The theology of the Psalms is one of trust and reliance on God because of the memory of his saving deeds, not merely in Israel’s history, but also in the personal experience of the individual Israelite—and by extension of you and me. At this time of year, I like to meditate on St. Joseph and Our Lady. Do not forget the poor! Questions and answers with John Piper. Flash forward twelve years later, when Jesus stays behind in Jerusalem after Passover, unbeknownst to Mary and Joseph, and they return to the Holy City and find Him in the Temple. The excuses for not praying or attending religious services are legion, but this bitterness against the Lord is among the most common. Can we complain collectively?
Christianity Today strengthens the church by richly communicating the breadth of the true, good, and beautiful gospel. But if we live long enough we get over it. I think God wants us to be brutally honest with him. In their long, tragic, and friendless history, the Jews have lived in danger with contingency. Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Some of these psalms are: Psalms 3, 4, 7, 10, 13, 69 and many others—46, 73, 78, 79, 82, 88, 105, 136. Grumbling and complaining are symptoms of spiritual amnesia, a disease that will kill us unless we make every effort to remember God’s grace to us. The psalms contain a number of laments, both individual and communal. Erik Raymond is the senior pastor at Redeemer Fellowship Church in Watertown, Massachusetts. It must be said however, that we humans are prone to complain. I remember, for example, a colleague whom I could count on to tell me what bothered him about the organization for which we worked. Time and again, we Americans have demonstrated that collective complaining, solidarity in grievance, is an incredibly powerful tool. Your email address will not be published. It holds authority accountable for making changes. The author of Psalm 13 addresses himself to God and openly describes his complaint. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in … Oh, I suppose that he often had a point. Learn how your comment data is processed. . Culture is like a big magnet, it’s pulling on us and around us. If we distance ourselves from God instead of asking him the hard questions, we might think, "Oh, I just need to pull myself up by my bootstraps and just deal with it." Those that did so met the anger of the Lord, as was the case of Moses’ sister Miriam (Numbers 12) and Korah and Dathan (Numbers 16). * Catholic News Agency columns are opinion and do not necessarily express the perspective of the agency. Philippians 2:13-15 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Your email address will not be published. Ask Pastor John. If this happens, then this will or will not happen. Will you utterly forget me? The nativity account is dusty, dirty, dangerous, painful, scary, and the complete opposite of what we think of when we think about the birth of the Lord in modern times. They are personal and communal, extending to all dimensions of life. Forever? As Christians who are suffering, we should be diving into God instead of retreating from God, asking him questions and believing that he is sufficient to answer them and deal with our needs. Do we give voice to our deep frustrations before Him? And how thankful I am that our God is willing to hear us and to embrace us with his mercy. How thankful I am that Scripture models and encourages such openness in prayer that we are free even to share our complaints with the Lord. ON FURTHER CONSIDERATION, WE MAY SAY, COMPLAINING IS RIGHT. Help me, dear Lord, to be fully honest with you. So the same God who tells us to be anxious for nothing, tells us to put our anxieties on him. The structure is similar to that of an individual lament: cry for help, description of distress and request, and the motifs for God’s intervention. He acknowledges feeling ignored by God, that God has hidden Himself from the psalmist. It felt odd to talk to my Lord that way. March 17, 2017 • Life for Leaders. 5. Peter tells us to cast our anxieties upon God because he cares for us. But note that they spoke against God’s servant and, in … God's sovereignty applies to our everyday lives because it assures us that he working in every circumstance. . We’re often taught that we should begin our prayers with praise or thanksgiving. In times of trouble, the psalms of complaint bring a consolation unique in all religious poetry. Consider me and answer, Lord my God. The psalms are fulfilled in Jesus Christ. He wants … How many rise against me! Ultimately, God does not promise a trouble-free life to to anyone. 1. We should do this without complaining about God. All rights reserved. 2 responses to “ Complaining to God ” Chris Aldrich | September 22, 2011 at 8:55 am | Reply. We see this in class action lawsuits—the Tea Party movement, Occupy Wall Street, and … How long will you hide your face from me?
