What do you do when your day stinks? I mean, really takes a nose dive from the get-go. It's so bad you want to throw your hands up in the air and say, "That's it! I'm through." Do you a) phone a friend to complain, b) grumble to your spouse, c) take it out on your kids or anyone around you, d) indulge in a solo pity-party, e) eat chocolate, or f) workout till your legs fall off? If any of these choices are go-tos for you, you are definitely not alone. As humans, we constantly look for people and things that can help us deal with our painful lives. But really, these are just temporary fixes. We may feel better for a while, but eventually we have other dud days and plenty of pain to go around. Then what?
If you are a fan of KTIS, you may occasionally hear a song by Amy Grant called "Better Than a Hallelujah." The refrain goes like this:
We pour out our miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful, the mess we are
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah
Her point in the song is that God wants to hear us pray, and loves it when we do so. He desires our earnest, heartfelt communication, even if it is at our worst moments. Especially when it is at our worst moments. Take David, for example. The man had more near death experiences than any one else I can think of, and yet, he wrote dozens of psalms praising and thanking God for his wonderful deeds. How could he do that? What was his secret? His solution was to go to God with his problems. He climbed into the heavenly Father's figurative lap, and poured out his woes and complaints. Only then, with his burdens released, did he recognize God's loving hand and caring provision.
But surely, God hates complainers, right? He doesn't want to be bothered with my every little problem. He's too busy for that. I can handle these on my own. Friends, I can assure you, our Father is the Creator of the universe and the Author of our salvation. Surely he would not abandon us after he went to such great lengths to make us his own! He longs to hear our prayers--even if they are just desperate cries. He urges in Psalm 50:15 "Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you and you will honor me." And the great thing is, he MEANS it. Amy Grant's got it right. Truly our pleas for mercy and help are often better than a hallelujah to God's ears. When we say what's on our hearts and ask him to help us with it, we are turning to him--the one who has the power to save. We are recognizing his omnipotence in our lives. We relinquish control and let the Almighty take care of us.
So, go ahead, pour out your cries to him and trust him to help and save.
If you are a fan of KTIS, you may occasionally hear a song by Amy Grant called "Better Than a Hallelujah." The refrain goes like this:
We pour out our miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful, the mess we are
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah
Her point in the song is that God wants to hear us pray, and loves it when we do so. He desires our earnest, heartfelt communication, even if it is at our worst moments. Especially when it is at our worst moments. Take David, for example. The man had more near death experiences than any one else I can think of, and yet, he wrote dozens of psalms praising and thanking God for his wonderful deeds. How could he do that? What was his secret? His solution was to go to God with his problems. He climbed into the heavenly Father's figurative lap, and poured out his woes and complaints. Only then, with his burdens released, did he recognize God's loving hand and caring provision.
But surely, God hates complainers, right? He doesn't want to be bothered with my every little problem. He's too busy for that. I can handle these on my own. Friends, I can assure you, our Father is the Creator of the universe and the Author of our salvation. Surely he would not abandon us after he went to such great lengths to make us his own! He longs to hear our prayers--even if they are just desperate cries. He urges in Psalm 50:15 "Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you and you will honor me." And the great thing is, he MEANS it. Amy Grant's got it right. Truly our pleas for mercy and help are often better than a hallelujah to God's ears. When we say what's on our hearts and ask him to help us with it, we are turning to him--the one who has the power to save. We are recognizing his omnipotence in our lives. We relinquish control and let the Almighty take care of us.
So, go ahead, pour out your cries to him and trust him to help and save.
Warning: this video WILL make you cry! Have a box of tissue on hand...