Raw Soliloquy!
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Raw Soliloquy!
Soliloquy: A soliloquy is a literary or dramatic situation in which a person speaks their thoughts aloud, usually while alone on stage, revealing their inner feelings, thoughts, or motivations to the audience. In this case the audience is God.
A number of tasks delayed my message this week, but I still wanted to take a moment to reflect.
Lately, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by current events—whether local, national, or global. Stress, frustration, and even hopelessness can quietly creep in. But I want to gently remind us all: we don’t have to carry it all. The reality is, current events aren’t going away, but neither is our ability to respond with strength and grace.
Let’s continue to focus on what we can control: our faith, our mindset, our actions, and how we support one another. Small moments of prayer, worship, patience, and connection can make a big difference.
In the passage below from Jeremiah chapter 8, we see God’s compassion in times of national distress, first through His willingness to let Jeremiah openly and honestly lament the pain of the people. His simply listening to our raw concerns goes a long way in helping us cope.
Jeremiah 8:18-2218 My grief is beyond healing; my heart is broken. 19 Listen to the weeping of my people; it can be heard all across the land. “Has the Lord abandoned Jerusalem?” the people ask. “Is her KING no longer there?” “Oh, why have they provoked my anger with their carved idols and their worthless foreign gods?” says the LORD. 20 “The harvest is finished, and the summer is gone,” the people cry, “yet we are not saved!” 21
I hurt with the hurt of my people. I mourn and am overcome with grief. 22 Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why is there no healing for the wounds of my people?
Jeremiah’s lament is so intense that scholars believe it reflects not only his own anguish but also God’s own grief. Verse 18 shows that God is not indifferent. He feels the pain of His people. This shared sorrow is the first step toward healing, knowing that God is not distant, but present in our suffering.
In verse 22, “Is there no balm in Gilead?”, acknowledges the festering wound of the nation. God doesn’t minimize the pain. Instead, He names it. God meets His people in truth, not denial.
God points us toward healing. The mention of the “balm in Gilead” (a famous Clark Sisters song) is symbolic. The phrase refers to a healing resin that came from the balsam tree found in the region of Gilead. In biblical times. It was used for medicinal purposes. The question implies that healing is possible, even if it hasn’t yet come. The intent of this phrase is to open the door to hope. Healing is not out of reach!
Expressing yourself to God is a way to process pain and move toward trust. God soothes by giving space for sorrow and by listening.
You might be honestly thinking, “Gee, Bobby, you’re not offering a more profound way to find relief.”
And that’s fair. But my response is this: Jeremiah modeled an approach that led to something positive. He lamented honestly, brought his pain before God, and didn’t hold back.
So, I ask, what do you have to lose by doing the same?
You sing the song “God’s Got It” or say, "God is good all the time, and all the time, God is good".
Another lyric reminds us: “Quit trying to figure it out.”
Sometimes, the most profound relief comes not from figuring it all out, but from trusting the One who already has.
Isaiah 55:8–9
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Romans 11:33
33 Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!
Song of the Week -
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