When ‘Scream Therapy’ Seems the Best Remedy

“I could just scream!” Have you ever thought that – or even said it aloud? With this being the day for the annual Halloween observance, screaming seems to be the order of the day. Ghosts, goblins, vampires and even devilish clowns have been conjured up by folks decorating their yards with ghoulish imagery and children of all ages donning their costumes. If you don’t want to masquerade as a superhero or fairy princess, then zombies, the Frankenstein monster or pretending to be somebody’s mummy apparently are good choices. They’re a scream!

But it doesn’t have to be Halloween season to feel a need for scream therapy. Let’s see: COVID-19 is still lurking around, even though it seems past its 2021 prime. Almost makes you wonder, “What’s next?” Gasoline prices and inflation in general have made a frontal assault on our household budgets. The prospect going to the grocery store has become a horror show for many families.

 

With the midterm elections rapidly approaching, candidates are presenting abundant evidence that the “fine art” of nasty, negative political advertising can indeed get worse. “Oh, no! Another campaign commercial!” Then there’s the sky-is-falling news media, intent on twisting the late President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s words by convincing us that we’ve got nothing to fear but…well, just about everything.

 

So, if you wake up some mornings – or go to bed some nights – and feel like screaming, you’re not alone. 

 

This isn’t new, however. It’s been a problem throughout time. Consider the title character in the Old Testament book of Job. There he was, minding his own business – and apparently very well. He had seven sons and three daughters, 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 donkeys, and “a large number of servants” (but who was counting?) Job was regarded as “the greatest man among all the people of the East” (Job 1:2-3). Basically, the Bill Gates or Warren Buffett of his day.

 

Not only that, but God Himself called him “blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil” (Job 1:8). He had it “made in the shade,” as the old saying would have phrased it. But then Satan ruined everything, confronting the Lord about this model citizen.

 

“‘Does Job fear God for nothing?’ Satan replied. ‘Have you not put a hedge around him, and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands…. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face’” (Job 1:9-11).

 

God did not afflict Job Himself but gave Satan permission to put Job’s devotion to the test. “Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger,” the Lord responded. And Satan did – taking away the animals, servants, and finally, the sons and daughters. Job, however, didn’t scream; he reacted by tearing his robe, shaving his head, and then bowing in worship, saying, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised” (Job 1:20-21).

 

Frustrated by Job’s steadfast faith, Satan decided to press further, arguing with God, “A man will give all he has for his own life. But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face” (Job 2:4-5). So, once again God allowed Satan to afflict this noble man in covering his entire body with painful sores.

 

By this time, it was Job’s wife who felt like screaming. “[She] said to him, ‘Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!’” To which Job simply replied, “…Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?’ In all this, Job did not sin in what he said” (Job 2:9-10).

 

We find numerous other examples of people in the Bible whose laments must have measured in many decibels, including Jeremiah, the so-called “weeping prophet.” He spoke the words and admonitions of God wherever he went, yet everything he said seemed to fall on deaf or disinterested ears.

 

At one point Jeremiah moans, “See, O Lord, how distressed I am! I am in torment within, and in my heart I am disturbed, for I have been most rebellious…. People have heard my groaning, but there is no one to comfort me. All my enemies have heard of my distress; they rejoice at what you have done. May you bring the day you have announced so they may become like me” (Lamentations 1:20-21).

 

Can you relate to Job in any way – or Jeremiah? Even if your own travails aren’t as extreme, do the words, “Woe is me!” ever hang from the tip of your tongue?

 

At such times, I’ve often found it helpful to turn to the Psalms for comfort and reassurance. For instance, in Psalm 23:4 we find the familiar words, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” 

 

In another psalm written by King David, we’re reminded, “The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?.... I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:1,13-14).

We could cite hundreds of other examples, but yet another verse sums it up well: “The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him” (Psalm 28:7). Praying and trusting in the Lord, rather than screaming, is the better choice. 

Never Too Early to Start Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving Day is coming, ready or not! Recently deceased turkeys are waiting in refrigerators across the land, while some live turkeys are wiping their brows, hoping they might have gotten a reprieve for another year. Pumpkin pies are baking; cans of yams being snatched off grocery store shelves before supplies run out; Christmas parade floats nearing completion; and football fans already making their own game plans for coordinating festive dinners with their favorite gridiron clashes. 

 

Some people are even thinking seriously about what they will be thankful for this year.

 

Although the annual holiday doesn’t officially arrive until later this week, that doesn’t mean we can’t feel or express gratitude before we gather with friends and family around a table, salivating over the eagerly anticipated feast. It’s always a good time to think about – and practice – the act of being thankful.

In fact, we’re urged to maintain a continual attitude of thankfulness. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 we find one of Bible’s direct, yet profound verses: “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” I like how another translation turns the phrase: “in everything give thanks.”

 

Now some of us might argue, in one respect or another, that it’s hard to be thankful for everything. Perhaps you’ve suffered the loss of a loved one over the past year or experienced serious financial setbacks. Maybe your own health has been a struggle. It could be challenges encountered on the job, or family issues that seem beyond resolution. Are we supposed to be thankful for those things, too?

 

We can find no better example than Job in the Bible’s Old Testament. A wealthy and prominent citizen, he suffered an incredible series of personal tragedies, including the loss of property and livestock, deaths of his children, and severe health maladies. His wife, understandably chagrined by the chain of events, didn’t think her husband should feel thankful. Obviously lacking the spiritual gifts of mercy or encouragement, she didn’t mince words: “Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!”

 

Job’s response, despite grave adversity that seemed unending and beyond explanation, was amazingly simple and humble: “…Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” (Job 2:9-10). Good question!

 

Hopefully, as you read this many positive blessings come to your mind. Despite the continuing flood of negative news, perhaps the past year has been one of your very best. If so, that’s wonderful. However, even in times of hardship, thankfulness is not only possible – it’s also essential. 

 

For one thing, we have the promise of Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” When facing difficulties, we might not always understand the “why” of what’s happened, but we can trust in the Lord’s goodness, love and sovereignty. He wants what’s best for us, even if it doesn’t seem that way at the time. 

 

As we read in Jeremiah 29:11, God declares, “For I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” And as a Babbie Mason song reminds us, “When you don’t understand, when you don’t see His plan, when you can’t trace His hand…trust His heart.”

 

Even though thanksgiving should be an ongoing habit year-round, I appreciate having an annual reminder built into our calendar. Besides the United States, thanksgiving holidays are observed in countries such as Brazil, Canada, Grenada, St. Lucia, Liberia and the Philippines; similar festival holidays are held in Germany, Japan and other nations.

 

Colossians 3:15-17 gives us a good description of what it might look like to cultivate and express our thankfulness, not only to God directly but also with one another:

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

This year, I hope we can all join in thanksgiving, not only around the dinner table as we pray, but also with uplifting words and songs, expressing gratitude to our Creator and Sustainer, our Savior and Lord, for who He is and all that He does in our lives, even in ways we do not understand.