Friday, August 6​

I am distressed and extremely downcast;

I walk around sad all day long.

—Ps. 38:6.
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At times, King David was overwhelmed by stress. Think of the challenges he faced. He was weighed down with guilt for the many mistakes he had made. (Ps. 40:12) His beloved son Absalom rebelled against him, leading to Absalom’s death. (2 Sam. 15:13, 14; 18:33) And one of David’s closest friends betrayed him. (2 Sam. 16:23–17:2; Ps. 55:12-14)

Many of the psalms David wrote convey his feelings of discouragement as well as his unshakable trust in Jehovah. (Ps. 38:5-10; 94:17-19) Later a psalmist began to envy the lifestyle of wicked people. He may have been a descendant of the Levite Asaph, and he served at “the grand sanctuary of God.” This psalmist suffered emotional stress, causing him to become unhappy and discontented. He even started to doubt the blessings that come from serving God.

—Ps. 73:2-5, 7, 12-14, 16, 17, 21.

w19.06 17 ¶12-13​