We Need Not Suffer in Silence

Preparing for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost: One Day after Sunday

Scripture (semicontinuous)

Psalter: Psalm 142

Old Testament: Micah 1:1-5

Epistle: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

Scripture (complementary)

Psalter: Psalm 92

Old Testament: Leviticus 26:3-20

Epistle: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

___

Prayer

To fulfill the ancient promise of salvation, O God, you made a covenant with our ancestors and pledged them descendants more numerous than the stars. Grant that all people may share in the blessings of your covenant, accomplished through the death and resurrection of your Son and sealed by the gift of your Spirit. Amen.

___

Reflection

With my voice I cry to the Lord;

    with my voice I make supplication to the Lord.

I pour out my complaint before him;

    I tell my trouble before him.

When my spirit is faint,

    you know my way.

In the path where I walk,

    they have hidden a trap for me.

Look on my right hand and see:

    there is no one who takes notice of me;

no refuge remains to me;

    no one cares for me.

I cry to you, O Lord;

    I say, “You are my refuge,

    my portion in the land of the living.”

Listen to my cry,

    for I am brought very low.

Save me from my persecutors,

    for they are too strong for me.

Bring me out of prison,

    so that I may give thanks to your name.

The righteous will surround me,

    for you will deal bountifully with me (Psalm 142).

Years ago, I served a church that began Stephen Ministry outreach. Stephen ministry is a one-on-one confidential and caring ministry in which laity trained as Stephen ministers are assigned to people in need of comfort and support when encountering difficult times.

When our Stephen Ministry began, it was difficult to find people willing to accept such confidential care. Many people have been raised in a “stiff upper lip” context. We are told not to share our difficulties. When they encounter problems in life, the best solution is to tough it out. It was difficult at first to find people open to sharing their struggles.

But over time, once word got out from care receivers of how much the ministry had helped them, we found that other people were more inclined to receive the support of a Stephen Minister. It turned out that suffering in silence was not the best approach to mental, emotional, and spiritual health.

The psalmists do not suffer in silence. They are not shy about expressing their sorrow, anger, and frustration with the circumstances of life and with God himself. So Psalm 142 begins with a loud voice.

I cry to the Lord with my voice. I make supplications to the Lord. I will pour out my complaint before him. I tell my trouble before him.

The Psalmists wear their emotions on their sleeves. They verbalize what is inside of them. They have no qualms about complaining to the Lord. They show no concerns about expressing their anger and frustration. They lay it all out audibly in the hopes that God will give them aid.

There is no suffering in silence in the Bible. If our faith is to reach into every area of our existence, then that must include our suffering. It does no good to minimize our pain by failing to talk about it. It is not helpful to deny our suffering by making excuses that other people have it worse than we do. That may be true, but our troubles are real nonetheless. God knows our suffering, and God desires to enter into our agony. God wants to hear from us no matter what our circumstances. In the most difficult times of life, silence should not be an option. We have a God who understands our suffering because he suffered in the flesh of Jesus Christ. When we cry to God, he understands.

In our travails throughout the years, may our prayer life sound more like Psalm 142 and less like the pop psychology of self-sufficiency.

PRAYER: Hear our prayers, God of power, and through the ministry of your Son free us from the grip of the tomb, that we may desire you as the fullness of life and proclaim your saving deeds to all the world. Amen.

___

Follow me on Mastodon here.