The Chosen + BibleProject | Season 2 Reading PlanExemplo

God, Do You See Me?

Nathanael’s life is collapsing around him. After a big mistake, he’s under fire at work, his income is in jeopardy, and his entire future hangs in the balance. All of this is happening while he’s trying to live in the ways of God who, supposedly, cares about him. Nathanael is feeling neglected by God, so he begins quoting Psalm 102, an ancient poem that captures the heart of lament.

Many of us have been taught that life with God should always be happy and joyful. When the chaos and corruption of life strikes with a vengeance, we might feel like something is wrong with us—or like our faith isn’t real. We might distrust God because we assume he’s not doing what he should. If he was, we wouldn’t be so anxious or depressed or downright hopeless, right?

But the psalms are filled with lament. The poets turn to God with raw cries of pain and suffering, confusion and despair. The Bible gives us permission to take our darkest thoughts and most painful experiences to God. Rather than lashing out at others, or lamenting toward those who cannot help, we can turn to our creator and savior. Only God can truly restore all that has been lost. And we turn to him not merely because we know he’s always listening but because he is filled with lovingkindness.

All through the Hebrew Bible, we’re told that God’s loyal love motivates all that he does. His love is active, attentive, and awe-inspiring. Nathanael knows it, and in his time of intense suffering, he turns to the psalmist’s words of lament to cry out to God.

May we have the same courage to approach God with boldness and honesty. He longs for us to bring all our feelings and experiences to him, and he promises to always treat us with loyal, true lovingkindness.

Reflection Questions

1. Have you ever experienced the emotions or thoughts captured in this scene with Nathanael or in the words of Psalm 102? Did you feel God’s welcome to cry out to him with raw, authentic questions and laments? If so, what was that experience like? If not, does Psalm 102 (or any of the lament psalms) help to reframe your approach?
2. What is the danger in telling people they should always be happy and joyful in God, no matter what?
3. Sometimes the vast and infinite nature of God can make it seem like he’s distant or, worse, terrifying. But the Hebrew Bible consistently describes God as being filled with and compelled by loyal lovingkindness. How might understanding that reality affect how you approach him in your deepest, darkest experiences of pain?