Hope for the Hurting 伤心人的盼望
Dexu Xia
My soul is in deep anguish. How long, Lord, how long?Psalm 6:3
“Most people carry scars that others can’t see or understand.” Those deeply honest words came from Major League Baseball player Andrelton Simmons, who opted out of the end of the 2020 regular season due to mental health struggles. Reflecting on his decision, Simmons felt he needed to share his story to encourage others facing similar challenges and to remind others to show compassion.
Invisible scars are those deep hurts and wounds that can’t be seen but still cause very real pain and suffering. In Psalm 6, David wrote of his own deep struggle—penning painfully raw and honest words. He was “in agony” (v. 2) and “deep anguish” (v. 3). He was “worn out” from groaning, and his bed was drenched with tears (v. 6). While David doesn’t share the cause of his suffering, many of us can relate to his pain.
We can also be encouraged by the way David responded to his pain. In the midst of his overwhelming suffering, he cried out to God. Honestly pouring out his heart, he prayed for healing (v. 2), rescue (v. 4), and mercy (v. 9). Even with the question “How long?” (v. 3) lingering over his situation, David remained confident that God “heard [his] cry for mercy” (v. 9) and would act in His time (v. 10).
Because of who our God is, there is always hope.
By: Lisa M. Samra
How can you express your struggle to God when experiencing deep emotional anguish? How have you experienced His healing, mercy, and rescue?
Heavenly Father, give me courage to express my deepest pain and to welcome Your presence and healing into my situation
我心也大大地惊惶。耶和华啊，祢要到几时才救我呢？—诗篇6篇3节
“许多人都有别人看不见或无法理解的伤疤。”这句肺腑之言出自美国职业棒球大联盟球员安德瑞尔顿·西蒙斯（Andrelton Simmons），他因心理健康问题，于2020年的赛季尾声选择退出例行赛。在回想自己的决定时，西蒙斯觉得有必要分享自己的故事以鼓励那些面临同样问题的人，并提醒其他人应怀抱同理心。
隐性的伤疤是指深刻的伤痛和创伤，虽然他人看不见，但仍带来真实的痛苦和折磨。在诗篇第6篇，大卫写下他内心深沉的挣扎，不加修饰、如实陈述了他的伤痛与悲苦：他的“骨头发战”（2节），“心也大大地惊惶”（3节）；他因悲叹而“困乏”，他的床榻也被眼泪浸湿（6节）。虽然大卫没有提到他痛苦的缘由，但我们之中许多人都能体会他的痛苦。
另一方面，我们也可以从大卫如何回应自身的痛苦而得到鼓舞。他在极大的痛苦中呼求上帝，真诚地向上帝倾诉心声，祈求医治（2节）、拯救（4节）和怜悯（9节）。即使大卫不知这样的景况会持续到“几时”（3节），却依然坚信上帝听了他的恳求（9节），并且上帝也会按照祂的时间采取行动（10节）。
因为有了这位上帝，我们总有盼望。
作者： 夏莉珊
在经历痛苦煎熬时，
你如何向上帝诉说你的挣扎？
上帝曾如何医治、怜悯或拯救你？
天父，请赐给我勇气向祢倾诉我最深的痛苦。
当我在困境中，恳求祢让我能经历祢的同在和医治