Psalm 88
1985 was a bad year for me, my first marriage broke up, my addictions were reaching their peak, my father died, and I went to war with God.
I felt that God was causing me pain on purpose. I had just re-established a relationship with my father that had been strained for many years, and now God was taking him away from me. I felt as if my first marriage had finally leveled out when I found out my wife was having sex with men I considered friends. I was so lost in my use and abuse of drugs and alcohol that I lost all sense of dignity. How could anyone tell me that God loved me when I felt that he was doing all this to me?
Don’t tell me that I’m the only one that has ever been angry with or disappointed with God. If you try to tell me that you haven’t had similar feelings, I won’t believe you.
Why?
Because many people in the Bible like Job and Moses had it out with God, and so did Jeremiah, some of the other prophets and psalmists.
6 You have put me in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths.
7 Your wrath lies heavily upon me; you have overwhelmed me with all your waves. Selah
8 You have taken from me my closest friends and have made me repulsive to them. I am confined and cannot escape;
This sample of from Psalm 88 does not show a happy camper. Some folks may find this odd as we have a tendency to think that the Bible is all love and peace.
It seems strange for sacred writings to include scenes of spiritual failure, but this reflects an important principle. A marriage therapist will warn couples, “Your relationship may get worse before it gets better.” Misunderstandings must be exposed before true understanding can flourish. The psalmists do not rationalize anger or give abstract advice about pain; rather, they express emotions vividly and loudly, directing their feelings primarily at God. The anguished conclusion of Psalm 88 provides ample evidence of this.
The psalms present a mosaic of spiritual therapy in process. Doubt, paranoia, giddiness, delight, hatred, joy, praise, vengefulness, betrayal—you find it all in the psalms. From them I learn to bring to God whatever I feel about Him. I don’t need to paper over my failures; far better to bring my weaknesses to Him, who alone has the power to heal.
Just like when we get mad with those closest to us then get over it by working it out, we have to be able to do the same thing with God.
1985 was a bad year for me, my first marriage broke up, my addictions were reaching their peak, my father died, and I went to war with God.
I felt that God was causing me pain on purpose. I had just re-established a relationship with my father that had been strained for many years, and now God was taking him away from me. I felt as if my first marriage had finally leveled out when I found out my wife was having sex with men I considered friends. I was so lost in my use and abuse of drugs and alcohol that I lost all sense of dignity. How could anyone tell me that God loved me when I felt that he was doing all this to me?
Don’t tell me that I’m the only one that has ever been angry with or disappointed with God. If you try to tell me that you haven’t had similar feelings, I won’t believe you.
Why?
Because many people in the Bible like Job and Moses had it out with God, and so did Jeremiah, some of the other prophets and psalmists.
6 You have put me in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths.
7 Your wrath lies heavily upon me; you have overwhelmed me with all your waves. Selah
8 You have taken from me my closest friends and have made me repulsive to them. I am confined and cannot escape;
This sample of from Psalm 88 does not show a happy camper. Some folks may find this odd as we have a tendency to think that the Bible is all love and peace.
It seems strange for sacred writings to include scenes of spiritual failure, but this reflects an important principle. A marriage therapist will warn couples, “Your relationship may get worse before it gets better.” Misunderstandings must be exposed before true understanding can flourish. The psalmists do not rationalize anger or give abstract advice about pain; rather, they express emotions vividly and loudly, directing their feelings primarily at God. The anguished conclusion of Psalm 88 provides ample evidence of this.
The psalms present a mosaic of spiritual therapy in process. Doubt, paranoia, giddiness, delight, hatred, joy, praise, vengefulness, betrayal—you find it all in the psalms. From them I learn to bring to God whatever I feel about Him. I don’t need to paper over my failures; far better to bring my weaknesses to Him, who alone has the power to heal.
Just like when we get mad with those closest to us then get over it by working it out, we have to be able to do the same thing with God.
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