Can I Be Honest with God?

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul  and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

Psalm 13:1-2 (ESV)

When my parents decided to end their 35-year marriage in 2020, my life was shattered in an instant. I couldn’t understand how a God that loved me so much could allow my family to be ripped apart, never to be put back together again.

While I could write an entire book about the spiritual growth that occurred during this season of my life, one of the biggest lessons I learned was how to Biblically lament. I learned how to authentically bring my deepest sorrow and pain to God.

We all have experienced seasons of hopelessness and despair— when we do everything in our power to make things right, but things just keep falling apart.

The good news is that God can handle our honest emotions. Our passage today shows us evidence of that.

I learned that no matter how angry I felt, I could bring every rant to God. No matter how sad I felt, I could lay every tear at His feet. And when I lacked the words to say, I could borrow a lament from the Bible (over 50 can be found in the Psalms!).

Psalm 13 is still my go-to lament. For so long, I believed that saying words like this to God made me a bad Christian. Ironically, as I allowed myself to show God my raw and vulnerable emotions, I developed a deeper faith and trust. I felt God hold my hand through every storm.

My prayer for you is that you can put this Psalm in your pocket and remember to lament when life seems hopeless.

Lord, please help my readers find comfort and peace in your presence, despite their circumstances.

Leslie L. Bowers