2-22-2019

Good Morning All,

       Psalm 109:1; “O God, whom I praise, do not turn a deaf ear to me.”

    It was in a small and quiet voice that the question was asked.  You could tell she was worried that she would be struck down by God for even asking, but she had to ask.  “Is it ok to be angry at God?”  That was her question; is it ok?  Many people worry about this question; fearing the wrath of God is wise; yet, the question remains, “is it ok to be angry at God?”  Most of us know the story of Job and how God spoke to him when he was angry at God.  God asked Job, “where were you when I laid the foundation of the world?”  Job knew his place in a hurry.  We know what happened when Jonah got mad and ran away from God in a snit; a great fish was his future.  So, it is with hesitancy that we might ask, “is it ok to be angry at God?”  I would answer with a precautionary “yes, it is ok.”

    I answer it this way because the Bible, specifically the Book of Psalms, gives us as a method to express our anger and pain.  Job and Jonah presumed to be able to call into question God’s will; that is inadvisable.  We are not God and never will be but that doesn’t mean we do not feel hurt when things happen.  We hurt when a loved one dies before we are ready.  We feel hurt when our longing to have a child goes unfulfilled.  We suffer when loved ones turn their back on us in anger.  We hurt when we feel betrayed.  Pain comes to us from many angles and will batter us incessantly.  Suffering is the lot of humanity which is broken because of sin.  It is ok to be angry with God and to complain to him.  God even gives us a method to do this; we call them the psalms of lament.  A lament is a passionate expression of pain, grief, sorrow or suffering.  If you have ever felt that way, God wants to hear about it from you.

    There are 50 or so psalms of lament in the Book of Psalms, roughly 1 out of 3.  Some are community laments and some are personal or individual laments.  Many of the individual ones are from David.  Our verse is from a psalm of lament.  Psalms 102, 38, 41, 41, 52 and 62 are good ones.  Psalm 23 is even considered a psalm of lament (the yea, though I walk through the shadow of death).  Psalms of lament express our pain, suffering and anguish.  I think they are tremendously helpful because they put words to our feelings when we are unable to do so.

    Yet they do one more thing: they return us to God for our hope.  This psalm ends with the statement “because he stands beside needy people to save them from those who would condemn them to death.” Many of the others use similar language; "You alone are my salvation."  That is the point.  We express our pain yet stay focused on God as our healing source.  It might take a lot of times speaking and praying these psalms but it is one of the best tools to help in our healing.  

Father of all healing, you invite us to come to you in our pain and suffering.  You hear us and you give us hope.  Send your comfort to those who suffer and grieve.  Bring them the balm of your healing.  Comfort, comfort your people we pray.  In the precious blood of Jesus, we pray.  Amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret