“When we are secure in God’s love for us, when we know how He really feels about us, we are free to ask and tell Him anything . . . . And that is His hope for us exactly — to come to Him even, and especially, when life falls apart.”- Esther Fleece
Esther Fleece concludes Chapter 5- and Part 1- of No More Faking Fine as she discusses permission to lament. First, Ms. Fleece notes that lamenting prayers are:
- raw
- unfiltered
- unedited
- refreshing
Yet, the author observes, in the church we often flinch back in fear at the thought of examining complex human emotions. Instead, we try to sanitize them. However, we need a healthy view of how God handles our hurts and heartaches to move forward from pain. Ms. Fleece explains:
“It is impossible to move forward from pain without a healthy view of what God does with our hurts and heartaches. He wants pain to leave our hearts, minds, and bodies, but doesn’t expect it to happen overnight, nor does He give us a formula for healing. But He does give us a language . . . lament. Whether we are wandering toward God or away from Him, He hears our cries — no matter what.”
In conclusion, Esther stresses that God = our go-to safest person when life falls apart. Yet, lament is a language, not a formula. Finally, although Scripture gives us patterns and examples of lament structures, each person laments differently.
Today’s question: Do you feel secure in God’s love? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “An absolute we can count on”
