The most encouraging thing I received this week was permission to be sad.
At the Wollongong Region Ministry Conference we heard (among many other things) Jay Behan from New Zealand share from Psalm 6 about the power of lament.
Life is sometimes very very sad and hard. Unfortunately, in this broken world marred by sin, we will face suffering, pain and injustice. There are many Psalms which help us express sadness, frustration and even anger at God – the important thing they do is help us turn towards God in our pain, instead of away from him.
In Church we often sing songs of triumph, hope, joy and victory – and these are great and true songs to sing – but we also need to sing songs of grief and suffering, lament and pain. Crying out to God for relief, for comfort, for respite.
Our God is not far off and distant, he wants to hear our prayers of sorrow and crying out in pain. He understands and has suffered in His Son even more than we can imagine – and he did so at the cross so that we might look forward to an eternity free from pain and suffering when Jesus returns.
But for now we often cry with King David:
‘Have mercy on me, LORD, for I am faint; heal me, LORD, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in deep anguish. How long, LORD, how long?’
– Psalm 6:2-3.
Blessings,
Ben
