Pouring Out Your Heart
O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge. -Psalm 62:8, NLT
“Turn the vessel of your soul upside down in his secret presence, and let your inmost thoughts, desires, sorrows, and sins be poured out like water. Hide nothing from him, for you can hide nothing. To the Lord unburden your soul. Let him be your only father-confessor, for he only can absolve you when he has heard your confession.” – Charles H. Spurgeon
An all too often missed opportunity presents itself everyday for the child of God. We can pour out our heart to God. He invites it. He desires the closest possible relationship with us, sadly we don’t always lean in to His invitation. We can find ourselves only sharing somethings with God. We can slip into ‘hiding’ some thoughts or pains for any number of reasons. But, we miss so much in a half-hearted approach. God is our refuge, why would we hide from Him? Several reasons for hiding seem prevalent.
· Shame is one of the biggest reasons we hide. We are ashamed of the feelings we have, the questions we are wrestling with, the actions we’ve taken. And shame makes us hide. How we must discipline ourselves to remember that there is no need for shame with the God who knows all. We can be honest because He already knows- thoughts, actions, emotions. He understands better than we do the questions in our journey.
· Wounds often keep us in hiding. Instead of bringing our wounded selves to God for His healing, we hide our pain, sure that somehow we can be our own safety. Or convinced that if we hide our wound, we can’t be injured again. Sadly, the inverse becomes true. The more we hide our wound, the deeper the hurt goes. The more we seek to be our own doctor the more infected the wound becomes, bitterness and depression fester. Again, our hiding our wound is perception more than reality. We are the child in the hide-and-seek game who thinks that because they can’t see you, you can’t see them. If we hold our wounds up to our Father, His loving care can minister.
· Religious ritual can help us hide. It’s a mask that we first wore around other followers of Jesus but became such a part of us that we now wear it with God. We go through the motions- reading our Bible, praying, attending worship, maybe even fasting or serving God. But all of it is to hide the deeper doubts, fears, pain. We think that our busy-ness for God will convince Him (and everyone else) that everything is fine. Not only is that a lie, it is dangerous indeed to serve God from a hollow relationship. It elicits from God Isaiah 1 responses. He has no interest in our going through some motions. He invites instead deep encounter.
Now, it might feel daunting to overcome these and other obstacles to pour out your heart to Him. But, I contend, it might be that you are not trying a method that works for you. Here are 5 ways to pour yourself out to your Loving, All-powerful, God:
1. Verbal prayer. Praying out loud (even if you are alone) can often help us say what we need to say to empty the soul. There is a reason why spoken words are so important to God. He’s wired us to share and communicate so much with our mouths. So talk to God. Pour out your heart to Him.
2. Written prayer. If you find yourself struggling to say what you want and need to pour out your soul, writing might be the key. Writing down a prayer, even keeping a prayer journal is a great way to give yourself an avenue of expression. Putting your thoughts on a page allows you the luxury of revisiting the moment days or even years later.
3. Sing. Music is such a powerful form or expression. Finding (or creating) music that matches your heart cry can be a wonderful way to pour out your soul. There are definitely songs that fit so deeply into a season of life that they can’t be sung or played without revisiting those moments.
4. Create. If God has gifted you with creativity, why not paint, draw, sculpt, stitch, build… as a way to pour out your soul? Some of the most profound art in human history emerges from creatives pouring their heart out to their Creator.
5. Commune. As odd as it might seem, it can be others that help us pour out our heart to God. Counselors, Pastors, good friends, dear family members, can all ask good questions, listen deeply, and bring us in prayer before our God. We are wired for community. We often forget, that the depth of our souls can be nourished and brought out in deep relationship.
There are more ways I am sure- the point is to find a way. Because, if you do, you will not only unburden your soul, you will forever be learning the depth and nature of the refuge our God offers those who are known and loved by Him.