God’s Love is Whole: He Loves Our Emotions
Genesis 1:27, Isaiah 64:8, Psalms 139:13-15
Last week's message established that God's love is whole. It encompasses our spirit, soul, heart, and body. God carefully crafted our bodies as works of art and saw us as good and beautiful. This week continues by turning to the second part: God created and loves our emotions.
Psalm 139:13, which says God formed our "inmost being" is translated from the Hebrew word kilayot, meaning kidneys. In ancient Hebrew understanding, the kidneys represented human emotion. Proverbs 23:16 ("my inmost being will exult") and Job 19:27 ("my heart fainted within me"), both use the kidney as a metaphor for deep longing, passion, and feeling. Just as God declared our bodies beautiful, Psalm 139:14 affirms that we are also "fearfully and wonderfully made."
Psychologists tell us that human emotion spans far more than the handful most of us can name on our fingers. Emotions can be categorized into six broad categories: joy, sadness, anger, disgust, fear, and surprise, each with many layers beneath. Is there such a thing as a good or bad emotion? It seems that society thinks so. This is often observed when we throw around phrases such as, “don’t be angry” and “rejoice always.” If we only ever experienced "positive" emotions, we would be emotionally . Our so-called “negative” emotions such as disappointment, resentment, grief, and anxiety are not signs of spiritual failure. All emotions are God’s gift.
God Himself models the full range of emotion. Scripture describes Him as jealous, filled with regret, and moved to anger. Jesus wept at Lazarus's tomb, overturned tables in righteous anger, and expressed disappointment at his disciples' slow-growing faith. Emotion is not weakness but is part of what it means to bear the image of God.
Three months ago, Pastor Daniel was re-diagnosed with macular degeneration. His vision has been damaged, light is painful, and he receives eye injections directly into his eyes each month. Pastor Daniel shares he felt resentment and anger at a world that seems to go on normally while he is in pain. But rather than hiding these emotions, he brings them honestly to God. Through that process, God has deepened his compassion for others who suffer.
Rather than labeling certain feelings as "un-Christian" and suppressing them, we can try to reflect on our emotions and ask why we feel what we feel. Bring those honest emotions to God in prayer. God will meet us there and speak to our hearts.
Discussion Questions:
What emotions are you experiencing most right now? Have you given yourself permission to feel them, or have you been trying to push them away?
How does knowing that God Himself experiences the full range of emotion change the way you view your own emotional life?
What is one practical step you can take this week to bring your honest emotions to God in prayer?
