In Good Company
I'm not currently going through a difficult time, but one of the most encouraging thoughts concerning life's difficulties came to me recently in my quiet time with the Lord, while reading the Psalms.
Nearly half of the Psalms are songs of worship and thanks, and the others are almost completely songs of lament. King David and the other Psalmists cry out to God asking him to hear their prayer, to answer quickly and to take away the deep anguish they are feeling in their current situation of life.
For some reason it is extremely encouraging to think that such a great man of God as David (called a man after God's own heart) and the other Psalmists who were chosen to write down the Spirit breathed words of Scripture came to these common places in life where they cried out to God, "Why?" and "How long?"
Even the greatest men of God experienced deep frustration, discouragement, struggles with self and with God's timing and promises. We are in the company of greatness when we cry out to the Lord from the despair of our hearts. We are in harmony with the age old cry of men and women of old who in dependance and longing for the Lord, cried out for his promises to be fulfilled in their day, their generation.
Don't be afraid. Don't be ashamed. Don't despair. Lift up your song to God, whether it currently be a song of thanks, or even a song of lament. This is part of a healthy, vital relationship with God, as with any friendship in our lives. God is big enough to hear both our praise and our lament, and he welcomes it. Come near, cry out, sense his heart, go away in new strength.