Hi, friend. 

I don’t know where you are in life as you read this today, but I can guess you are going through something. Life is hard. Whether you’re a stay at home mom barely hanging on, a husband trying to provide for his family, a friend stuck in the game of comparison, or a daughter/son faced with some tough medical news concerning a parent- you know this to be true. Life is hard. 

I think there is a common misconception about the difficulty of living life and the responsibility of being christian or religious. Somehow if you claim to love God, there is a pressure to be able to “hold it all together.” As if leaning on Him can’t look messy. 

I want to share with you today that it can. 

Trusting God in the midst of your circumstances is a complexly intricate mixture of emotions. It is not pretty. It is not easy. It doesn’t fit neatly in the church pew each Sunday. Faith, based not on the details of this life, but on the divine attributes of God, is grueling. 

What does the bible say about this blind faith in the midst of suffering?

The book of Psalms is filled with heartfelt cries to the Lord in times of trial. These cries, also known as laments, are great examples of how people of faith should react when faced with suffering. They are people angry at God. They are people bitter about their situation. They are people confused by their circumstances. 

Laments found in the bible are real, raw, honest cries from people who love the Lord. They are written from a messy place of pain and heartache. There is no sugar coating what they are walking through. The authors of these laments are not hiding behind fake grins trying to bear their burdens gracefully. Their honest cries recognize emotions that are not based on truth, but feel true nonetheless. 

And guess what- that’s ok. 

It’s ok for them to have these strong emotions. It’s ok for them to ask the tough questions. And it’s ok for you, too. 

Is it important to always come back to trust in God? Of course. But is it ok to not begin that way? To express some of those complicated feelings to God first? Definitely. 

If you spend some time practicing the art of lament, I think you will find it to be just what your heart needs. It is so therapeutic to let the messy spill out of you. To purge all of the ‘whys,’ the ‘what ifs’ and the ‘are you kidding mes’ in order to lean fully on the King. Because when we aren’t honest with ourselves- honest with how we are truly feeling and the turmoil within- it becomes suppressed. It festers inside and infects our hearts and minds without us even realizing it. 

Today, I would like to challenge you to lament to the Lord. Without holding anything back, turn to God and verbalize or write down your heart’s cry. Unpack all of your grief before the Lord. In the beginning, it may feel uncomfortable or strenuous. For me, it felt like I was being a “bad christian” and I had some guilt for putting those hard thoughts on paper, but remember… God already knows your thoughts. He can handle them no matter how difficult. 

He is a good, good Father and wants us to run to Him- even in the mess. Wouldn’t you want your own children to run to you in their mess? Would you ask that they come to you only once they had “pulled themselves together” a bit? Of course not! You would beg them to come to you with it ALL. 

Once you’ve gotten all of the ugly out, turn your eyes to His promises. Remember what God has done for you in the past and what His word promises us for our future. CHOOSE to trust in Him- in the midst of you hurt, unanswered questions and pain, choose to trust. It isn’t easy- it may actually be the hardest choice you’ve ever made. It takes prayer, support from fellow believers, and strength from the Holy Spirit,  but the reward is so sweet.

Please lament today, friends. Be honest and vulnerable in your time with the Lord this week. Talk or write to God- tell him your pain, share your questions, affirm your trust in His attributes, and ask Him to keep you trusting. 

-A