Scripture Reading: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.” (Psalm 27:1,3 ESV)
“Hey, how are you?” my friend asks me. “Doing well,” I reply. “Hey! Doing alright today?” my co-worker asks. “Yep, doing just fine,” I reply. “Everything going well, Caleb?” my boss inquires. “Yes, all is well,” I reply.
I don’t know about you, but sometimes I get really tired of talking about how I’m doing. And honestly, sometimes I wish people would just stop asking me — because if they wouldn’t ask, I wouldn’t have to lie about how I’ve been.
The last year and a half of my life has hosted some of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to walk through. From serious health issues in my immediate family to difficult situations in the workplace, I’ve run the gamut of emotions from anxiety to burnout in the last 18 months. And yet, every time someone asks how I’m doing, I shift into autopilot and say exactly what I believe they want to hear: “I’m doing well.”
If you’re anything like me, you do this too. You can be at your absolute breaking point — yet, for fear of being looked at differently or admitting weakness, you withhold and give the answer that's the easiest to swallow. And, odds are, if you and I are doing this with our friends and our coworkers, we're also doing it with God. Rather than approaching God in pure honesty, we guard our prayers and give God the easy "I'm doing well" spiel. But this isn't what God desires; He wants our unfiltered honesty and raw emotion, and He wants to remind us of His faithfulness in the midst of it.
David models this honesty for us in Psalm 27. The positivity that David displays isn't fake or overdone, and it's surely not an "I'm doing well" kind of response: it's grounded in the truth of God's faithfulness. David openly acknowledges that his situation is difficult — impossible, even — but he remains confident in his stronghold and his light in even the darkest of situations: the Lord. David points at his circumstances and recognizes them for what they are: brutal, unfair, and downright difficult. He is adamant about processing with His God, and it is in this processing that David regains his confidence in the One who is his unwavering hope — his light in the darkness.
If you and I can learn to employ honesty with God like David's — if we can learn to process with God rather than hide it from Him — we will come to the conclusion that even when our situation is dark, even when we don’t know what to do, even when we don’t see God or feel Him at times, He is right there by our side, casting healing light into our darkness.
Take a moment to be absolutely honest and straightforward with God about the difficulty you're currently facing. Lay it all out before Him in the way that is uniquely you. Process with Him, confess to Him, wrestle with Him — leave nothing unsaid or understated. God desires your honesty.
Father, you know me better than I even know myself. You know my deficiencies. You know my fears. You know my hang-ups. You know what I’m going through right now, and You know how much I’m struggling with it. So, in this moment, I want to be entirely honest with You. I refuse to drift into autopilot and withhold any part of me from You. I trust that You have my back, that You care for me, and that You truly are good. Remind me of Your love as I process with You in this season. Thank you for Your presence and Your Holy Spirit that guides me in this process. In Jesus’ name