Freely Speaking Audio Devotion
Welcome to Freely Speaking, an OHSOFREE devotional ministry where we share our hearts and trust God for transformation.
Today, Susan Hales shares her thoughts on grief, and loving God with all your strength.
Our scripture is found in Mark 12:30, New International Version: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”
Did you know it’s ok to complain to God? Many years ago, I experienced one tragedy after another. My father died from Alzheimer’s, a serious long-term relationship ended, and my grandfather died. Then, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and turned to alcohol to self-medicate and numb the pain.
When I finally met with a Christian counselor, he asked me to compose a timeline of my life. This exercise helped me realize I hadn't properly dealt with my grief and was stuck. I wish I had known back then that I could complain to God instead of attempting to handle everything in my strength instead of God’s.
There are approximately sixty-five psalms of lament in the Bible. A lament is complaining to God, not complaining about God. We express our anguish and pain to God, knowing He hears us and is the One in control. We can express our deepest pain and grief to Him because He loves us.
A lament starts with calling out to God by name, asking Him for help, and ending with worship and affirmation of our love. Psalm 22 is an excellent example of a psalm of lament because Jesus quoted this psalm on the cross (Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34). David wrote, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?" Psalm 22:1 (NIV).
Find the courage to lament to God and seek His strength to navigate through your grief without getting stuck. Search for “psalms of lament” or write your own. Do you have a favorite psalm of lament?
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