You probably don't tell people everything that's on your mind - nor should you. There may be things on your mind you should never divulge to another person. Some will say: "I thought I was to be honest." You are. But does that give you the right to share the honest feelings of your heart indiscriminately? God appreciates someone who carefully guards the door of their mouth and utters words with caution and wisdom.
Having said that, there is One in whom you can confide and with whom you can share all. Read this verse:
Trust in Him at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah
Psalm 62:8
You can read the verse in many ways. Try emphasizing one word over another as you read it. Your appreciation of the verse will be enhanced. In your mind, capitalize the word TRUST and then do some thinking - in whom or in what have I been trusting - myself, my intelligence, my friends? Or emphasize the word ALL. All times - the good times and bad times too. There are some days we would like to erase from our memories; possibly times when we were angry with God or filled with bitterness or flooded by questions. ALL includes even those times!
But the phrase to emphasize today is: POUR OUT. Sometimes we get so formal in our prayers, a listener could very easily think we were reciting a prayer from a prayer book. The Hebrew meaning of the phrase is very vivid: dump it all out! Spill your inner fears and thoughts out before the Lord - regardless of the order in which they may gush out! Spill the thoughts out like water; dump the thoughts out before Him. Shed them out like blood spurting from a severed artery. Let them 'gush' out!
It is the same word that Hannah used in 1Samuel 1:15, 16 when Eli the priest accused her of being 'out of it', or drunk! She assured him that she had not lost her marbles nor was she drunk. She said: "Don't think for a minute that I'm a bad woman or that I have been dipping into the sauce or pouring out wine or beer! I have been pouring - but not wine. I've been pouring out my heart to the Lord. I have been desperately unhappy and angry and that's the reason I have been praying and pouring it all out for so long."
Our prayers can become so technical, professional, sophisticated and formal! In times of trouble, we forget that when we sneak away into a private area to be alone with God, we don't have to restrain ourselves any longer. We don't have to keep it all in anymore; nor do we have to let it out slowly in calm, measured, and controlled words. Once we are alone with Him we can let our inner turmoils, distresses, and our conflicting thoughts burst out!
"God is a refuge for us." There are very few people we could ever trust enough to tell them everything that is going on inside our heads. But we can get alone with the Lord and tell Him every single thing, including the darkest and most intense thoughts of our hearts. He is a safe place for us to allow our pent up emotions and fears to gush forth! He is a shelter, a refuge for us.
And you need to know this: He will not shun you after you tell Him everything; nor will He think less of you. In fact, He will draw you nearer to Himself, because you have expressed such confidence in Him to be able to share the deepest secrets of your heart. That's the intimacy with us that He craves. So He loves it when we spill it all out before Him. He will prove Himself to us once again that He is a Refuge for us. Because of a Christian's position in Christ Jesus we can come to the throne of grace with boldness, confidence and liberty, and there freely tell the Lord all our mind, and all that is in our heart. (Hebrews 4:16, Romans 8:26-28)
Do you have anything to pour out today?
Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today,
Warmly in Christ,
Peter Ramsay
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