Pouring Out My Heart to God, November 9
By Thomas Sherrod
When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me (Psalm 42:4 NKJV).
The writer of this psalm reveals that his soul is downcast and disquieted! I love the vulnerability of this message. Even though the psalmist is downcast and hurting, he trusts that “pouring out his soul” before God will bring healing. He misses being with fellow believers, sharing his faith and celebrating God’s blessings. He is not ashamed to “pour out his heart” before God.
Pouring out your heart may not sound like something you would want to do, even before your cancer diagnosis. A cancer diagnosis may tempt you to build a wall around yourself. You may be gathering all your strength to just make it through chemo or radiation. You may feel that expressing your feelings openly will be too exhausting. Or you simply may need to wait until you are ready to reveal some scary thoughts or feelings. You may decide to wait for the right person or time to share that sensitive part of yourself.
In his pain, the writer of Psalm 42 (a song meant to be sung) decided to not build a wall around himself. He chose to pour out his soul to God. He does this by singing truthfully about his sadness and his depression. He trusts that even though the feelings and thoughts are scary, concealing those emotions would do him more harm. He courageously exposes his struggle, trusting that in the sharing, he will find hope.
Will it work? Will pouring out your soul to God bring hope? Let’s look again at Psalm 42. In the last line of the song, the writer says to his soul, “Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” The song starts with despair, longing for better days, yet ends with a message of hope. Bring renewed hope to your cancer walk by going to God and pouring out your soul.
Pray: Lord, give me the courage and strength to be honest with You and to pour out my soul before Your gracious altar, trusting that You only seek the best for me. Thank You, Lord, that You seek an open and intimate relationship with me. Help me to be trusting of Your love for me as I go through this challenging season of my life. Amen.
Your Turn: Will you ask God to help you be completely honest with Him about what you are going through?
Thomas W. Sherrod, Cancer Survivor
Tom is a retired hospital chaplain who works part time for Atrium Wake Forest Baptist Health System in North Carolina. He organized and facilitated a cancer support group for twenty years as part of his hospital ministry. He is married for forty-four years and enjoys his three daughters, two sons-in-law, and five grandchildren. He is a recent survivor of prostate cancer and is immensely thankful for all of God's grace and provisions through it all.
Cancer Companion’s vision for the future is for every person impacted by cancer to know the hope, love, and grace of Jesus and that every oncology team has included faith in their treatment toolbox. By 2033, Cancer Companions will provide 5 million engagements through cancer prayers, scriptures and interactions to those impacted by cancer. Engagements include; social media outreach, e-newsletters, prayer team requests, 30 days of Cancer Prayer event, and volunteer connections.
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