God is big enough to take our questions

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,
and by night, but I find no rest.

Psalm 22:1-2 ESV

These are emotive words. Made all the more so by the fact that they were echoed by Jesus himself as he hung on the cross.

I wonder if there have not been times in our lives when we have thought like this but not dared to articulate it. As if there are some questions that are too big for God to deal with. Or as if there were some thoughts and attitudes of our heart that are too dark and shameful for us to bring before God. (As if he didn't already perceive them all from afar anyway!)

I love the honesty in the Psalms. The psalmists don't feel the need to put on a brave face, say the right things, take a faith stance, or make a positive confession. They come to God, as they are. Not trying to hide their doubts, their worries, their anxieties, their fears or their pain. They know God sees all anyway and is not fooled by masks or veneers - so why bother! They also seemed to know God well enough to understand that he is big enough to take all their questions, even the darkest and most doubting, and not condemn them for it.

We can only come to God from where we are. So why pretend to be somewhere else? He is big enough to take our questions. He is secure enough to handle our doubts. He is compassionate enough to hear our pain (he records all our tears on his scroll - Ps 56:8). He is loving enough to accept us where we are and not to leave us where we are. Let our positive confession come from this honest and transforming encounter with our loving heavenly Father rather than from an attempt to hide our true feelings and say the right thing.