I have a friend whose mother advises him that whenever he is depressed, he should go to church and say to himself. “Everybody hates me, nobody loves me, I am always wrong, I will quit.” After that, he never fails to feel much better after leaving the church,
His mother might not have been highly-educated, but she certainly knew psychology well. She taught him to call anger, anger; to call despair, despair; and not to pretend things are alright when matters are not.
When we pray before God, He does not always expect us to look good. He does not always expect nice words, praise and thanks. As one poet says, “Into each life a suffering must fall.” Into our spiritual life, there will always be a rainy day. There will always be sad days. But when clouds come, do not pretend it is sunny. When you are sick, do not pretend you are healthy. When you have problems, do not pretend everything is alright. Tell your troubles to God.
When you do not agree with the way God is conducting Himself with you, wrestle with God, debate with God, argue with God. Tell Him your feelings. If you are angry and in a bad mood, be honest with Him. Do not hide your feelings from God, because He always understands and always knows best.
Jeremiah did that. He was angry with God and said so. He was frustrated and said so. Jeremiah was honest with God. He confronted his anger as anger; sickness as sickness; disappointment as disappointment; and joy as joy. As a result of his honesty, he overcame.
We may frustrate ourselves and fall because we pretend everything is good, when in fact, it is raining in our lives. If it is a rainy day, tell God it is raining and then ask, and wait, for the sunshine,
WRESTLING WITH GOD
Gen 28:10-22
Jesus In My Heart
