God’s Grace for Todayনমুনা

God Knows We Feel

Each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life. -Psalm 42:8

Feeling overwhelmed, Sierra grieved her son’s fight with addiction. “I feel bad,” she said. “Does God think I have no faith because I can’t stop crying when I’m praying?”

“I don’t know what God thinks,” I said. “But I know He can handle real emotions. It’s not like He doesn’t know we feel.” I prayed and shed tears with Sierra as we pleaded for her son’s deliverance.

Scripture contains many examples of people wrestling with God while struggling. The writer of Psalm 42 expresses a deep longing to experience the peace of God’s constant and powerful presence. He acknowledges his tears and his depression over the grief he’s endured. His inner turmoil ebbs and flows with confident praises, as he reminds himself of God’s faithfulness. Encouraging his “heart,” the psalmist writes, “I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!” (v. 11). He’s pulled back and forth between what he knows to be true about God and the undeniable reality of his overwhelming emotions.

God designed us in His image, emotions and all. Our tears for others reveal deep love and compassion, not necessarily a lack of faith. We can approach God with raw wounds or old scars. He knows how we feel because He feels emotions as well. Each prayer, whether silent, sobbed, or shouted with confidence, demonstrates our trust in His promise to hear and care for us. Xochitl Dixon

What emotions have you tried to hide from God? Why is it often hard to be honest with Him about the struggles and overwhelming emotions we’re experiencing?

Unchanging Father, thank You for assuring me that You know I need to process my ever-changing emotions.