“Catapulting our catastrophes back to God is not how we are taught to approach the divine. Yet, this too, is part of how we have been malformed in our views of suffering, for our mothers and fathers of the faith almost always took a head-on approach to their grievances. Rather than denying or hiding them, they hurled them right back at God.”- Catherine McNiel and Jason Hague
“Awake, Lord! Why do you sleep? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever. Why do you hide your face and forget our misery and oppression? We are brought down to the dust; our bodies cling to the ground.”- Psalm 44:23-26 (NIV)
As Catherine McNiel and Jason Hague move on in Chapter 7 of Mid-Faith Crisis, they exhort us to be formed such that the searing pain of the world carries us to the suffering Jesus. Rather than pull us, like the tides, further and further away from God. A God close to the brokenhearted as well as the hope and comfort we long for.
Most significantly, those who penned the Scriptures often shouted at and wrestled with God. Hence, they lacked no fear in pointing out the juxtaposition of suffering with the absence of blessing and shalom. Therefore, the authors note, in Psalm 44 the psalmist practically shouts at God. And even accused Him of sleeping through it all.
Consequently, the biblical mothers and father of our faith demonstrated how the power of lament enables us to catapult our fear, devastation, and blinding rage back on the Almighty. So, we hurl them, let them fly.
In conclusion, Catherine and Jason observe:
“Most of us who have been taught to expect suffering to play only a small role in our lives have not been taught to leverage our raging, overpowering grief and anguish as the whip we sling at God — only to find that it becomes over time, the rope holding us attached to God when we have long since lost the strength to hold on ourselves. But that is exactly what honest, anguished lament can be.”
Today’s question: What most helps us in catapulting our catastrophes back at God? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Our best chance of surviving it all”