Click PLAY below for the full audio of “Lesson 6 (Psalm 42-43): The Way of Tears” led by Jen Clouse
Concerning prayer….
- I was so out of touch with my own feelings and my own brokenness and my own sin, that all I could speak to was typically circumstances and situations instead of real first-person pain and sorrow and anxiety. Do you hear the difference? What is it like to live life like the psalmist and say, “what is the feeling behind that? Is it fostering anxiety or fear or pride or insecurity?” Because that ‘s how we are known: behind the situations is the intimacy of the person. And that’s true with each other and with the Lord. So if we’re going to stay on the facts level and the sharing of stories and just reporting to each other, then we’re not getting to know each other in a way that I think really grants life, healing and hope. I think the psalmist models that for us well.
- Prayer doesn’t always immediately change our feelings
- We are not praying for circumstances to change but for us to change in our circumstances