Psalm 119:154 – Complaint!
Take up my case and redeem me,
Give me life according to your word.
I’ve discussed praying for God to do things our way a number of times. I doubt that will stop anyone, myself included, from praying for it.
And that’s really a good thing. We need to come to God with our problems as we understand them. I believe that prayer changes me, not God. Often taking up my cause and bringing me redemption means getting me to change course.
My favorite story of presenting a complaint to God comes from 1 Kings 17-19. Elijah starts out with a series of victories, culminating with a display of strength as he runs ahead of Ahab’s chariot, leading it through a storm to Jezreel.
One might think a man of faith who had just won a contest with 450 prophets of Baal and then displayed incredible human endurance might have felt on top of it all and ready for anything. But no! When he hears Jezebel is aiming to have him killed, he runs. And runs.
He winds up on Mt. Horeb, where there are multiple signs of power, but the text tells us God was in none of these. Then he hears “the sound of sheer silence” (NRSV), and comes out to meet God.
And what does God do? He gives Elijah a list of things to do, and then remind Elijah that he is not actually the only follower of the true God in Israel.
And off Elijah goes.
What changed?
We might look back at the way God sent an angel to help Elijah out and provide for his needs on his way to Mt. Horeb. Elijah hasn’t yet verbally called. That action waits for the climax. But God is already answering the prayer. God is already caring for the prophet.
Why do I like this story? Because, very much as in the book of Job, God doesn’t answer all the questions. God just lets Job know that he is not alone. Similarly, God lets Elijah know that he is not alone.
And then Elijah goes on. The complaint is never addressed as such. But the person making the complaint knows he’s on the right path and he can still move forward. The solution is not in winning on the matter of the complaint, but in realizing God has been there all the time.
My complaint may actually be God’s plan.
(Featured image generated by Jetpack AI.)
