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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Psalms of Lament | Psalm | Morant61 | 122323 | ||
Greetings again JRM! Your comment about the end of Ps. 56 revived a memory for me. So many people talk about faith as some kind of power to get what we want from God. Yet, faith is really the ability to trust God regardless of the circumstances - even when we don't get what we want! Like many people, I have been through some trying circumstances in my life. Some of them worked out the way that I wished, but many didn't. For an example of the latter, my wife and I lost a son to congential heart defects when he was only 9 months old (nearly 20 years ago now). My state of mind after his death was similar to the Psalms. I would cry out in anguish to God for not hearing or granting my request, but by the end of my prayer, I was reminded of His love. Who was I to be angry at God? Who was I to doubt His wisdom or love? This is why the Psalms are so powerful. We have the opportunity to peer into a person's naked heart and see their raw emotion. But, we also get to see true faith in action as well. Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
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2 | Psalms of Lament | Psalm | Just Read Mark | 122382 | ||
With Rowdy, I appreciate you sharing your experience. Life can be brutal, and we suffer. My father and my wife had cancer at the same time, ... the same time as my wife gave birth to our daughter. A time that should be focused on a newborn was filled with the most intense mixtures of joy of sorrow. My wife recovered, my Dad did not.... The Psalter gives us words to cry out to God. "Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me. I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God." (Psalm 69:1-3) Somehow, God's love is present even in suffering. I know so much more of life, having been through that time. We can say that God is good. Here is another question. I have been reading Job lately, as well.... and your expression: "Who was I to be angry at God?" brought Job's questions to mind. Any thoughts of the relationship between the Psalms of lament and the book of Job? Did you also read Job during those darkest days -- and if so, how did it minister to you? JRM |
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3 | Psalms of Lament | Psalm | Morant61 | 122393 | ||
Greetings JRM! I am sorry to hear about your father, but I rejoice that your wife recovered. I never really did read Job during that time. As far as the relationship between Job and the laments of the Psalms is concerned, I probably should explain my statement about being angry with God. I don't believe that it is 'wrong' to be angry with God. Anger is a part of grief. It is a real emotion which should be expressed. That is part of the beauty of the laments. However, over the course of time, our faith catches up with our emotions. At that point, I can say that I should not have been angry with God, even though I did feel that way initially. I hope that makes sense! :) I remember talking with a man once who lost his wife and child to a drunk driver. He shared how angry he was with God, but he didn't feel it was appropriate to tell God about it. I told him that God knows everything anyway, so he might as well be honest with his feelings. :-) What I have learned since is to trust God. Every 'bad' thing that has occurred in my life and helped me to grow in some way. Early in my ministry, I was a zealot evangelistically - but I didn't really love people. Losing my son taught me to care about people and their hurts. I'm not saying that God 'took' my son to teach me this, but it was an added benefit. So, rather than be crushed by difficult circumstances, or give up, I try to grow from them - with God's help. Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
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