I’m currently studying the book of Psalms, and as I read a Psalm I’m summarizing the main point of it in a paragraph. Although I’ve just begun my study, I’ve noticed something amazing about the Psalms of David.,

DAVID freely expresses his emotions to God—fear, frustration, anger, hatred of evil, confusion over why God allows evil. God does not chide him for doing that. In fact, God calls David a man after His own heart (Acts 13:22). BUT David doesn’t stop with just expressing his emotions—he follows up with something else.

In Psalm 3 David cries out:
Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” BUT you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain.

In Psalm 6 David agonizes:
Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint; heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in deep anguish. How long, Lord, how long? . . . I am worn out from my groaning. All night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. BUT (implied) The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer. All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish; they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame.

In Psalm 13 David despairs:
How long Lord, will you forget me?. . . Hide your face from me? . . . Allow my enemies to triumph over me? BUT I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.

What does David’s BUT tell us about him? It says that while he’s totally honest with God about his fears and questions, he chooses to believe and trust the God he knows.

How can we express our BUT’s to God without feeling guilty and allowing Satan to make us feel like failures in our faith? We can do what David did and declare our faith with a BUT GOD!

We can follow David’s pattern in Psalm 13:5-6:

1. We can trust in His unfailing love because the Bible declares He is true and faithful.
2. We can rejoice in our salvation.
3. We can sing the Lord’s praises—for His creation, for His works, for His promises.
4. We can remember how good God has been to us in the past.

Whenever our emotions overwhelm us, we can express them to God, but let’s remember to always end with BUT GOD!