Pour Out Your Heart to Him
God is our Refuge
Photo by Tom Barrett
One of the amazing things about walking with Jesus is that we have the privilege of confiding in Him and knowing that we are understood. When I'm really struggling or really overwhelmed, or when things are complicated in my heart and mind—and I know that half (or most) of it is sinful, unsanctified garbage— I can still pour my heart out to Him and tell Him exactly how I'm feeling. God isn't too busy for us, or too far away, or too wrapped up in His own problems to listen to ours. He isn't limited by sin the way we are, or the way our human friends are.
And what's even more amazing is that He answers.
He promises that when we ask, we will receive. He promises that when we seek we, we will find.
Sometimes He answers with a gentle (or not-so-gentle) rebuke from scripture. And while a rebuke from God doesn't always feel great, it is a cause for great joy. Its purpose is to set us on the right path. In love, the sword of the spirit pierces our souls, so as to save them from destruction, just as a loving parent corrects her child for the sake of his temporal and eternal wellbeing.
More often than rebuke, however, what I receive from the Lord is a reminder of His lovingkindness toward me and an assurance that He is with me and that He is at work in my situation.
When I am struggling because of a failure to love my neighbor—or because my neighbor is failing to love me--or (as is more often the case) both a & b above—I am reminded that the source of love is God Himself, and that I can't begin to love my neighbor in my own strength, and that love for neighbor naturally overflows when I meditate on, and am reassured of, His great love for me.
When I pour my heart out to him—and take the time to hear his answer—He quiets my anxious ruminations and restores my soul to a place of rest. He leads me beside the still waters; he prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies; he helps me to perceive again the goodness and mercy that follows me all the days of my life.
For those of you who are in the area, I am will be playing at Writer’s Night this Saturday Feb. 22nd at Sheyegirl Coffee in Ashland, TN. The event starts at 7 PM; I will be playing at 8.