There have been moments in our spiritual journey that have given us right direction on our path to peace.
Instants still come if we are open, willing, and honest with ourselves, God, and others.
Some are just so impactful, and today’s post discusses one that left a mark on us.
On a recent Sunday, our friend Mark (pun intended) joined us for an asweundershtandhim.coffee podcast session. The episode can be heard here. It is worth a listen on any good day but is probably more valuable on a bad day.
Background; In the Bible, when the disciples ask Jesus how to pray, he offers the Lord's Prayer as an example. Included in that prayer was an instruction to ask for what we needed.
The best we can find, he didn't elaborate and what language should be used for optimum effectiveness. Instead, he inserted approval to ask for what we thought we needed. To bring our prayers and petitions directly to the creator of the world.
Growing up, we witnessed examples of what we thought prayer should be. Most were long, using big words like sanctification, justification, and damnation. Some were repetitive, like the Lord's Prayer, the Hail Mary, etc. During certain church services, we would hear the psalmists’ prayers. These, however, were usually prayers of praise and not the prayers of anguish that we have subsequently come to read.
The God of the bible is a heart-to-heart god. We have come to believe that he cares less about capitalizing B, G, or an H and more about what is happening deep below our skin level—time after time, God makes pleas for man’s heart throughout the Bible.
We go on record with the admission that what you see on the outside is not necessarily an accurate reflection of what's going on inside. It Is our quest to live in a space of transparency. Unfortunately, social pressures, ego, and self-preservation thwart our desires more times than not.
Prayer time, we have learned, is no time for pretentiousness.
“Hear my prayer, O Lord,
Listen to my cry for help,
Do not be deaf to my weeping.”
Psalm chapter 40, verse 12
The psalmist seems frustrated and real! Jesus says to bring your requests and be real (We are sure he doesn’t want the fluff). One wonders if the psalmist edited out a swear word or two. That, we could relate to; an F-bomb appropriately injected to emphasize the magnitude of the need or pain. (we are sorry if this reads as blasphemous. We have total respect and a whole reverence for God; we are simply trying to be genuine – and sometimes rejection and pain pull the frustration from deep within)
We have real pain and real requests and believe God wants to meet us at that intersection.
We have found that we connect deeper when we get raw with God. The deeper we go, the more we lean in, the deeper He delivers, and the more He leans in. This has been our experience.
So we ask ourselves as we move ahead; do we desire to have a shallow relationship with God or a deep, authentic relationship? We have tasted both flavors. We also have enough evidence from the pages of the Bible that when a man goes to God with openness, willingness, and raw honesty, true conversations happen. We desire to converse.
Let your prayers be real,
Thoughts and ideas for this blog post were taken and built upon from asweunderstandhim.coffee podcast #13 “God - WTF? - Mark joins” The podcast dropped on 7/2/2023. Click here to hear the podcast.
Photo by Wesual Click on Unsplash
BLOG DISCLAIMER:
Alcoholics Anonymous and AA are registered trademarks of Alcoholics World Service. Inc. References to AA, the 12 steps, and 12 traditions does not mean that AA has reviewed or approved the contents of this publication nor that AA agrees with the views expressed herein. This publication is intended to support personal growth and should not be considered a substitute for healthcare professionals' advice. The author’s advice and viewpoints are their own.
Comentarios