Emotional health of new-generation workers.
Generation Z is experiencing unprecedented levels of emotional suffering, becoming known as the most emotionally fragile since this subject began receiving greater attention. Over recent decades, we have witnessed emerging awareness and increasing openness in discussing previously unknown or less recognized emotional disorders. Consequently, it is evident that this crisis profoundly impacts vocational development, mission, and ministry among young people, hindering their advancement both in secular careers and Christian vocation. We recently approached this issue during a devotional journey on vocation and mission at our Ergátes School for ministerial training, based on Psalm 143, a text that resonates remarkably well with the emotional experiences of this generation.
In the first two verses, David introduced the way he intended to face his emotional distress: prayer and confession. “Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy” (v.1). The psalmist started with a humble and sincere posture, recognizing his limitation: “Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you” (v.2). Prayer here is presented as a profound therapeutic resource, involving both personal supplication (Heb. tachanun) and formal prayer (Heb. tephilah). Confession – this honest acknowledgment of one’s own reality, particularly one’s sinful condition – reveals honesty and vulnerability before God. These are essential resources on the path to emotional health, especially for young people immersed in existential and vocational crises.
Between verses 3 and 6, David clearly described his emotional symptoms: he felt persecuted and oppressed, “crushed” and dwelling in deep darkness, “like those long dead” (v.3). Despite apparently being safe while writing, his dramatic description clearly evokes feelings of impending death, reminiscent of suicidal ideation or terminal hopelessness. In verse 4, he expressed something even more familiar to today’s youth: “my spirit grows faint within me.” Depression and anxiety appear together, creating emotional tension resembling bipolar conditions. Nevertheless, the psalmist did not remain passive; he presented essential therapeutic practices: recalling God’s past deeds and testifying about divine interventions (v.5), as well as intensifying prayer as supplication, casting all anxiety upon the Lord (v.6).
In verses 7 to 10, another set of emotional symptoms emerges, accompanied again by therapeutic prescriptions. David revealed profound loneliness and isolation, crying out, “Do not hide your face from me” (v.7). The feeling of divine absence intensified his depression, leading him again toward an expectation of death. Following this, we see a behavior common in contemporary young spirituality: bargaining with God. David proposed his faith and devotion as an exchange for God’s love and deliverance (vv.8-9). Although expressing sincerity and piety, this posture reflects an immature religiosity typical of a desperate search for emotional security. However, verse 10 marks a decisive shift when the psalmist recognized that he needed, above all else, God’s wisdom and guidance: “Teach me to do your will.” Seeking clear understanding of God’s will is a crucial therapeutic resource for young people afflicted by indecision and fear about the future.
Finally, verses 11 and 12 conclude the prayer with a renewed plea for life, deliverance from anguish, and victory over adversity. Yet now David asks not based on his merits or spiritual bargaining but grounded solely upon God’s name, righteousness, and unfailing love. This change demonstrates a healthier, more mature perspective for prayer, one that young vocational Christians must learn and pursue. It is not about who we are, what we have, where we are, or what we do – but about who God is. God’s character is the foundation of our healing, including healing from emotional disorders; comprehending this guarantees emotional health and full missional development.
We observed that the Psalm ends with a powerful affirmation: “for I am your servant.” This missional identity permeates the entire Psalm, highlighting that the emotional disorders experienced do not define a servant of God’s identity. Rather, they highlight the urgent need to adequately address such sufferings, using biblical therapeutic resources like prayer, confession, remembrance, testimony, and seeking divine wisdom. More than ever, we must guide our young vocational Christians to overcome these emotional obstacles, enabling them to fully accomplish the mission entrusted to them by God. Emotional health of workers in the new generations must become a central theme in contemporary missiology.
