“Turn toward God and speak candidly about your pain and disappointment.”

A thought by Jeff Manion (2010-07-14) from his book, The Land Between: Finding God in Difficult Transitions (Kindle Location 1785). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

I really like the Psalms in the Old Testament. I read one every day. I love them for a lot of different reasons but for one, I like people’s honesty. They tell God what they feel and He lets them because He understands.

In our times of pain and disappointment He knows that we need to see how desperate we really are. We need help. We are at the end of the rope and we feel like we are about to slip off the rope. We can’t make it on our own. And we want to tell someone.

Now we can tell everyone else that but it won’t make a lot of difference. It will just be a time that we spew it all out and maybe feel a little better but that is it. But when we tell Him and we really come to Him in total trust and total dependency and total confidence of His love for us then something more will happen. It is in our time of desperation and total dependency that He really works.

I know pride holds us back. It really does. No matter what we are going though we can make it on our own but when we find out we can’t then that is where the problem comes in or the power comes in. It all depends on who you are depending on. Our honesty can turn to depression in you or it can turn to dependency on Him. They both have results. One is negative and the other is positive.

“Bend an ear, God; answer me. I'm one miserable wretch! Keep me safe — haven't I lived a good life? Help your servant—I'm depending on you! You're my God; have mercy on me. I count on you from morning to night. Give your servant a happy life; I put myself in your hands! You're well-known as good and forgiving, bighearted to all who ask for help. Pay attention, God, to my prayer; bend down and listen to my cry for help. Every time I'm in trouble I call on you, confident that you'll answer.” Psalm 86.1-7 (Msg).

So how is it going with you?

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