Overcoming Traumatic Events
There are five prominent things in this passage that we will look at. The first section is in verses 1-5, “Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise; For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue. They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause. For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer. And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.”
In this passage we find out three things the victim of trauma feels.
- We see first that David feels that the peace of God has been withheld from him. Have you felt the same way, that there is no peace in your life since your traumatic event? John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” God desires you to have peace beyond human understanding. He says so in Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” It is not God that has taken your peace; it is only when we let the Devil distort the truth that we lose peace. As we come to the end of this chapter, we are going to see two things that will restore peace.
- The next thing that David felt was that others were talking about what had happened to him. The feeling of paranoia, that everyone else is watching and talking about you, is expressed several times in this chapter. David did not always succumb to these feelings, and as a matter of fact, in Psalm 56:8-11 “Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book? When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me. In God will I praise his word: in the LORD will I praise his word. In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.” This passage shows us not only that God is actively involved in every tear that you cry, but is also ready to deliver you from all your enemies. There is no need to fear man when God is for you.
- The third feeling that David had was that he was innocent of any wrong doing and that he received hatred for his love. Many times in cases of violence and sexual offences, it is done by someone known to you. The travesty of molestation has increased dramatically in our society, and is most often committed by a family member. Many times the victims blame themselves and it affects the rest of their lives. It can cause marital trouble because of fear of intimacy or lack of trust. The victims very often become bitter, and not always at the offender. Sometimes it is at those they thought should have protected them, and even sometimes at themselves.
