Ever had those days filled with many emotions and unanswered questions? Yeah that was me not too long ago! I tried to prentend like everything was okay until the Holy Spirit wrestled with me and asked me what I would do with all these feelings?  I was trying to act like I was alright, when in fact I really wasn’t at all. 

He reminded me of my favorite scripture of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane:

Luke 22:41-44 NKJV

And He [Jesus] was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”  Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

This scripture takes place right before Jesus is betrayed by Judas and is arrested. Although this isn’t a happy picture per se of Christ in the Garden, it happens to be one of my favorite passages because it shows how Jesus was real with our Father concerning his feelings. He was honest enough to say “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me!”  But Jesus didn’t just stop there. He followed up with the greatest declaration “nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” 

Jesus models how to be honest with God on how we feel, but to always be secured in trusting the Father and submitting to His will. Often times believers can be so emotional that we stay in that place and let it dictate our mood, our day and even our perspective on life and on God. And then there are other believers who walk around pretending like everything is dandy and great, never really expressing their true emotions with God in fear that it will appear as doubt. Either option is an incorrect view and is an unhealthy way to deal with life’s struggles.

Jesus shows us that we can be honest with God about how we feel as long as we still trust God in the process of it all. When Jesus mentions in John 4:34 that he is seeking worshippers to worship him in spirit and in truth, I believe he also meant us being honest with our emotions. 

I’m here to encourage you and let you know that it is okay to express your disappointments, your hurts, your regrets and fears to the Lord. But DON’T STOP THERE! Follow up with declarations of faith, expressing that you are trusting God through it all. 

We can see when Jesus expresses his feelings in faith, an angel of strength was released to strengthen him. And the passage goes on to mention that Jesus later prays more fervently. Your honesty mixed with faith releases greater strength to go forward!

My prayer is that after reading this you will be encouraged to be the realest version of you with God. I pray that you’re encouraged to shy away from pretending to be okay and to run away from lying in a pile of emotions and self-pity. Unload how you feel to God. Let him carry the burden as you trust Him in the process. And always remember, when you are weak, that’s when God becomes strong in you . Corinthians 12:9Prayer: 

Father God, I lift up every person reading this newsletter. You see every concern and every need. I pray that they will come into a level of intimacy with you where they can feel freedom to express their true emotions with no guilt, shame or doubt attached. As they believe, I pray that you will help them with their unbelief if any be present. May faith rise in their hearts to trust you through their process. And right now, I pray that you release the angel of strength over them as they become transparent with you in your presence. May strength and peace be their portion. In Jesus name, Amen!

Until next time…