There is a dialogue that takes place in every believer as to whether to wallow in self pity or to worship God. Both realities are ever present because of the presence of sin, which serves to constantly strain our relationship with him. When our sin weighs on us by its consequences in our lives, or its temptation, we are faced with the choice of remembrance and discernment. We can either forget God and feel the widening divide, or we can remember his grace conquers all and reach back to him. The Psalmist chooses to acknowledge that he is in cognitive dissonance. He recognizes that is in both places. He is both in anguish at the presence of evil in his life and that he ought to praise God. Here he discerns between his emotions and his intellect and tells both to fall under what is logically right, despite the divide. Too many people refuse to do this. They believe that in order to function at all, we must remove all opposition or dissonance. But that is not a sustainable practice. Emotions and intellect are important. We need not excise one for the other. The way forward is to conform both under the truth. The psalmist acknowledges that he longs for God, that he has fear and heartache, and that he must praise God. This is good. This allows him to be a dynamic and whole person. Anything less is to change him into less of the person he is meant to be.