Honest With God: Finding Healing and Wholeness Through the PsalmsНамуна

When my wife lost her job after a failed election last year, we had to make some significant adjustments to our family budget. We made intentional choices as a team about where to cut back in light of a decrease in our income, but several of our decisions had a direct impact on our kids.

As long as they were old enough to perceive our lifestyle, they had many privileges and opportunities that neither my wife nor I knew when we were their age. So, we tried to shepherd them through these decisions and use their frustration as an opportunity to teach and train them to see the world through a biblical lens.

When we informed them about one particular change in our house, one of our three kids became very emotional over losing a privilege they considered essential. A sibling tried to comfort and encourage them by saying, “Look on the bright side. We still have each other. Want a hug?!”

While the offer of a hug was not well-received, we affirmed this sibling’s attempt to remind them of an important truth. "We didn’t choose, nor did we want Mom to lose her election and her job, but we did get to choose our response."

King David understood this kind of choice. In Psalm 100, he issues what sounds like a command: "Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs." (Psalm 100:1-2 NIV)

David isn't describing a feeling that spontaneously arises from perfect circumstances. He's describing a decision – a choice to shout for joy, worship with gladness, and sing joyfully regardless of external conditions.

But how do you move toward joy when your circumstances seem to contradict any reason for celebration? David provides the answer in the same psalm: "Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture." (Psalm 100:3 NIV)

Joy, David reveals, isn't rooted in circumstances; it's rooted in identity as sons and daughters of God. We can choose joy not because our situations are perfect, but because our relationship with God is secure. We belong to Him. We are His people. That truth doesn't change when you lose your job or when your bank accounts run low.

In Psalm 30, David captures this beautifully: "Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." (Psalm 30:5 NIV) The weeping is real – David doesn't minimize legitimate grief or pain. Jesus himself wept (see John 11:35), and we have the freedom to feel sadness.

But David also declares that weeping doesn't get the final word. The night of darkness and pain eventually breaks, and the sun rises as a sign of God’s presence and power. Joy, then, is rebellion against despair, a declaration that God's goodness is greater than our circumstances.

So, where do you need to rebel today? Where do you need to declare that God’s goodness remains despite the losses you’ve experienced?

If it seems difficult to get to joy mentally, then you will find a lot of value in tomorrow’s reading on the power of our minds.