God can handle our being real

Over the past few days, the Lord has brought a number of people across my path who are really struggling. And what I want to say, is that one of the things I appreciate about recovery programs in general, especially twelve-step-programs, is that they are safe places, places to be real, places where we can take off our masks and be honest about where we are at, and what we are feeling. When people are hurting deeply, what comes out of their mouths may not exactly be what you want to hear in the middle of a worship service! How are we to respond? My attention was drawn recently to a verse in Job 6:26 “Do you intend to rebuke my words, And the speeches of a desperate one, which are as wind?” The words "are as wind,” picture someone who is desperate, exhaling something that demands to be let out. Job asks “Do you intent to rebuke my words” thus adding to his already unimaginable pain?

Far too often, especially in “holy” fellowships, we wear masks because to do otherwise is not safe. And sometimes, because some of our views of God may be false, believing Him to be unsafe, we may withdraw from Him. But David, when he is in deep distress and overwhelmed “pours out his complaint to the Lord” (Psalm 142:2,3). And what comes out of our mouths at such times might just not be “Christian.” Psalm 137, recording the words of the exiles in Babylon reads “Blessed is he who takes your little ones and dashes them against a stone” (verse 9). Charming! What is interesting, it that this is the very last verse of the Psalm. In other words the writer does not (as in many of the Psalms) redeem himself by the end! I believe in leaving that Psalm in the Psalter, the Lord is showing us that He is big enough, and secure enough, to allow us to be real with Him. And clearly being real is exactly what the Psalmist was, warts and all!

At the end of Psalm 142, David is not yet delivered either. The last verse (verse 7) reads “Bring my soul out of prison, That I may praise Your name ... For You shall deal bountifully with me.” David knows that bitterness is a prison, and even in the midst of his pain, he knows that the Lord is his deliverer (verse 6). And in faith he believes that in His time, the Lord will deal with him bountifully. This side of the cross, with access to the Throne of grace, we are admonished to be sure that we do not fail to obtain His grace and so be defied and defile many (Hebrews 12:15). Nobody is saying that this is easy, and perhaps this is one of the many places where we all fail (James 3:2).

Father, I think I know You well enough to know that You would rather than we came to You with railing accusations, rather than stay away. That at least gives You the opportunity to answer. In my own life I have in my minds eye, pummeled You with my fists even as You held me in Your embrace. At such times I know I am wrong, even as Job seemed to know he was wrong. But sometimes we just seem to need to let it out. Thank You Lord that You are big enough to handle this. And Father, learning this about You, help us please to extend the same grace to others as, in the midst of their pain, they may say or do something inappropriate. But also Lord help both us and them not to stay there, but with David to cry our for deliverance and comfort in Jesus Name Amen