Gò0dNews for Life
Troubled Bones
“O
by Greg Grotewold
LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle
me in your wrath. Be gracious to me, O LORD, for
and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For
I am languishing; heal me, O LORD, for my bones
my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (28-30, ESV). Come,
are troubled. My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O LORD—
Lord Jesus, come. Show yourself and deliver me. Be gracious
how long? Turn, O LORD, deliver my life; save me for the sake of
towards me and give this soul the peace only You can provide.
your steadfast love” (Psalm 6:1-4, ESV).
I plead with You to act.
Life is hard—at times, really hard. A trial’s difficulty becomes particularly acute when well-intentioned efforts to overcome the challenges (or at least mitigate their influence) not only fail but in fact, exacerbate the problem. Such futility compounds the weariness felt, introducing a season of bewilderment. I’m in one of those seasons. Like David in his travails above, I too am languishing; my bones are troubled. And also, like David, I find
The petition is as varied in scope as the myriad of sentiments that drive it. It’s a complicated combination of intense lament and earnest appeal with a few droplets of hope lightly sprinkled amongst the mix. I’m thankful for those droplets though, however sparse. They keep me sane and serve as reminders that Jesus is a promise keeper. He will intervene.
myself crying out to the Lord, pleading for some display of His omnipotent goodness. The broader context might be useful here. Though physically apart only twelve inches, an ocean of separation has formed between my mind (what I know to be true) and my heart (what I feel to be true). I know Jesus reigns. I know He is with me and desires to bless my efforts. I know He cares for me and has my best interest in mind. I know He will ultimately prevail, and so will I as a result. But Romans 8:28, a verse that has brought great comfort to me in the past, now feels hollow: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (ESV). I know that whatever trial comes my way will at some point benefit me. I know that intellectually, but it means little right now emotionally in the midst of my apparent failures. Timidity and worry have displaced any semblance of confidence and peace. These burdens, as one would expect, have dominated my prayer time. The cadence has looked something like this:
As my pastor recently reminded me, God isn’t angered by raw transparency such as mine. He certainly wasn’t with David’s. After all, the Lord had the Psalms canonized as part of Scripture for everyone to see. Not only is He not upset, He actually wants me to approach Him. Jesus desires that I pursue Him and put words
How long Lord before you change either my circumstances
to my angst, regardless of how untamed and messy they might be.
or my ability to more effectively influence them? How long
Because when I do, I’m signaling something very important. In the
will my angst escape mediation? When will my head more
midst of great trial, my greatest need is Him.
fully inform my heart, releasing me from the weight of my
The Lord can handle anything we might throw at Him. If
weariness? When will I be able to maintain an element of joy
your bones are troubled, plead with Jesus for His intervention. Go
regardless of life’s realities? When will my efforts produce
to Him and pour out your heart. I pray He will deliver both of us
tangible good? You promise to bless the humble but why then
from our present weariness.
does my lowliness continue to go unanswered? Will regret be receive the rest you articulate in Matthew 11: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
22 // March 2022
About The Author
a constant companion until you take me home? When will I
Greg Grotewold lives in Oakdale, MN, with his wife, Sandi, and their two sons, Luke and Eli. He is a deacon in his local church and greatly enjoys serving in this capacity.
