Ever since the Garden of Eden we have struggled under the heavy burden of self-protection and it’s twin brother, anxiety. It is now up to us to solve every problem. It’s on our shoulders to find food, build a house, light the fire, plow the fields, keep out the barbarians, discover penicillin, and rescue our loved ones. We have become professional domesticators of the wild world and excel at self-preservation and self-reliance. But our self-preservation software can often contaminate our relationships. They can get polluted with anxiety, rejection, jealousy, mistrust, criticism, competition, exhaustion, and more.
The psalms of complain (lament) offer us an alternative to fear, control, and isolation. Instead of distancing ourselves from God in the hour we feel he betrayed us, the lament songs teach us to run straight towards God with all our painful memories, dirty laundry, and our confusing questions about life. Don’t hide them or bury them. Don’t let fear become a roadblock. Get it all out in the open and deal with it in the Father’s presence. Bring your raw unedited heart before him and let him help you sort through the jagged pieces of your life. For he wants nothing more than to be your counselor, shepherd and companion.
The beautiful truth is that God doesn’t leave us where we are. He becomes a companion walking alongside us on a pathway out of the pain. He teaches us trust and thanksgiving even when we are caught in the thickets. Here is a simple pathway to thanksgiving, even when we are tangled in turmoil. You can see this simple pathway for yourself in Psalm 13.
1. Cry Out – Psalm 13:1– Cry out to God. Don’t run from him. Run to him with all of your mixed emotions. Ask to have an audience with him. He is the only one who has the answers to your problems.
PRAYER PATH: Turn your attention to the Lord and ask the Lord to pay attention to you. “Lord your are my companion, my strength, and my help in times of trouble.”
2. Complaint – Psalm 13:1-2 – Tell God what the problem is and what you’re upset about. Be honest with him. Don’t filter your emotions. Take your whole heart to the Lord.
PRAYER PATH: Address your feelings to the Lord, fully and unfiltered. “Lord this is what I’m upset about.”
3. Request – Psalm 13:3-4 – Simply ask God for help. Ask him for what you want or what you need. Tell him plainly how you need the situation to change or how you need to change within the situation. Quite often the psalmist will even give a reason, based on God’s character or his own worthiness for why God should answer his request.
PRAYER PATH: Tell God, “This is what I’m asking for and this is why I’m asking for it.”
4. Trust – Ps 13:5-6 – Finalize your request by declaring your trust in the Lord and that you will continue to praise him.
PRAYER PATH: Make your final declaration of trust to the Lord. “Thank you Lord for listening to my complaint and for acting on my behalf. I will continue to praise. Even when the mountain shake, you are still good to me.”
God has never been afraid to meet us where we are. But he also gently leads us out of where we are to where we need to go. Don’t just let your attitude sour in the vinegar of complaint. Now that you’ve dumped your burden on the Lord, let it go and walk away thanking and trusting him for his role as your protector, provider, and companion. This simple pathway accomplishes so much in a short period of time. It connects us to God even in our low times. It gives us a relief valve to empty out the dark emotions that can clog us up internally. And it helps us to turn the corner and declare our requests, and our trust in God, that he is going to take care of this. You can bring your “ugly” to God. He is a faithful friend and wise counselor who will walk with you through it.
Tags: prayer, faith, emotions, lament, imperfect, ugly, complaint, trials, bitterness, hardships
