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
Psalm 142:2..."I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him.
ReplyDeletePsalm 22:1 is generally believed to be prophetic because of what Jesus said on the cross. I had never thought of Jesus' comment as venting, but I'm starting to see it as a reaction to the situation and, obviously, a statement of enormous emotion (like in the Garden of Gethsemane). Of course, much has been made of this statement over two millennia (like: the Father could not look on His Son while He was bearing the sins of the world). It has also been a statement that has caused some people to reject the Gospel. But seeing it as also venting helps me understand Jesus a bit more.
ReplyDeleteFrom Jilly's husband.
Well put my Sweetheart!
DeleteJilly💛💛💛