Something to think about... Psalm 86 What does it mean to lament? For me, lamenting is an outpouring of the heart -- all the emotions we experience when life and others seem to turn against us. Often in different places, I have heard it said, you should not get angry with God. Obviously, some have not read their scriptures well or with an emotional interpretation. The psalmist laments, complains to God, gets angry with God, and asks why several times. It is not a irreligious thing to get angry with the Divine; rather, it is an authentic expression of ones faith. Faith is a relationship, not just a state of being for all time and all places. It is a relationship with God that is just like other relationships with other humans. We experience many emotions with those we love, so why not with God? Many times, our emotions help us to address the deeper concerns within our relationship. It moves us past assumptions and gets us to the reality of the relationship. Getting angry with God, is a way for us to address the disconnect of what we believe God should do and be, to what God really is. In other words, we begin to recognize that God does not just focus on me, God is looking out for ALL! The psalmist, even while lamenting, does not loose their faith. Rather, it is strengthened and is shaped to the new reality of God. This new reality helps us to see similar problems a bit differently than before, and perhaps overcome them with this new faith. God is faithful, even when; no, especially when life becomes difficult. Lamenting recognizes our need to turn back to God, seek help and healing, and walk together through the difficult moments. Today, I lament every time I turn on the radio or television and hear the news of today. Where is God? This is my cry. Where is justice, where is love being extended, where is hope, where is common sense, where is grace? I submit, that if we have a hard time finding God in the crisis of today, we have not acted, we have not said a word, we have not shared the Gospel, we have not opened our eyes to see Jesus among us. Then the righteous will answer him, Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you? Matthew 25:37-39 Lord open our eyes, our minds, our hearts to the least of these...to you. Thanks be to God!
Posted on: Wed, 16 Jul 2014 13:34:25 +0000
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