Being Honest
Key Verse: Psalm 55: 4 “My heart is in anguish within me, the terrors of death have fallen upon me”
As Christians, we should feel able to make a complaint (lament in the psalms) to God, I am aware that this is a subject that is not popular with the majority of us to discuss and why is this? The stiff upper lip of the Brits that whenever a negative feeling arises, it is best to pretend that it isn’t there. Let us put on a good face, bury it in the sand. This is not good for us mentally, physically or most importantly in our walk with God. Did you know that about 70% of the psalms are laments the psalmist raising issues of disappointment, losses and tragedies. They did not avoid these issues or deny that things were not right.
We need to see the importance of being honest and open to God with our emotions, when loss or disappointments hit us we should not be afraid to feel the pain. This is something I find hard to do because I very much belong in the group that buries your head in sand. It is not easy to come to terms with a personal tragedy, the man who brought me to the Lord once told me, when I was really confused and so low that I was ready to walk away from God “read the psalms you will find in them all you need to know about life” then he quoted Psalm 97: 7 “A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you.” He said “when you asked Jesus in to your life and received forgiveness for your sin, it didn’t stop there – you have a caring protector and He will meet all of your needs only be honest with Him and tell Him all”.
Lament in terms of the psalms has the potential to change our attitude, because it compels us to strip ourselves of all pretence and forces us to wrestle with God. From this wrestling comes a new awareness of God and a new sense of His presence. There is no guarantee that we will get the answers we want but we will certainly get to know Him better as we complain to Him, but like the psalmist we also need to remember God’s goodness as well. By doing this, the experience for many has been one of rising through the confusion or even anger to recognise after all that God knows what he is doing; that it is ultimately for our good and that the struggles we go through to come to this decision are in themselves strengthening.
We can say that to lament is making the most of our losses and disappointments without getting bogged down in them. Admit how we are feeling, struggle with that feeling and move on from them acknowledging the greatness and goodness of God in all of His working in our lives. “Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you” 1 Peter 5:7. “And as with Jacob wrestle with God for we will see His face and be blessed for passing through the lament.” Gen 32: 22-32 and we can say “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” Romans 8:37