You never have to pretend with God
Whatever you are feeling at any given moment, God already knows it. You might as well talk to the Lord about it openly and honestly.
“But there are certain things I could never express to God.” Why not? After all, the Lord knows exactly what makes you tick, and precisely why you feel the way you do in any given circumstance.
“But I am mad at God.” OK. He can handle your anger. Be open about it. Simply tell God why you are mad at Him. You might be surprised how you feel once you get that off your chest.
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“But I don’t understand why God allows so much suffering.” It is very natural for you to feel that way. The Lord hears that complaint all the time because multitudes of people struggle with this issue. Have you tried talking to God about it? There is more to the story than first meets the eye.
In fact, Jesus endured greater agony than any man has ever had to endure. Seven hundred years before Christ was born in Bethlehem, Isaiah prophesied that the coming Messiah would experience tremendous suffering. “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him” (Isaiah 53:5).
God did not leave us alone in our suffering. Instead, Jesus entered our broken world in order to redeem us and ultimately bring us into His eternal kingdom where “there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:4).
“Since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are — yet was without sin” (Hebrews 4:14-15).
Remind yourself everyday that the Creator of the Universe (Col. 1:16) was willing to endure excruciating pain in order to pay for your sins on the cross so that you could have a personal relationship with God that will last forever.
If you are a Christian, you are essentially at the beginning of your eternal relationship with the Lord. Even if you have known Christ for decades, it is only the tip of the iceberg. There are many things we will not understand until we get to Heaven. For now, God has our back, even when we feel like He has forgotten us.
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So, we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Cor. 4:16-18).
In the meantime, you never have to pretend with God. “Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge” (Psalm 62:8).
David often poured out his heart to God.
“How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?" (Psalm 13:1,2).
David also expressed these honest feelings:
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent” (Psalm 22:1-2).
David’s intense exasperation foreshadowed the anguished cry our Savior would exclaim on the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).
No one has ever suffered the kind of all-consuming affliction Christ endured when our Savior bore the weight of the sins of the world (1 John 2:2). You will never find a more committed, loving and faithful friend than Jesus. Your friendship with Christ will grow stronger as you talk to the Lord often in prayer and listen to God speak to you daily through His Word.
Hudson Taylor said, “Do not have your concert first, and then tune your instrument afterwards. Begin the day with the Word of God and prayer and get first of all into harmony with Him."
Billy Graham said, “The Christian life is not a constant high. I have moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, ‘O God, forgive me,’ or ‘Help me.’”
Corrie ten Boom helped many Jewish people escape from the Nazis during the Holocaust in World War II by hiding them in her home. Corrie was arrested and sent to a concentration camp. She said, “Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden.” Corrie did not pretend with God. She poured out her heart to Jesus in the midst of her hardship.
The primary way God will speak to you is through His Word. As you memorize Scripture and meditate upon passages in the Bible, the Holy Spirit will reveal insights to you, especially in your time of distress.
“Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me” (Psalm 50:15). And as you lay out your burdens before the Lord, you can always tell God exactly how you are feeling.
One of the many benefits of knowing Christ as Savior is that you never have to pretend with God. And the more you express your honest feelings to God, the more your heart will be comforted by the Lord’s amazing grace and unfailing love.
Dan Delzell is the pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Papillion, Nebraska.
