When you are in pain, bewildered by God’s sovereignty, cry out to him. And if you can’t find the words, borrow the words of David in the Psalms.
My friend Jim often has to leave his little boys when he flies on business.
And hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and on one trip, as the family drove together to the airport, the seven-year-old gladly took last-minute instructions from Daddy on how to help Mommy while Daddy was away. The five-year-old bravely tucked in his chin and promised he’d do his chores, but as they turned into the airport, the two-year-old, Daniel, all smiles up until then, spotted an airplane on the runway, and suddenly, he was wailing and sobbing! Jim told me, “[You know,] It about tore my heart out. I almost canceled the trip right then [and there]. I just kept hugging my little guy.” As he told this and as I saw tears well up in his eyes, I thought, “Man, if that little boy’s cries tug at Jim’s heart, how much more must our tears move our heavenly Father?” ’Cause nothing grips God’s heart like the tortured cry of one of his children.
And how does God respond? Well, watch what happens in Psalm 18 after David cries out for help to God. He says, “From his temple [God] heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears. The earth trembled and quaked… the foundations of the mountains shook… he parted the heavens and came down… he mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind… he reached down… and took hold of me.” Wow. Can you see how our cries move the Almighty? And I love that last part, “He took hold of me.” Friend, Jesus is God’s way of taking hold of us. When it comes to our anguished cries for help, Jesus experienced suffering like no human ever has. But our Savior did not linger in the damp fog of Gethsemane, succumbing to despair in his suffering. No, he moved toward his Father and he proceeded to the cross. There, he aimed his cries God-ward, not choosing his own words to wrap around his wretchedness, but – you guessed it – he chose the words of a psalm. He cried out Psalm 22 aloud, groaning, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” It was a lament that foreshadowed the suffering of us all.
And so, when you are in pain, when you are bewildered by God’s sovereignty, cry out to him, groan before him – and use Psalm 18 if you need any words. Do not accuse God of plotting evil in your life. Although many so-called Christian counselors tell people nowadays that it’s okay to vent your anger against God in a full-force, no-holds-barred way; although they say you need to “forgive God” for all the awful things that have happened to you, that is wrong advice. Never cast a dark shadow on God’s good name. Never talk behind his back, spreading poisonous accusations about his character. Never sow seeds of discord about him that ends up shipwrecking the faith of others. No. Please, never try to get people “on your side” against God. Don’t do it. Instead, go to him, cry out to him, lay your anguish before him, and realize that we all have a limited ability to understand God’s ways. We have finite and such fallen minds that are incapable of comprehending God’s ways with suffering. It’s not our responsibility to figure out God’s plan – our responsibility is only to know him and to trust him. You know, someone wisely said, “Resist the demand to know God’s secret things, and learn to rest in God’s revealed things.”
Get a copy of my booklet on anger through our website today at joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends