Wednesday, November 12, 2025

“Did I keep my heart pure for nothing?  Did I keep myself innocent for no reason?  I get nothing but trouble all day long; every morning brings me pain.” (Psalm 73: 13 -14, New Living Translation)

                I am a bit cranky this morning. Out of sorts. Grumpy. Why? Thanks for asking. I am in pain.  The doctor says that I have some sort of inflammation in my right hip. All I know is that it hurts like crazy. I feel like I have the mother of all Charlie-horses going on in my right thigh. Tylenol and Celebrex barely touch it. The mornings, when I get up, are the worse.  Yikes! on the pain-o-meter. Sitting here is uncomfortable.  I have to go for an X-ray. Just anther morning in paradise!

                Maybe this is why I appreciate the Psalms so much.  If you really think about it, many of the writers of the Psalms do a lot of complaining, bemoaning, lamenting and protesting. They let their spiritual feelings all hang out for others to see, especially for God to see. They don’t hold back. They don’t suffer in silence. They don’t get all pious and holier-than-thou in stoic misery.  Their human honesty and frankness barks through the reality they are experiencing. “I am bent over and racked with pain. All day long I walk around filled with grief.” (Psalm 38:6) Preach it, brother! “I am on the verge of collapse, facing constant pain.” (Psalm 38: 17) You’re preaching to the choir, man! Be it physical suffering or undergoing persecution from enemies or simply in the depths of despair, the Psalmists bare their souls to God and even challenge God about the condition their condition is in. “I am sick at heart. How long, O Lord, until you restore me?” (Psalm 6: 3)

                But – and you know there is a but. But most of these complaints also exhibit another kind of honesty. Sometimes, the Psalmists recognize that they have no one to blame but themselves or that their sin and wrongdoing is adversely affecting their lives. Or their attitudes. Or their misunderstanding. Or their mistakes. Or their lack of faith and trust.  Then, they realize that confession is good for the soul and  will put them back on the right track with others and with God. But even more so, their laments often and usually (not always) turn into hope, faith, trust, fresh understanding, as they reach out to God in their situations.  

Keep reading Psalm 73, for example. After all his complaining about the world he is in, he ends up saying: “Then I realized that my heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside. I was so foolish and ignorant— I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you. Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.” (Psalm 73: 21 --24)

                That’s a tough faith for tough times.  They refuse to let whatever bad and painful situations they are in to define God and therefore themselves. They strive to reach a better conclusion. They insist on resisting their very own complaints and protests and seeking God, no matter what it takes or how long it takes, to find reassurances, consolations and salvation. For rescue. For new answers. “But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.” (Psalm 73:28)

                So let us, neither, just get stuck in our complaining and allowing our gripes to be our last word on life. Let us work through the worst moments in our lives, even if it just seems pointless or hapless or unending, and find our strength renewed by God’s Grace and Love.

                “But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40: 31)

                Pass the Tylenol, please. And with God’s help, I’ll get through this, too.

 Dale