Sometimes I’m tempted to hold back my toughest questions from God.
You too? Oh, phew. I’m glad I’m not the only one.
I convince myself that if I don’t say things aloud then maybe they won’t be true or maybe they’ll go away. Or I tell myself that if I really told God what I truly thought, what I was really wrestling with, somehow God couldn’t take it.
But none of these beliefs are true or healthy.
We serve a God who wants us to give ourselves—our whole selves—to Him.
This includes our doubts and determinations, our fear and frustrations, our aches and aspirations, our hollow as well as hallowed spaces.
But sometimes we hold back.
What are you holding back from God right now?
What have you convinced yourself that if you said aloud to God that He would be angry, He would pull back from you, He would love you a little less?
Because God will not respond in those ways.
Can I let you in on a little secret?
Whatever is swirling in the deepest parts of your heart, mind, spirit, and soul, well… God already knows.
He knew before you felt those things.
He knew before you could give words to those things.
Will you make a decision to hold nothing back from God?
That one little decision will set you free.
If you need some liquid courage, choose to reach for Psalm 22.
Will you choose to speak honestly to God, sharing yourself, your whole self, to Him in prayer?
And when you’re finished, commit to this: Praise Him anyway.
Muster a word of thanks—not for the circumstances—but for who God is, His faithfulness, His presence, His love.
Don’t wait another moment to clear the air with God.
Because once you do, you’ll sense something that may not have in a while. That God feels a little nearer. And that’s reason to be wonderstruck.
Now, I know this isn’t easy. So can I take a moment to pray for you friend?
Father, give my sweet friend the courage to boldly pray, to hold nothing back. That he or she would be bold in what they ask and what they share. That they will give you thanks daily for what you, Father, are doing and have done in his or her life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
