TODAY'S BIBLE READING:Numbers 28:16-29:40
Luke 3:23-38
Psalm 62:1-12
Proverbs 11:18-19
BIBLE VERSE(S) FOR TODAY:
Psalm 62:8 (CSB) "Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before him. God is our refuge."
REFLECTIONS ON TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):
As a young Christian, I believed a lie about my prayer life. I thought that 'mature' prayers focused on others. It was the prayer of an immature Christian that focused on themselves.
Or, so I thought.
When I went off to college, I spiraled into a serious time of discouragement - depression, really. And as I tried to work my way through that difficult time, I wanted desperately to feel loved and accepted by God.
Yet, He felt a million miles away. When God's Word told me that Jesus called me His friend (John 15:15), it felt like that truth applied to everyone else except me.
... and then I re-read the book of Psalms!
The book of Psalms provided a powerful paradigm shift for me. I saw the Psalmist being completely real about his questions. I saw him opening up his heart to the Lord and not holding anything back. I realized that the Psalmist said things that I wouldn't have dared say in my own prayers because they sounded too harsh or even disrespectful.
... and yet He basked in God's love for Him.
And then it hit me! God knows my heart anyway. So, why not tell Him everything! Why not follow the Psalmist's example and be completely open and honest about what's going on in the privacy of my heart. Tell Him of my fears, my questions, my concerns, my doubts.
Or, as the Psalmist said in today's verse: "pour out your hearts before him."
One reason we are rarely completely honest with our family and friends is because we fear that we will be rejected. They will hear what is going on inside of us and then pull away from us.
So, we don't pour out our hearts. We keep it private and hidden wishing we could be accepted in light of who we truly are, struggles and all.
But, in prayer, God WANTS us to "pour out (our) hearts." He won't pull away. In fact, as we "pour out (our) hearts," we realize that He will forever remain "our refuge."
Be honest with the Lord. Tell Him everything that is going on inside of you. Realize that He knows it already ... and still loves you more than you could ever possibly imagine. If you are His child, there is absolutely nothing you can do that would cause Him to love you any less.
So, be honest with Him in your prayers - as honest as the Psalmist was. And then bask in the fact that as you are becoming more like Jesus as the years pass by, you are dearly loved by your Heavenly Father through it all.
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