstable (or insane).

For this reason, Abimelech did not kill David. For in those days, it was considered wrong to kill a mentally unstable people, so Abimelech sent David away. David ended up staying in an area in which he was familiar with. He went to a cave in Adullam, which was only a few miles away. This area of Adullam was very close to the place where David killed Goliath when he was younger. 

King Saul was making life very difficult in Judah, and many left seeking refuge from Saul's oppressive rantings, some four hundred people left Judah and went to the camp that David had made in Adullam. In today's language, we would say that they were refugees. In Psalm 34, David thanked God that he was safe.

When we do our social distancing, we are obeying the government and their requirements for keeping distancing between us and others who may or may not be infected with the influenza virus known as COVID 19. 

We can choose to separate, but we shouldn't isolate, for isolation brings with it loneliness and possible depression, which can cause difficulty in coping with life and with others. We still need social interaction, for it is a necessity for our mental health, and it offers us checks and balances in our lives to hear from others who can speak into our lives and be a sounding block for us as well as support.

It is from this understanding that this Psalm makes the most sense. Psalm 34 is considered an alphabet psalm, there are 22 verses, and each verse begins with a corresponding letter of the Hebrew Alphabet. Verse 1 begins with aleph, verse 2 with beth, and so on. The translators have chosen to put verse 16 before verse 15 because this makes it easier to understand. 

These histories of the alphabet psalms were systematic and helped the reader (or singer) progressively see and declare the mercies of God. These psalms were the literal A-B-C's of worship.

Most of Psalm 34 is written in the first person, much like a friend telling us about God's mercies, and giving us a systematic lesson (from A to Z) of how much God loves us.

"The beast forced all the people, small and great, rich and poor, slave and free, to have a mark placed on their right hands or on their foreheads. No one could buy or sell without this mark, that is, the beast's name or the number that stands for the name." 

Revelation 13:16-17 (GNT)

To bring this thought into the present day, In the book of revelation, the prophecy tells us that "the beast" forced everyone to receive a "mark" on their right hands or foreheads to identify someone as having obeyed the order of the "beast." It speaks of two things, first is a physical identifying mark or device on people's right hands, which represents the authority taken away from the individual, and now the individual is under the rule or control of the beast. The beast has the power to decide for us if we can buy or sell anything using the chosen monetary system of exchange. And the second is the statement "on their forehead" represents the cognitive reasoning of the mind. The beast will have power and control over our minds through fear.

The individual would not be able to know if they would even be able to feed themselves. More likely, they would be fearful that they would die if they don't obey the beast and his government.

That kind of fear speaks of mental instability caused by the 'beast,' systematically tearing down the Christian belief system to a point acknowledging the 'beast' as God. And putting trust in its government as the only way to provide for food and financial needs and everyone becomes dependent upon it as God rather than on the God of heaven.

That is why Psalm 34 and other alphabet Psalms are vital as they reinforce and strengthen our minds to focus on the strength and power of our God and His ability to provide, protect, and save us.

If you are curious about other alphabet psalms, they are Psalms 9, 10, 25, 37, 111, 112, 119, and 145.

Much like today's verse, "The Lord is near to those who are discouraged" is a promise to those who find themselves like David, being distanced from those he considered his physical and emotional support. We can take courage that the Lord is near us and even as close as the words we say, which is why it is so important to sing or speak these Psalms aloud with our voices, for it commands our spirit and the atmosphere around us to reflect the power of faith.

What it says is this: "God's message is near you, on your lips and in your heart"—that is, the message of faith that we preach. 

Romans 10:8 (GNT)

Those who have given up and lost hope are those who need to hear what we have to say about the greatness of our God and His ability to be our rescuer in all things, "he saves those who have lost all hope." Keep in mind that our God only has our best interest at heart, not our demise or ruin. 

Disillusionment is a by-product of hope lost, and disillusionment on the surface can seem to be a bad thing. Still, if you take a hard look at the word itself, you find something interesting; it is the process of looking at the 'illusions' we have built over time and tearing them down to see if reality truly meets our illusions. 

Also, do our illusions line up with the word of God? When our illusions are brought down to the level where the word of God reigns supreme over our dreams, hopes, and desires, and we find ourselves fully trusting in the Lord by the faith that He gives us.  

Disillusionment can actually help us to see clearly, without unrealistic desires or expectations, but see reality for what it is. That is where God meets us in the place of truth, and it is from that place we can and we can enter into His rest.

"Yes, feast on all the treasures of the heavenly realm and fill your thoughts with heavenly realities, and not with the distractions of the natural realm." 

Colossians 3:2 (TPT)

We have a hope that cannot be shaken, for if our hope is securely built in Jesus Christ, we can rest assured that He will always be by our side, and nothing in this world can separate us from His love for us. 

These alphabet Psalms are foundational songs about God's faithfulness to build our trust and confidence in Him.

"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control]." 

2 Timothy 1:7 (AMP)

That is where we begin to find our mental health by putting our confidence in the Lord who knows us better than we know ourselves, who has plans for our future, allowing Him to abide in us and giving us His peace. By reaching out to other believers, we can interact with them by validating and encouraging them, and they with us as we continue this daily walk with the Lord.

"For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,' says the Lord, 'plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." 

Jeremiah 29:11 (AMP)

Be Blessed;

Stephen Barnett