Confessions of a Whiner

I have a confession to make. I'm a whiner. And like Alcoholics Anonymous members say, I'll always be one. But I'm recovering. I'm usually too proud to whine to other people. But God? Now that's different. "God, you've dealt me a short hand" "God, why do things have to be so hard for me?" "God, please please please change my difficult circumstances!"

But something happened a few years ago. I started reading the Psalms each morning, and they started to sink into my soul. As the months went on, my focus started switching from myself to God and his character traits.

David's Psalms could be considered whiney by some because he often laments his circumstances, but he had an entirely different attitude in the way he went about it and I think it is a key to his greatness. He always did it with his focus being on God and God's character traits. Read Psalm 41 below:

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

1 Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor. The LORD rescues them in times of trouble. 2 The LORD protects them and keeps them alive. He gives them prosperity and rescues them from their enemies. 3 The LORD nurses them when they are sick and eases their pain and discomfort. 4 "O LORD," I prayed, "have mercy on me. Heal me, for I have sinned against you."

5 But my enemies say nothing but evil about me. "How soon will he die and be forgotten?" they ask. 6 They visit me as if they are my friends, but all the while they gather gossip, and when they leave, they spread it everywhere. 7 All who hate me whisper about me, imagining the worst for me. 8 "Whatever he has, it is fatal," they say. "He will never get out of that bed!" 9 Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely, the one who shared my food, has turned against me. 10 LORD, have mercy on me. Make me well again, so I can pay them back! 11 I know that you are pleased with me, for you have not let my enemy triumph over me. 12 You have preserved my life because I am innocent; you have brought me into your presence forever. 13 Bless the LORD, the God of Israel, who lives forever from eternal ages past. Amen and amen!

Notice how he starts off reminding God what he knows about God's character. He praises God for being kind to those who help the sick and poor and rescuing them from trouble, etc. And before he tells God about how bad things are going for him, he confesses his own sin (verse 4). I think that's important. We have to know and follow God so closely that we don't have any illusions about our own innocence, because we mess up all the time. And then after he tells God about all the bad things people are trying to do to him, he praises God again.

So here's my synopsis of Psalm 41: Praise God! Woe is me! But praise be to God because at least he is faithful!

Recently, I've gone through some difficult times as I've started to trust God and face fears that I haven't been able to face for years because my focus was always on myself instead of on God. I think it's from the Psalms that I learned to develop a new reflex when a fear of mine pops up, which is sometimes many times a day. I praise God and the fear leaves. I tell God something about himself that gives me encouragement. God doesn't need the reminder, but I do. It's awesome; and now I understand where David got his strength to keep going through difficult times without crumbling.

If we men want to become truly strong and truly wise and make a difference that will last far beyond our own lives, I think we need to actively absorb the Psalms to the point where we can face trouble like David did, with God and his attributes as our focus.

If you haven't spent much time in the Psalms, make the time each morning looking for God's character traits that you can use when you interact with God (like David did). I'll be praying that you will make the effort and that the practice will change your life as it has mine.