The Bible is such a wonderous collection of books. We call it God's Word because it is an incredible story telling of God's work and being in the world. There are many different types of literature in it, including poetry, fiction, historical accounts, fables, pop-culture media (from those times), instruction, and encouragement.
If you've been feeling a bit human lately, you might consider dipping into the psalms. Humans are multifaceted, but one thing we can say for certain is that they are emotional. We feel things, big and small. Our bodies, minds and souls react to our experiences in a multicolored, dramatic, intense expression of feelings. This makes us passionate (albeit about different things from person to person). I see this as a beautiful part of us--one that God amazingly demonstrates first and responds to.
The psalms are a great illustration of this. One of the main writers is David, a small shepherd boy from the hills, called into leadership but full of flaws himself. He rises under God's hand, but fails regularly in his moral fortitude. He gets greedy, lusts, commits adultery, and fails to father well. He has someone murdered and makes several enemies. All of this drama leads to quite a bit of emotional drama. He's upset, he's hurt, he's scared, he's angry. He gets depressed. He's spiteful. He is thankful and full of joy. He runs the whole gamut of human emotion, all told through the psalms.
If you are experiencing significant emotions yourself, it can help to realize that God sees you and loves you in that chaos. Even a man considered to have a heart similar to God's felt normal human emotions and lacked self-control. Not only do the psalms show real human emotions, they also normalize crying out to God in the midst of them! Sometimes those very difficult emotions are exactly what we need to point us toward the Creator and Provider. Emotions make us vulnerable, and in that vulnerability we find deep intimacy with a God who loves us as we are.
Unsplash Jakob Owens
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