Catechism: Prayer & Worship - RhythmsSample

The Rhythm of Honest Questions. Life can be full of blessings, but life is also challenging and difficult. We don’t always feel like celebrating and praising, especially when we’re going through a painful time. Difficulty isn’t unique to us; we know everyone has their own battles and heartaches. In John 16:33, Jesus reminded us that in this life, we will have troubles.

But here’s the great thing. When we encounter trouble and heartache, we have a God who knows and understands what we are going through. Hebrews 4 tells us that Jesus faced all the same challenges that we do! He understands our suffering and our pain; Jesus himself had temptations and trials. Remember the Garden of Gethsemane? It was there we saw Jesus in great distress asking his Father if there was any other way to rescue humanity besides the cross.

We can also see other examples of this in the Psalms. In Psalm 13, we see King David crying out to God, feeling forgotten and overlooked, being honest about his feelings and asking for help. Likewise, God longs for us to do the same.

You see, God’s not put off by our questions or our struggling with negative feelings; in fact, he promises to be there with us and guide us through the trouble. And when we do this, we will begin to realize that not only does God have the strength and the help we need in the midst of our troubles, but also that we are his, and he will never leave us.

Consider: How do you respond to difficulties and disappointments in your life? Do you go to God with your questions, asking for answers? Why or why not?

Reflect: Read Psalm 13 and take note of the questions but also where David’s thought process ended up. Even though he hadn’t yet gotten answers to his questions, the ending reminds us where to place our focus. Do you see it?