When people are upset, they often vent their frustrations.
There are wrong ways to do this, but the Psalms show us that God doesn’t mind a bit of venting:
Psalm 10:1: "Why, LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?"
Psalm 22:1: "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help?"
Psalm 69:20: "Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless; I looked for sympathy, but there was none…."
But notice how the psalmist refocused in each of the psalms above:
Psalm 10:14: "But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless."
Psalm 22:27: "All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD...."
Psalm 69:32-33: "The poor will see and be glad—you who seek God, may your hearts live! The Lord hears the needy and does not despise his captive people."
So go ahead and vent, dear Christians, but don't stop there.
Bible Love Notes
A word to the wise….
If you haven’t heard a false rumor about the Covid-19 virus, you've probably been in a coma.
We live in the information age with millions of facts at our fingertips. But there's also lots of misinformation. And we need wisdom to know what's true and what isn't. Sometimes even major news agencies get taken in and have to post retractions (Example).
I love the book of Proverbs because it contains short, pithy statements that fit so many areas of our lives. For example:
"The simple believe anything, but the prudent give thought to their steps." ~ Proverbs 14:15
So before we pass along the latest "cure" or conspiracy theory about the Covid-19 virus, the latest political plot, or a rumor about our neighbor, let’s stop, pray, and check our facts.
And why not add some wisdom to your days. Did you know that if you read a chapter of Proverbs each day, you will read the whole book every month? Yes, it has 31 chapters.
But don't be confused and think proverbs are promises. That's a Proverbial Mistake.
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I encourage you to read the purpose of Proverbs in chapter 1:1-6 and memorize verse 7 or memorize Proverbs 9:10. And if you'd like to read a collection of 1-minute devotions about different verses in Proverbs, check out the Bible Love Notes Proverbs Archive. It has over 30 concise devotions offering "words to the wise."
Bible Love Notes
When you’re sick or going through difficulty do you feel like God no longer loves you?
When you read the news about the Covid-19 Pandemic, do you feel abandoned, separated from the love of God?
The Apostle Paul faced a great deal of suffering during his ministry and it’s believed that he died a brutal death, but he shared this wonderful truth in Romans 8:35-39:
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? … Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Not only are we always in the presence of God’s love, He is aware of every detail of our lives (Psalm 139).
People may abandon us, circumstances may test us, life may be difficult, and our feelings may deceive us. But nothing, absolutely nothing, can separate the Christian from the love of God. 💙
