By Joy Adams
I was once told that no matter where you are in life, whether the highest high, the deepest darkest valley, or somewhere in-between that there is a Psalm for you. A Psalm that will resonate with your thoughts and feelings and will help you see you are not alone. When I was younger and had not yet tasted any of life’s bitter moments, I had no grid for the psalmist, David’s, “complaining”. I wondered how any faith filled believer could resonate with the depths of despair, anger, or the roller coaster of emotions that David had. Fast forward 30 years, I now know that indeed there is always a Psalm to carry us through our journey. The Psalms meet us where we are, validate our journey and bring us to the other-side where we can boldly say “bless the Lord, oh my soul (Psalm 103:1),” even in the darkest of times.
I now understand that David was not “complaining”, be was being transparent. He was being honest. When we allow our prayers to truly be the cry of our heart, not just a pretty verse, we invite God into our innermost being, allowing him to mend, heal, correct, and truly be the Lord of our lives.
The Psalms teach us to be honest in our prayers. It is okay to bring not just our love and adoration to the Father, but also our hurt, anger, confusion and grief. In our transparent honest communication with Him, if we follow David’s lead, our vulnerability will always bring us back to a place of recognizing that “His love endures forever (Psalm 136).”
