While grumbling and complaining will lead to sinful bitterness, so will ignoring the hurt, by suffering in silence, or affixing a plastic smile to a broke heart. In Psalm 39 we see that David did not want those who did not know the Lord to misunderstand and possibly twist his words and justify all sorts of sinful behaviors, but that does not mean that David suffers in silence. He takes his grief and pain before the Lord and reveals his heart in verses 3-8. He acknowledges that “His hope is in the Lord” in verse 7, and lays the matter before Him. The key to navigating through the wrong extremes when responding to trials is to recognize and remember that God has a purpose. If we lack the wisdom to understand our trials we need to come before God, to gain understanding, not to accuse Him of being unfair, but to understand and see the plan of God in allowing these things to enter into our lives. God then brings people along in our lives to help us bear our burden. others cannot carry the burden for us, but they can come alongside of us and support us in the midst of our heartache, and the bitter situation we find overwhelming us. Suffering in silence may sound noble, but it is as dangerous to our soul as grumbling and complaining.
