He Already Knows What You're Feeling

 “Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?” (Jer 12:1 AV)

 I like Jeremiah.  He is a man of God that is not afraid to express his emotions and frustrations at the LORD even if he has to repent of them later.  He is not afraid to ask the LORD questions that may seem irreverent to some.  He is not afraid to work out his inner turmoil with the LORD.  He asks questions the rest of us are thinking but would presume them to be a bit rude to ask the Creator.  We posit a false humility in holding back these things whereas Jeremiah wants to get it out in the open so that he can serve the LORD with a pure, unconflicted, and totally dedicated heart.  The above musing is frustration over the apparent success of the wicked.  This would coincide with Babylon’s invasion of Judah.  The prophet is wondering why the heathen seem to succeed in all they do, but the people of God do not.  He is wondering why the wickedness of the heathen is somehow less than what the people of God are doing and why it would be the wicked of the heathen overcome the chosen even if the chosen are in error.  He understands how the heathen may have to be used as the means to chasten God’s people, but wonders why they have to prosper in doing so.  We won’t get into all that.  Rather, as we started the paragraph, we will muse on being transparent with a God who knows all things anyway.

Many things go unresolved because we are too afraid to deal with what is causing inner turmoil.  Relationships are not as close as they could be because we think dealing with feelings or situations would cause more harm than good.  There are times when this is necessary.  For the most part, it is not.  We are not advocating wearing one’s feelings on one’s sleeve.  Someone like that has few friends and tends to overreact to every situation of life.  My wife and I have gotten very good at this part of our relationship.  Early on in our marriage, it was the prudent thing to do to hold back thoughts or feelings.  Our immaturity would have cost us some special times.  There were times I had to process the change that marriage and family brought to a single young man.  There were times when my own sinfulness caused feelings and thoughts that were best left buried until confessed and forsaken.  However, there are times when thoughts and feelings must be processed.  Even if they are the wrong ones.  Lisa and I have been united for thirty-two years.  Living together for that long makes it easy to know when something wrong is in the air.  For the most part, when something is bothering the other, we dig it out of the other.  Then we help the other process the emotions or thoughts.  It is a blessing to have a helpmeet who can help me with what is wrong inside without judging me for it.  The question is, why don’t we trust the LORD to do the same?

When did we think the LORD would think less of us if we really told Him how we feel?  Like God doesn’t already know?  How silly.  To pent it all up inside is to assume if we do so, the LORD will never know.  But the Bible tells us the word of God is the discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.  God knows whether we tell Him or not.  Will He think less of us?  Would you think less of your child or spouse if they shared frustrations, fears, anxieties, etc. with the intent of overcoming them?  The LORD does not care for murmuring or complaining.  We know that.  Sharing how we are feeling or what we are thinking just to hear ourselves and vent so we feel better is not what we are talking about here.  We are talking about processing our minds and hearts for the purpose of healing them.  But the only way we can to that is to express to God what God already knows.  To keep them bottled up as if they assume doing so somehow makes us more godly is not correct.  If anything, it makes us self-righteous.  So, what are we considering today?  We are challenged to be honest with a God who knows everything and allow Him to be that healing agent in overcoming and struggling heart.  Tell Him what He already knows and let Him guide you to the truth which will make it all better.