A Compassionate Doctor
After 25 years of appointments, my general practitioner and I know a fair amount about each other. In fact, in many ways he knows more about me than anyone else except my wife.
Most people understand that of all people, we should not withhold information from our doctors, but rather we should share as much about our lives and health as we can recall.
As medical knowledge improves, we realize just how much of physical health is interrelated with environment. And that environment includes concrete factors such as sleep, diet, exercise, family medical history, lab results, oxygen saturation, EKG’s, medications, and symptoms. But we also know that the “environment” includes more diffuse and murky elements such as relationship health, stress, work habits, mental clarity, or life transitions. In general, we realize that when the doctor knows about those tangential aspects of our life environment, he or she may have a better picture of the various factors which may be influencing our overall health. Heart health really is about life health; many factors are involved.
So it is critical that we feel free to speak with our physician about any and all circumstances that may be influencing our health. Of course, trust and confidentiality between doctor and patient play a major role in how free we feel to share areas which may be sensitive to our soul.
Psalm 55 is a Psalm that I sometimes call “The High Anxiety Psalm.” Although the entire Psalm expresses many elements in David’s life which are creating stress, verse four epitomizes just how anxious David is: “My heart is in anguish within me, and the terrors of death have fallen upon me.” If that’s all you said to your doctors, (or your pastor), certainly they would want to know more. Later in the Psalm, David shares more and writes, “Cast your burden upon the Lord…” (Psalm 55:22a) When Peter picks up this theme, he says “…casting all your anxiety upon him, because He cares for you.” (I Peter 5:7)
Psalm 55 is a prayer. It begins, “Give ear to my prayer, O God…” (Psalm 55:1a).
The beauty of God’s grace is that we do not need to whitewash or dilute the issues that concern us. We do not need to hide behind some sort of garnish of strategically placed goodness to get a hearing with the Almighty. When Peter realized that Jesus could see the fish in the depths that he could not see, he immediately knew that God could see into his heart. Peter’s solution to his Physician’s omniscience was “Depart from me O Lord; I’m a sinful man!” (Luke 5:8b) Wrong reaction! Jesus wanted to get even closer. Peter had plenty of failures, the greatest being the threefold denial of Christ the night He was betrayed. Wallowing out of that guilt would have been supremely difficult, had Peter not been publicly reinstated in front of his fellow disciples. He had the assurance of Jesus Himself, that his sin was forgiven. He also had the encouragement of knowing before he betrayed Christ, that Christ was praying for him, and that he would “turn again.” (Luke 22:32) Christ interceding for us is reassuring intimacy with our Divine Doctor.
King David, the apostle Peter, and you and I have many reasons why our heart might be “in anguish.” Tell the Physician of your soul everything. The blessing of prayer through Jesus is that we can cast “all” that burdens us upon Him. Even though He knows it anyway, He wants to hear it from our mouth and heart.
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, we trust You. We know that what You have to say to us is good for our soul – both words of chastisement and Your Words of forgiveness. May we therefore cast all upon You. Amen.
