How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? (Psalm 13.1-2)
Have you prayed like this? Could you pray like this? Does your theology allow you to?
One of the beauties of the Psalms is that it has a ‘ring of truth to it’ as C.S. Lewis used to say. That is, it sounds right. After all, who couldn’t relate to the feeling of being abandoned and overwhelmed?
David doesn’t seem to flinch from unsaddling his burdens before God. Sadly, many Christians do.
This does not mean that we don’t feel these emotions, because we surely do. In fact, if you are listening to yourself and others you know that Christians don’t have much of a problem talking about these things either.
But we do seem to have a problem in the prayer closet.
This brings me to ask if there is a level of dishonesty with our prayers. Is the pulse of our prayers the true pulse of our hearts? If we are truly burdened and overwhelmed by something what does it say about our theology if we either a) don’t pray about it, or b) don’t bring it up when we are praying?
The implications are shameful; we may believe that God doesn’t care or can’t do anything about it. Yikes.
But this should not be.
Listen, Jesus actually came to identify with and save broken, burdened, and overwhelmed people. He is said to be a sympathetic high priest who is able to help us in our time of need. This drives us forward with confidence (and honesty) to the throne of grace (Heb. 4.14-16).
The implications of this type of prayerful dishonesty is a denial of some of the benefits of the gospel. This right we have to unfasten the chords of fear, anxiety, and hurt before the King of kings is not cheap. Christ paid for it! How foolish it would be to march around saying how much we believe and love the gospel only to pretend it has no power in our lives for sanctification and hope?
I love how David ends Psalm 13:
But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me. (Ps. 13.5-6)
Do you see this? As he unwraps his heart before God and lays his burdens down he is soothed by God’s covenant faithfulness. He actually says that his heart can rejoice and sing! This honest interaction with the God of grace amid the shark tank of this world brings true delight and songs of gratitude. His honesty in prayer brings honest thanksgiving.
If we believe the gospel is true and its benefits are real then we should be honest and active in our prayer closets. I honestly believe this is where Christians want to live. We just need to believe that God is big enough, powerful enough, loving enough and the gospel is powerful enough for him to hear and heal us. Let’s not kid ourselves; this is what we know to be true through the gospel.