I
cried unto the Lord with my voice; with my voice unto the Lord did I make my supplication. 2 I poured out my
complaint before him; I shewed before him my trouble. 3 When
my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path. In the way
wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me. –Psalm 142:1-3 (KJV)
One
of the benefits of a devoted prayer time is we have the opportunity to voice
our concerns to God and He is always willing to listen. The psalmist spoke in terms of a complaint
given to God, and I imagine you can relate to this. Often during my prayer time I have found
myself praying in a tone which sounds suspiciously like a complaint. We would not want to devote all our prayers
to complaining, but when we do the Lord is willing to hear us out. This works well for us, because most people
do not want to listen to our complaining.
Anytime
we find ourselves complaining to God, the word He gives will always be a
proactive measure. Even if God lets us know
we are to continue waiting upon Him, this is in itself proactive. We are doing something, even if waiting on
the Lord. All activity in our life does
not cease because we are waiting on the Lord.
What does cease, or at least is supposed to, are our fears, worries,
doubts, and sorrows. God will empower us
to go forward and be productively involved in our lives even as we wait upon
Him for the fulfillment of His word. The
Lord will not tell us to do nothing. He
will not tell us to sit idly by while we could be involved in faithful service
to Him.
Consider
when Jesus ministered to people the word He gave was
always proactive. Jesus told them to
“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of me (Matthew 4:19),” “Arise and walk (Matthew 9:5),” “Go and do
likewise (Luke 10:37),” “Go ye therefore and teach all nations (Matthew
28:19).” I realize how the problems of
life can become so overwhelming that we feel paralyzed with fear and
doubt. Our problems and the burdens we
carry can seem insurmountable. During
those times it is acceptable to voice our complaint to God, for when we do so we
can expect the strength God is willing to provide. He will empower us to rise up from our
sorrowful outlook and walk forward in bold, dynamic, and confident faith.
No
matter how great your problems are today, the Lord is willing and able to help
you stand up and move forward. This will
be the power of His Spirit, which surpasses our strength for overcoming
whatever we are facing. Do not fret, do
not worry, and cease from being afraid.
Jesus Christ is greater than any problem we will ever face. Look to Him today.
God
bless you.
