A life with Christ isn’t always all rainbows.

Psalm 80 is a brutally honest prayer.  ”O God, How long will you be angry Against the prayer of Your people?  You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in great measure.  You have made us a strife to our neighbors, And our enemies laugh among themselves.” (Psalm 80:4-6)

Tell God how you really feel.  But do note how the prayer started and ended.  The beginning is full of praises of God’s sovereignty and of His name.  He ends his prayer admitting that he needs God, and that only God alone can help him, “Restore us, O God; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved!”

Be real with God, he desires to hear all of your troubles and is only waiting for you to ask him to move into your life and work in a huge way through it.

“I am ready to hear [your] prayers for those blessings, and I am ready to grant [you] [your] requests.” Ezekiel 36:37

Develop deeper relationships with people who you can grow with and can stand up to the hard rocks of life.  Talk about bigger things than football, music or movies, those things aren’t bad, interests are great things and are great to talk about and have in common with our friends.  But…

What about asking questions like:  What are you dreams?  What are your life goals? How have you grown as a believer this week?  How can I pray for you?

And then you can follow up with them on those things:  How are you doing with that dream of yours?  I read this verse and I thought of you.  Pray for them, with them, not just when you leave their presence.  Let’s grow as a church, as a body of Christ.

The Bible is a story about Love, not rules.