At first glance, David's prayer sounds far from the spirituality we usually imagine, which is the attitude of a person with gentle behavior and speech. But this is a very human form of honesty, which can actually lead us to a pure form of faith.
Daud was angry, hurt, betrayed. He didn't mask it before God. He poured out all his emotions uncensored. Not to man, but to God. This is a form of emotional honesty that we often avoid in the life of faith. We often feel that we have to be ‘fine’ before God, whereas true faith actually makes room for all colors of human emotions: anger, disappointment, fear, even the desire to retaliate. This psalm shows that true prayer is not always beautiful and orderly. Sometimes it is born out of deep inner turmoil. But behind the honesty of his emotions, the psalmist did one important thing: he did not act on his anger. He left vengeance to God. He knew that true justice is not born from human anger, but from the hand of God himself. "I prayed," he said, meaning that he chose not to retaliate, but rather to process his wounds before God.
As long as it is not accompanied by destructive behavior, acknowledging and expressing anger is not a sinful act, but rather an important part of self-awareness. Suppressing anger can actually breed stress, anxiety, and even depression. On the contrary, expressing it in the form of prayer provides space for constructive emotional release. Prayer becomes a spiritual therapy, a place where anger is processed into maturity. The psalmist knew that God sees everything, including hidden wounds and frustrations. And that is where his faith grows: not by suppressing anger, but by allowing God to weave justice from the midst of our inner turmoil.
Friends of the Bible, this reading reminds us to always live in honesty with ourselves. It even includes all the emotional dynamics that we sometimes experience based on the situation. The injustice that grips and oppresses may bring about a great outrage of the soul. But these feelings are not justification for destructive behavior. Because in the end, it is not revenge that restores, but God's justice working in His own love and time.
