You Are Not Dismissed
Psalm 102:12-28; 2 Kings 4:8-17, 32-37; Acts 14:1-7
One of the things that I like about the Psalms is that they make me feel normal.
I don't know about you but when it comes to my experience with the divine it's up and down and left and right. It's a mixed bag to put it simply. There are days when I'm really angry with God. Then there are days where it feels like God is right in front of me and I feel God like never before. There are also days where I'm totally indifferent to God.
Maybe I'm an odd duck (well, I know I'm an odd duck, who in their right mind chooses to be a pastor...)?
Perhaps this isn't your experience at all. It sure is mine.
For a long time I tried to pretend that it wasn't like that. For my adult life I have been a professional Christian. I was a missionary to the college campus and now a pastor. I am supposed to have a dynamic relationship with God. One that is constantly on the upswing and never dips. That simply isn't true.
Over the years, I have learned that being honest about relationship with God has become the most important thing in having a relationship with God. It is amazing as I share struggles with others that they too have them and we are able to find encouragement from one another. When I pretend or lie about my relationship with God I inevitably isolate myself. During these seasons of isolation it can feel like I'm in a hole that I can't dig out of.
Thankfully, I have found myself in a community of people who love me without condition. I can share all of myself with them and as a result, I find that my relationship with God is more honest and real.
I resonated with verse 17 in Psalm 102,
“When he attends to the prayer of the wretched.
He won’t dismiss their prayer.”
When I feel wretched, God won't dismiss me. When you feel wretched, God won't dismiss you either.
How amazing is that?
When we are at our most unloveable God still embraces us. Why? Because God is compassionate and loving and merciful and gracious.
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