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We choose to forge greater hope when we expose our anger to God alone.
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“Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth”—
let Israel now say—
“Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth,
yet they have not prevailed against me.
The plowers plowed upon my back;
they made long their furrows.”
The Lord is righteous;
he has cut the cords of the wicked.
May all who hate Zion
be put to shame and turned backward!
Let them be like the grass on the housetops,
which withers before it grows up,
with which the reaper does not fill his hand
nor the binder of sheaves his arms,
nor do those who pass by say,
“The blessing of the Lord be upon you!
We bless you in the name of the Lord!”
Psalm 129 bleeds with raw human honesty. Just listen as the psalmist cries out. He exposes deep pain from prolonged affliction and screams out in anger. Bible scholars call this an imprecatory psalm, because the author is pleading with God to do violence against his enemy. As the Israelites choose this song on their ascent to Jerusalem, they are willingly identifying their own deep pain from generations of affliction.
In the American church, imprecatory psalms are not usually chosen to be recited at gatherings of worship, most likely because, affliction is uncomfortable to talk about. Yet, all humans face affliction in one way or another. And if we’re honest, our response to affliction is always emotive. Perhaps you can relate with the prophet Habakkuk when he cries out, “O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save? Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong?” (Habakkuk 1:1-2)
Whatever affliction you have faced or are currently facing, it probably provokes anger inside of you – especially if God seems passive. Pastor Ryan Paulson said in his weekend sermon, “We have a choice. We can respond to affliction in one of two ways – hope or hostility.” If we choose to act on our anger, hostility comes out in violence. If we choose to bury our emotions, we wind up bitter and hostility inevitably seeps out on the people closest to us. Or, we can choose to forge greater hope when we expose our anger to God alone – trusting him to mature something inside of us through the furnace of affliction.
Since God purposely designed us with emotions and intended emotions to come out, let’s determine to take those emotions to God today. Set aside time to let God examine your heart by writing or speaking out your present emotions to God.[/vc_column_text][us_separator height=”25px” size=”custom”][vc_column_text]
By Yvonne Biel
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