Today’s Readings: Psalm 17:1-7, 15; Genesis 32:22-31; Matthew 14:13-21; Romans 9:1-5
There’s a subtle but similar theme that runs through today’s Psalm & today’s passage from Genesis. It’s a theme that I think is crucial for helping folks establish a healthy spiritual life. So what’s the theme? That it is okay to engage, challenge – or even wrestle with – the Holy. As a pastor, I’ve encountered lots of folks over the years who are in a difficult circumstances. They’re facing a bout of unemployment, they’ve received a life-threatening diagnosis, or they’ve recently experienced the unexpected loss of a loved one. Whatever the circumstance, folks in these situations often feel conflicted because they desperately want to cry out to God and express the depth of their true feelings; sadly, they’ve been taught by some that it’s inappropriate (or even sacrilegious) to do so. As a result, they end up stuffing their feelings. They continue to stuff their feelings until an unbearable amount of anger or resentment builds up, and then they pull back from their relationship with God. If you are in a similar situation where you haven’t allowed yourself to get real with God – follow the example of the psalmist and let out “the most honest prayer [God] will hear” (Psalm 17:1 – The Message). No matter what form your feelings take, draw comfort from the fact that God is big enough to receive whatever feelings we have to offer. Til next time…
There’s a subtle but similar theme that runs through today’s Psalm & today’s passage from Genesis. It’s a theme that I think is crucial for helping folks establish a healthy spiritual life. So what’s the theme? That it is okay to engage, challenge – or even wrestle with – the Holy. As a pastor, I’ve encountered lots of folks over the years who are in a difficult circumstances. They’re facing a bout of unemployment, they’ve received a life-threatening diagnosis, or they’ve recently experienced the unexpected loss of a loved one. Whatever the circumstance, folks in these situations often feel conflicted because they desperately want to cry out to God and express the depth of their true feelings; sadly, they’ve been taught by some that it’s inappropriate (or even sacrilegious) to do so. As a result, they end up stuffing their feelings. They continue to stuff their feelings until an unbearable amount of anger or resentment builds up, and then they pull back from their relationship with God. If you are in a similar situation where you haven’t allowed yourself to get real with God – follow the example of the psalmist and let out “the most honest prayer [God] will hear” (Psalm 17:1 – The Message). No matter what form your feelings take, draw comfort from the fact that God is big enough to receive whatever feelings we have to offer. Til next time…
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