“I cry out loudly to God, loudly I plead with God for mercy.” Psalm 142.1
Screams, rants, and raves are very familiar occurrences in our household. Our two lovely daughters express themselves in a wide variety of ways – many of them good, lots of them intense, and a few filled with currents of anger, frustration, pain, and hurt. My natural reaction is to confront their emotions; deal with the problem, question the timing, and say in so many words is it necessary?
I am discovering that screaming, ranting, and raving to and about God is part of our relationship. I believe my blunt, honest, and intense expressions are a very healthy part of our dialogue. My noise covers the lack of justice on all fronts, personal to global, and my inability to understand the why or why not of God’s actions along with pain, fear, anger, and intense needs. The timing of my outbursts varies from an occasional sessions to a week or longer.
I express. God answers. It is amazing, but is it necessary?
Yes, if you want a healthy relationship with God! God wants to have an intimate relationship with us including our warts. He knows the details, anything less than a full ongoing disclosure by both parties is dishonest! The challenge is simple – am I willing to be totally open and honest with God along with hearing what He might say on the subject?
Often the answer is no, I am frightened with what God might do about my emotions.
I often fear that by being totally honest and open, angry and volatile, that God will think less of me. The facts are that He knew I was a failure before He made the choice to have a relationship with me! God knew all the mucky details and expressed His response on Calvary so that an external relationship would be possible for both of us!
God wants absolutely everything – the screams, rants, and raves along with the tears, quiet moments, and conversation. God is completely in love – with you and I.
