Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Let Him Have It!

“You are my King and my God, who decrees victories for Jacob.  Through you we push back our enemies; through your name we trample our foes.  I put no trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory; but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame.  In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever.  

But now you have rejected and humbled us; you no longer go out with our armies. You made us retreat before the enemy, and our adversaries have plundered us. You gave us up to be devoured like sheep and have scattered us among the nations.  You sold your people for a pittance, gaining nothing from their sale.” (Psalm 44:4-12 NIV)

I don’t remember how old I was, perhaps around nine or ten.  I think it was at Christmas, but I am really not sure.  All I remember for certain is what I said to my dad: “I hate you!”  What caused such vitriol?  That, too, is lost in my memory.  All I know is I said it.  To this day, it makes me shudder.

My dad was far from a perfect father.  In fact, orphaned as a young child, he grew up without learning basic parenting skills.  Through adult eyes I see how handicapped he was by an unbelievably difficult childhood.  Yet, he still loved me and I knew that.  Perhaps that is why, in my child’s mind, I knew I could express the anger that had built up within me without fear he would beat me or reject me.  

One of things I love most about the Psalms is the emotional honesty contained within them.  The writers hold nothing back.  They are effusive in their praise of God, while also being brutally honest in expressing their frustrations with life, their enemies, and with the Lord Himself.  In this particular Psalm, the writer is in utter dismay over the Lord’s (perceived) abandonment of His people, even though they have remained faithful to Him.  And he lets Him have it.  He tells the Lord, in so many words, “you sold us out, and on the cheap at that!”  

Imagine saying that to the Lord of the universe.  It is enough to make you shudder.  Yet, you see this time and again in the Psalms and throughout Scripture—men angry with God and showing no fear in expressing it.  Paul tells Timothy that all Scripture is useful for teaching (II Timothy 3:16-17), so what are we to learn from this?

I think it is the same thing I knew about my father, that he loved me enough to take my anger without rejecting me.  Many times we hold things in because we are afraid of what might happen, but God loves us and will not reject us just because we are angry with Him.  The writers of the Psalms, in particular, demonstrate that for us.  We would be wise to follow their example.  Anger has a corrosive effect on our spirits when we hold it in.   The Enemy knows that and often whispers the lie, “You can’t say THAT to God!”  Indeed you can because God loves you and is big enough to take it.

Today, are you harboring anger toward God?  Then get it out.  Let Him have it!  It will do your spirit good and you will experience just how much God loves you.

© Jim Musser 2017

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