1 With my voice I cry out to the Lord; with my voice I plead for mercy to the Lord. 2 I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him. (Psalm 142:1-2)
I’m guilty. When faced with frustration and trial, I go not to God, but instead retreat inward. Brooding and quiet I swallow my complaints until they spill out in random and often hurtful avenues. It could be how I was raised, it could be how I learned to deal, or it could just be I never truly leaned in to my faith. But if Christ is anything, he is peace.
Why do we often wait until he is the last option before we truly turn to him?
And it’s not that we are telling him anything he is unaware of when we plead with him. God is not surprised. Yet he asks us to complain to him – a miracle of kindness unto itself – for our benefit alone. He is to be our release valve, unleashing the pressure of these modern times. Our relation with him is to be different than with anyone else. He wants our complaints, we don’t need to impress him. While we often put forward a certain flawless (i.e. fake) prop of a being to those around us, with him we can truly be ourselves; our messy, broken, ridiculous selves. What great benefit it is to have a relationship where any mask is futile. The pressure is off us.
The Lord moves and thrives in the grit of everyday life.
Today, let down your walls. Vent your frustration and cling to the mercy of our patient God. Make him the first you run to when your mask begins to crack. Show him the beautifully ugly being you are and let him alone justify, equip, and renew you. He is the only one who can do such a thing anyways.
Matt simon blog 