Journal: Reformed Presbyterian Theological Journal
Volume: RPTJ 06:2 (Spring 2020)
Article: The Lord Binds Up All Your Wounds: Addressing Self-Harm From The Psalms
Author: Keith A. Evans

RPTJ 6:2 (Spring 2020) p. 27

The Lord Binds Up All Your Wounds:
Addressing Self-Harm From The Psalms

Keith A. Evans

Professor of Biblical Counseling

Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary

In the reformed and evangelical world, very little has been written on the topic of self-harm, which is often referred to as “cutting” in common parlance. If secular research and statistics are correct, more than merely a dearth of literature exists. Moreover, in our churches, little is being done to help silent-sufferers of self-harm who may be more prevalent than we would care to think. Should the church be content with popular-level booklets lying around in a narthex display, available for the struggling teenage young woman to pick up if she is so motivated? Or, should our churches be better equipped at providing thoroughly Biblical counsel to those in our midst battling the temptation of intentionally damaging their bodies? This article will seek to provide genuine aids to those struggling with self-harm, or more precisely, counseling practitioners seeking to help those fighting such behavioral patterns. To begin, this article must define and document self-harm, its prevalence, and the multifactorial motives behind this behavior. In transitioning to the Biblical data, however, these questions must be answered: Does the Bible have any concept of these behaviors? And if so, does Scripture provide any spiritual solutions to self-harm? Finally, the Book of Psalms will be considered as a starting point in applying the balm of Scripture to the spiritual wounds of those dealing with self-harm. Ultimately, this article seeks to address how the Psalms speak to the particular challenge of self-harm.

Self-Harm Defined

The terminology employed henceforth, will be that of “self-harm” and not “cutting”. The rationale for such a word choice is likely self-evident; however, as the contrast certainly points out, self-harm is a broader category than merely cutting. Self-harm speaks of many possible modalities for damaging oneself, such as biting, burning, scraping, harming with acid, preventing wounds from healing, pinching, banging one’s head, rubbing, and cutting.1 Even this list of deliberate tissue damage is not exhaustive; thus, the category of self-harm is a helpful catchall for the type of behavior considered in this paper. Cutting is perhaps the most prevalent synonym applied to intentional bodily harm at the popular level, and therefore, it is likely to be the most well-known in our church communities. Pragmatically, while there is some sense to employing the popular designation, for obvious purposes of precision, the broader, more accurate designator of self-harm will be used throughout.

You must have a subscription and be logged in to read the entire article.
Click here to subscribe