READ: PSALMS 64:1-10; 116:10; 142:1-7

Have you ever greeted someone you haven’t seen in a while with a friendly, “Hi, how have you been?” and they responded with a shrug and said, “I can’t complain”? I never know how to interpret that. I end up translating it in my head to mean, “I’m not quite content, but there’s nothing glaringly wrong with my life.” Often, I end up wondering if they would like to “complain,” but they don’t think they’re allowed to, or maybe they just don’t want to let me in.

I’ve heard some Christians say that complaining is a sin. They talk about passages like Numbers 11:1, which says, “Now the people [of Israel] complained about their hardships in the hearing of the LORD, and when he heard them his anger was aroused.” Apparently, when we complain, it makes God angry. So we should avoid complaining at all costs. Right?

Well, it might not be that simple. Look at Psalm 64, where David begins by saying, “Hear me, my God, as I voice my complaint.” And in Psalm 142:1-2, David says, “I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift up my voice to the LoORD for mercy. I pour out before him my complaint; before him I tell my trouble.” David outright said he was complaining to God. Was David sinning?

Numbers 14:27 says the Israelites were grumbling against God. But David was bringing His concerns to God. He was lamenting. We see examples of lament throughout the Bible, especially in the psalms, and we know that God calls His people to lament. Even Jesus lamented.

Instead of stuffing all our pain and questions and longings inside, letting them fester and inevitably turn to bitterness, God wants us to be honest with Him. He wants us to talk to Him—unfiltered—about all the hard things in our lives and all the ways it seems like He isn’t good or loving or trustworthy. And, the surprising thing is, when we talk to God like this we are actually showing that we do trust Him. We trust Him enough to tell Him how we really feel. We’re coming to Him with our hurt and anger and sorrow and fear because we believe He can do something about it. And as we do, we’re opening ourselves up to receive His comfort, His hope, and assurance of His steadfast love. • Hannah Howe

• What do you think is the difference between grumbling against God and lamenting to God?

• Consider taking some time to pour out your own complaint before God, telling Him about some of the hard things you’ve experienced lately and how you’ve felt about them.

• If you want to dig deeper, read Psalms 13; 88; Matthew 27:46; Mark 14:32-36; Luke 19:41-44; John 11:35.

Hear me, my God, as I voice my complaint. Psalm 64:1 (NIV)