Honest To God

Honest to God

O my God, my soul is cast down within me….

Psalm 42:6a

Our friends know us as we are, and love us anyway.  Christ is the Great Friend of His people.  Because He is God, He knows all things.  He knows us better than we know ourselves.  The psalmist who wrote our text for today was struggling.  He is very clear about his struggle and is most forthright about where he is spiritually.  As he prays, he declares, ‘O my God, my soul is cast down within me.’  Because of his relationship with God, he resorts to the place of prayer in his raw and unvarnished condition.  He is honest to God.  There is no pretense or image-mongering.  This is an important concept for us to grasp.  Honesty before God breeds honesty before others.  What is also important is that when we are at our worst, Christ still lends a listening ear.  Because He knows us better than we know ourselves, He knows the depths of our heartaches and the source of our depression.  We may be totally honest with Him.  Perhaps today you find yourself where the psalmist was.  Your soul is cast down within you.  Go to Christ with your heartache.  Do not fear to speak to Him of your anxiety and depression.  There are others before you that have been like you.  They have gone to Christ in their raw and unvarnished condition.  He has not failed them and He will not fail you.  He knows you already, and loves you.  Be honest to God.

Our Kind and Gracious God,
we rejoice that we may come to You without fear.
We praise You that You know us for who we are,
and receive us for Jesus’ sake.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning