Honesty with God

You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness. Psalm 30:11 King David’s life was far from the life of ease we picture a king having. He dealt with enemies who were attacking him, poor health, and discouragement and hopelessness. In this psalm, he recounts a time when he felt especially depressed because, just after he bragged about doing so well, it seemed God had abandoned him! But David didn’t stop looking for God. He cried out to Him, and eventually, God turned his life around. Even a casual reading of David’s psalms, shows us that David wasn’t afraid of being honest with God. Over and over again, He poured his heart out, sometimes in praise, but often in complaints that God seemed to be mistreating him or abandoning him. It has been said, “Extraordinary afflictions are not always the punishment of extraordinary sins, but sometimes the trial of extraordinary graces.” David understood this and frequently voiced his concerns to God. In almost every painfully honest psalm of David, we read in the end about God’s resolution and relief. The lesson for us is clear: God wants us to be honest with Him. He doesn’t want us to be “plastic” Christians who always put on a happy face. David’s example is that only through gut-level honesty, exposing our hurts and hopes to God, we can find Him. In this psalm and in many others, David doesn’t tell us when or how the answers came. He just tells us they did come, and that’s all we need to know. He delights in turning our morning into dancing, but first we have to trust Him enough to be completely honest with Him. Is it easy or hard for you to be genuinely honest with God? What are some things in your life right now that need to be turned from mourning into dancing? I’d love to talk to you personally. For more on help I can provide and how you can reach me, check out… http://truthatlife.com/ or email me directly at curtis.songer@gmail.com