How are you? How is your week going? Have you cried out to the Lord this week?
Throughout history, we see that the church had a fluctuating relationship with emotion. At times, the church viewed emotions negatively. They saw it as a part of the flesh, and they made it a goal to not allow emotions to affect them. They suppressed emotions when they would arise, and the church seemed very stoical.
However, there are times in church history that the church viewed emotions positively to a fault. They believed that emotions told the truth of our beings, so they were elevated to a status on par with Scripture.
Both of these extremes are wrong, and we see that the Bible views emotions in a different light. The Bible does not call us to be stoics. We see that we have been created in both body and soul. God has created us to feel and express emotions. We see nearly every emotion in the book of Psalms. We live broken lives in a broken world. We feel sorrow and pain. On the other hand, we have the grace to experience extremely joyful moments.
However, at the same time, the Bible does not call us to be led solely by emotions. Emotions are not the Lord of our lives. Christ is. We are called to be sober-minded and self-controlled, not drunk with our feelings. The Psalms also show this. Not only do they show emotions, but they show emotions bound by faith.
As we start our new (and old) series in the book of Psalms, I hope you’re excited. It’s a great reminder that God wants us to come as we are. He desires for us to bring all of our hurts and pains. He welcomes the fullest expression of our emotions. And He wants us to rest there in Him and surrender ourselves to Him.
We are able to do this, because the Psalms point toward Christ. He is the Author of these psalms. He has experienced every emotion in His life, and He surrendered it all to the Father, as we see through the cross.
On the cross, Christ was quoting from the book of Psalms, meaning He lived and breathed this out. He is the fulfillment of these Psalms.
And it’s that cross that gives us the boldness to approach the throne of the Father just as we are, bringing all of ourselves and trusting that He will receive us in love.
Take some time this week and bring all of yourself to the Lord in prayer. Rest in the finished work of the cross and cast all your cares upon Him.
This past Sunday, we talked about our struggle with envy. This upcoming Sunday, we will talk about our struggle with pride.
See you all for Lord’s Day Worship on Sunday. Pray for our worship, our ministry, and one another.
In Christ,
Pastor Tim
Photo Credit: http://timcruse.com/2017/08/05/the-cries-of-the-righteous/