Deuteronomy: Reflecting Back and Looking Forward

Surrounded by friends, family members, and acquaintances, you plaster a smile on your face to cover up the sadness. A conversation is going on, but you’re not listening. You begin to wonder who you really are. Emotions well up; anxiety builds.
You’re friendly, polite, appear happy and content, but inside you’re drowning.

Have you ever felt like this? So did many people in the Bible. Particularly in the Psalms, writers such as King David poured out their emotions, anxieties, and desires to God. Their inner struggles leap up off the page, begging God to help them, and in the same breath thanking Him for what He has done and praising Him for who He is.

Jesus also poured out His emotions to God. On the night He would be betrayed and abandoned by His closest friends, Jesus was overwhelmed (Matthew 26:36-46). He knew He was about to face a brutal death that He didn’t deserve, alone. While He was praying, Jesus was in so much agony that “His sweat became like great drops of blood†(Luke 22:44). He begged the Father, if it was possible to save people another way, that He wouldn’t have to go through this terrible ordeal. Jesus didn’t try to put on a brave face. With His disciples nearby, Jesus cried out to God in anguish, holding nothing back.

But God’s love is greater even than death. Though Jesus was executed and buried, death couldn’t have the last word. Jesus rose from the dead, making a way for everyone who puts their trust in Him to live with God forever! What kind of God gives His own life for ours? What kind of God never grows tired of us asking for help? The God who created us. He understands us. He knows who we are. He understands our fears. We don’t need to pretend with Him, neither do we need to hide. He invites us to pour out our hearts to Him. To be truthful, even when the truth is hard. To be angry. To be heartbroken. To laugh, to sing, but most of all to be honest. When we take time to seek Him, He unravels the lies. He gives us hope.

If you know Jesus, His Holy Spirit is in you, healing you and helping you pour out your heart to God so you can celebrate being who He made you to be. • Cindy Lee

• Do you ever feel like you have to keep all your hurts hidden inside? Many of us have felt this way. Who is a trusted Christian in your life who you could talk to about this?

• Let out your emotions. Write them down, speak them aloud, and rejoice that God hears.

Jesus wept. John 11:35 (WEB)

Read Verses:

Deuteronomy 8:1-18; 10:12-13; Lamentations 3:19-25; Matthew 6:25-34