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b'There are times when I get on my knees to pray, and I don\\u2019t feel like praying. There are times when I talk to God, and it doesn\\u2019t feel like He\\u2019s listening. There are times when I\\u2019m in a tough spot, and I feel like screaming, \\u201cGod! Don\\u2019t You even care?\\u201d One thing I love about God is that He can handle my feelings, no matter how unruly they may be.\\n\\n\\n\\nEspecially when we feel overwhelmed and alone, it\\u2019s easy to withdraw into ourselves and avoid talking to God, but that\\u2019s not what God wants. He invites us to be totally honest with Him about what we\\u2019re experiencing. Lots of psalms show us how to do this\\u2014for example, Psalm 13 begins with the words, \\u201cHow long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?\\u201d (verse 1).\\n\\n\\n\\nDon\\u2019t hesitate to express your frustration to God\\u2026 but don\\u2019t stop there! As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit living inside us, so we can choose to turn our hearts, our minds, and our actions toward the Lord no matter what we\\u2019re going through. He invites us to come to Him, to experience the freedom of worshipping Him and entrusting all our worries to His care. Here are some practices that can be helpful as we press into relationship with God:\\n\\n\\n\\nChoose to trust. Psalm 13 begins with frustration, but later the author says, \\u201cI trust in your unfailing love\\u201d (verse 5). When life gets tough, we can rely on God\\u2019s love and remember His promises to us: He promised to send a Messiah to save us, and He did! Jesus Christ died and rose again so that everyone who puts their trust in Him can be with God forever. And Jesus promises to return one day and make all things new, free from sorrow and pain (Revelation 21:1-5). These promises are still true, regardless of our circumstances. We may go through times when we feel forgotten by God, but we can cling to the truth that Jesus is with us\\u2014always (Matthew 1:23; 28:20).\\n\\n\\n\\nChoose to praise. Psalm 13 says, \\u201cI will sing the Lord\\u2019s praise, for he has been good to me\\u201d (verse 6). Praise is a choice that\\u2019s hard to make in frustrating times. But this action expresses, \\u201cMy God is worthy of praise, no matter what.\\u201d And as we continue to acknowledge God\\u2019s goodness, we often find relief from our frustration.\\n\\n\\n\\nChoose to give thanks. Even when we can\\u2019t think of anything to be thankful for, we can echo the words of Psalm 13: \\u201cmy heart rejoices in your salvation\\u201d (verse 5). Christ\\u2019s sacrifice for us hasn\\u2019t been nullified when we don\\u2019t feel God\\u2019s presence. We can always thank Him for saving us. And we can also be thankful that He is still working in the midst of our frustrations, even when we can\\u2019t see it (John 5:17; Romans 8:28).\\n\\n\\n\\nChoose to pray, even when you don\\u2019t see the point. In the middle of Psalm 13 is a desperate prayer, \\u201cLook on me and answer, Lord my God\\u2026 \\u201d (verse 3). The action of asking God for help communicates, \\u201cEven though I don\\u2019t understand, I know You listen to me and care about me.\\u201d And prayer is more than that. When we pray, we are communicating with the living God. We can come into God\\u2019s presence, because God has come into our presence\\u2026 Jesus came to bring heaven to earth! As we come to God in prayer, He opens our eyes to the reality of how much He loves us.\\n\\n\\n\\nWhen we bring our sorrows to God, we can reap a harvest of joy (Psalm 126:5-6)! When we choose to follow God in the midst of our frustrations, our perspective shifts from \\u201cGod, where are You?\\u201d to \\u201cGod, I trust You.\\u201d By choosing to interact with God, we experience an even stronger faith in Him, knowing that His love can\\u2019t be shaken, even in the hardest struggles. \\u2022 Lily Walsh\\n\\n\\n\\nBut I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord\\u2019s praise, for he has been good to me. Psalm 13:5-6 (NIV)\\n\\n\\n\\n\\u2022 Have you ever tried to express your frustrations to God? What was it like?\\n\\n\\n\\n\\u2022 How could it be freeing to know that God can handle our feelings, and He wants us to be totally honest with Him?\\n\\n\\n\\n\\u2022 Consider taking a moment'