“Honest Prayers”
Have you experienced heartache through friendship or with family members? I feel confident there is not a single person that could say no to that question. We have ALL experienced pain or disappointment in relationships. But, the more meaningful question is how do we handle it?
For me, my mind begins to play a game of ping pong. The thoughts, “How dare them, don’t they see what all I have done for them,” and “now you have made mistakes too, let’s consider a different perspective,” toss back and forth as I seek to find a justified emotion. Before I know it, I have exhausted myself in a mind game that God never intended me to play.
David often expressed his own heartache and pain in the book of Psalms. At times, he felt defeated by deceit, oppression and injustice. Each page in Psalms reveals an emotional roller coaster we all can relate to in life. Read the verses below and watch David’s emotions unravel…
“I will say to God, my rock, why have you forgotten me? Why must I go in sorrow because of my enemy’s oppression?” Psalm 42: 5
“Send your light and your truth; let them lead me,” Psalm 43: 3.
“God, listen to my prayer and do not hide from my plea for help. Pay attention to me and answer me. I am restless and in turmoil with my complaint because the enemy’s words, because of the pressure of the wicked. For they bring down disaster on me and harass me with anger,” Psalm 55:1-3.
I became stumped when I arrived at Psalm 58. Intense frustration and vengeance seemed to be pointed directly at his enemies, “God, knock the teeth out of their mouths!” Ummm…tell us how you really feel Dave. I could relate, yet I sort of refrained from those particular emotions when I was talking to God. Why was this in the Bible? Was it OK to wish vengeance on our enemies?
God heard my question and gently reminded me of another passage in the Bible I was once stumped on-Jeremiah 13. Jeremiah tells the story of God instructing him to hide his underwear in the crevice of a rock. He then commands him to retrieve it only to reveal it’s now a ruined, worthless garment. I remember reading this passage and asking myself, “Ok, should I take this literally and is this your message for me today?!”
With patience and effort, I began to study passage as a whole and see a bigger picture. God revealed a beautiful, unique symbolism; our undergarments are intended to cling to us, just as God intends us to cling to Him. They are personal daily items we need, just as our relationship with God should be.
So, as I was reminded of how I came to understand that difficult passage, He nudged me to consider the same concept for David’s angry prayer.
When I step back and look at David’s overall message in Psalms and consider who God was to him, I see it more clearly. David was not afraid to be honest with God. He cried out with true emotions, not the ‘proper’ ones. He revealed his frustrations and told God what his flesh desired-to have their teeth knocked out! Yet, within almost the same breath, he knows God is sovereign in everything He does. He knew God saw every tear that fell, every dagger that pierced him. His love for David and us is steadfast, dependable and just, therefore we need not worry with who wins the game.
I’m learning that I can be deeply honest with God about my frustrations; He already knows my heart. But, instead of stumbling over teeth I will stop myself from playing the exhausting mind game and focus on other verses such as, Psalm 51, “God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Restore the joy of your salvation to me and sustain me by giving me a willing spirit. Then I will teach the rebellious your ways, and sinners will return to you.”
