DESIRE FOR GOD VIA EMOTIONAL AND SPIRITUAL AUTHENTICITY

God values our emotions.

If there is a recurring theme throughout the book of Psalms, it is that God values emotional honesty and transparency. The authenticity of the Psalms distinguishes it from the rest of the Bible’s literature. David, the author of the majority of the Psalms, did not only express praise and adoration to God; he also dared to bring his hurts and pains before Him. Such is the invitation of the book of Psalms for us: we can come to God just as we are, warts and all, and bring our entire selves to God.

We are created to be emotional beings.

Remember that God created us as emotional beings, after all. Emotions are thus valid. Furthermore, emotional honesty and transparency can occur only if one has a deep and intimate relationship with God. God allows us to have negative emotions and even bring them to Him because it demonstrates our relationship with Him as His children.

Consider this: have you ever expressed pain to someone you don’t know? Isn’t it challenging to be completely honest and vulnerable in front of strangers? This is because our ability and willingness to reveal our entire selves depend on the relationship level we have with the other person. The more intimate and close the relationship, the more willing we are to express our entire selves. This is why God allows us to rant and cry out to Him. We can do this because God loves us deeply and wants us to have access to Him as a Father.

The psalms of David

In David’s psalms, we see such emotional openness and intimacy between God and man. Not only did David express his fears and brokenness to God, but he also lamented God’s silence and concealment. Psalm 44:24, for example, says, “Why do you hide your face and forget our misery and oppression?” David asks God directly in Psalm 88:14, “Lord, why do You reject me?” “Why are you hiding from me?” Finally, in Psalm 13:1, David expresses his despair to God: “How long, O Lord?” Will You ever forget about me? “How long will You keep Your face hidden from me?”

David had a strong desire to be with God. David didn’t keep it from God. He, too, did not seek material things. Did he abandon God to worship other gods? On the other hand, David chose to be authentic and emotionally honest with God. In the same way, we can be open with God about our struggles, cravings, and vulnerabilities. God appreciates it when we come before Him naked, as a child would to his Father. Amid our vulnerabilities, God’s love remains in us. Why? Because He is a God of love and compassion. He is not a cold, distant figure who must be cautiously approached.

The Bible says in 1 John 2:15-17, “Do not love the world or anything in the world.” Anyone who loves the world does not worship the Father.” This means that God, our Father, will remain in us and within us as long as we pursue Him. But the moment we turn against Him and follow worldly things, we become estranged from God. The more we seek and crave God, the more we find Him in our vulnerability, authenticity, and emotional honesty. After all, Jesus said, “Seek, and you shall find” (Mt. 7:7).