February 29, Honesty with God

Today’s reading: Psalms 141-145

“I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy.

I pour out before him my complaint; before him I tell my trouble.” - Psalm 142:1-2

You may think that you cannot be honest with the Lord or that there are certain things you cannot say to Him. Think about that for a minute. If He knows your thoughts from afar and knows your words before you speak them, then if He were going to punish you, He would do so before you ever say anything! Therefore, honesty with God is not for anyone’s benefit but your own, to reveal your inner reality to you so God can change you. Furthermore, when you are honest with God, He will be honest with you and that is the ultimate goal — not just you venting your feelings, but for God to share His flawless perspective. This is exactly what happened in Job’s situation: “Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said: ^‘Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me’” (Job 38:1-3). Are you holding back or being honest with God? Do you need to have a conversation with Him today that starts with you talking but ends with you listening?