To you I pray, O LORD; 4 At dawn you will hear my cry; at dawn I will plead before you and wait. The lament is simply a complaint to God. A holy complaint. In this immensely practical and encouraging book, Erik Raymond establishes what contentment is and how to learn it, teaching us to trust in the God who keeps his promises rather than our changing circumstances. Sign Up For Our Newsletter
The biblical lament never allowed for the person to be consumed with their feelings. Our communities could become true places of refuge and healing if we allowed such raw, unfiltered expressions of our frustrations and emotions framed within our trust of God, even when He seems hidden. What an incredible gift and privilege! In the Broadway musical, “Fiddler on the Roof,” Tevye, is a poor Jew eking out a living in czarist Russia. The very impious among us have no qualms about trashing God, prayer, and religious institutions and people at every chance they get. The lamenter always returns to an affirmation of hope and trust in God. So I got up and went to a place in my house where I could speak plainly to the Lord. “So many people are turned off to God and organized, traditional religion because they are angry with God.” I know from personal experience that many people brought up in a Christian faith who have doubts are angry with the “God” they were exhorted to believe in. Required fields are marked *, Fuller Theological Seminary I won’t go into the details because it involves other people. Real frustrations. He acknowledges feeling ignored by God, that God has hidden Himself from the psalmist. We would grow in our faith if we genuinely allow it in ourselves and others. Those of us who are in between remain faithful, but allow ourselves to feel angry or disappointed in God when we feel things are not going right. Grumbling complaints directly or indirectly declare that God is not sufficiently good, faithful, loving, wise, powerful, or competent. . ". 5 Whenever I cried out to the LORD, I was answered from the holy mountain. © 2020 The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc., a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) Charitable Organization. Time and again, we Americans have demonstrated that collective complaining, solidarity in grievance, is an incredibly powerful tool. 5 You are not a god who delights in evil; no wicked person finds refuge with you; Psalm 7 2 LORD my God, in you I take refuge; rescue me; save me from all who pursue me, 3 Lest they maul me like lions, tear me to pieces with none to save. In other words, we need to cooperate with God. I am for prayer. I think God wants us to figure it out for ourselves sometimes. This sermon is part of the sermon series "Really? 4. Next, I decided to be happy and bring that joy to patients and staff. They did not have a charmed life. God has been good to him in the past; he expects Him to be the same in the future. But I have trusted in Your faithful love; my heart will rejoice in Your deliverance. We can complain to God. Psalm 64:1 . Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.” They are worried, perhaps annoyed.
He enjoys spending time with the Lord in Eucharistic Adoration, Lectio Divino and praying the Holy Rosary. But his consistent negativity was exhausting. But with holy fear, awe and reverence, we can call on His promises to us. • The Holy Family arrives in Bethlehem and, of course, they find no rooms for rent, so they wind up in a cave with animals and the baby is born in a smelly stable. Second, the appeal to God is for help, to win God’s sympathy by describing the nature of the complaint—sickness, danger of death, sin, old age, and especially enemies. Grant my heart joy in your help, that I may sing of the LORD, 7 “How good our God has been to me!”. • Herod hears of the birth of the Messiah and wants him dead, so an angel shows up again and tells St. Joseph they must flee into Egypt, another grueling and dangerous journey.
They are prayers to God, not prayers about God2. Psalm 32 How many are my foes, LORD! "I find refuge in prayer, committing myself and my cause unto thee." The Bible, however, invites us to be real. So the next time something doesn’t go your way, feel free to give the Lord an eye roll and a “really Lord!” and then ask Him the “what” question. I will sing to the Lord because He has treated me generously” (Psalm 13:1-6 HCSB). His cares and grief seem never-ending. Even our disappointments with Him? He asks God to be moved to action and come to his aid, lest he be overwhelmed. However, Jesus never complained and He never stopped praying even until his last breath.
I wonder if God ever gets tired of hearing people’s complaints. Do we allow ourselves to complain before God? He is a frequent contributor to many websites and periodicals, and blogs regularly at Ordinary Pastor, hosted by the Gospel Coalition. Raise your arm!
We don't just complain as individual consumers. Complaining to God Mark D. Roberts.
The most pious among us will never allow themselves to complain about God, invoking holy fear.
What we want to do is complain, to let the Lord know how unhappy we are. We see throughout the Scriptures that believers ask God hard questions about things they're going through in their lives, and in the process they find God to be a refuge. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Beware These 4 Common Threats to Your Contentment. Instead of saying “Why me Lord,” he suggested asking the Lord “what.” What will You have me do with this situation? Rather, I’m thinking of people who make it a habit to bring up all the things that are bothering them, things at work, things at home, things in society, and so forth. A Five Day Silent Retreat: Drawing Closer to God, The Church Qualifies Mary as our Consolation. 13 Why should the wicked scorn God, say in their hearts, “God doesn't care?”, Psalm 13 2 How long, LORD? It was full of fear, frustration, weariness, hard work, inconvenience, misunderstandings, and yes, even death and despair. No matter what, I was going to make sure I noticed every blessing along the way. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Right? Their plans were disrupted, they were inconvenienced, and they spent three days in heart-wrenching anxiety. Many times, I have no idea what God’s will for my life is, even though I ask. That bastard! It’s is a large part of their identity.
It expresses raw feelings, emotions, and frustrations. We fought for our independence complaining about political authority. His cares and grief seem never-ending. One of those rights is the right to complain. They are legion too; however, certain of them come with a quid pro quo.