As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. Psalm 103:13-14
Have you ever prayed in pure anger concerning those who are living lives in opposition to the things of God? Have you ever just expressed to God the fact that you are fit pitching, nail spitting, fist fighting mad at a fellow human being? Few of us would dream of coming out and openly expressing such seething anger in prayer, but many of us harbor those very feelings while praying to God in a different tone. Is this not just a bit duplicitous?
What about when we are tempted by greed or lust or other sinful passions? Do we trust that we can express those things openly to God? Would we be willing to say, “Lord I am overcome with the desire to (insert sinful desire tempting us at that moment), and I cannot overcome this temptation on my own”? If not, why not? Are we trying to present ourselves to God in a purer state than we really live? If so, this is an exercise in futility.
While it is true that we must be reverent in our prayers to God, we must likewise be truthful in those prayers. This is so because one of the primary purposes of prayer is to receive the strength and refining that the power of God offers (Matthew 7:7-8; James 1:5; 1 John 5:14-15). If we truly believe that God is the great physician of our souls, should we not express what our spiritual ailments really are as we would to a medical doctor when seeking their care for our physical maladies? Seeing a doctor while trying to hide our symptoms is nonsensical as the underlying issue will just continue to tear our bodies down. Likewise, praying to God while trying to hide our true spiritual symptoms will only allow our souls to continue being torn down by the sinful passions at work inside.
A careful look at the Psalms will help us a great deal in overcoming our fear of transparency in taking it all to the Lord in prayer. We need to remember we have a Great High Priest in the presence of God making intercession for us because He knows all about our weaknesses and temptations (Hebrews 4:14-16; 7:25) We must also understand “the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought” (1 Chronicles 28:9; cf. Hebrews 4:12-13). If this is the case, then why should we not pour out our hearts and allow the Lord to grant “rest for our souls” (Matthew 11:28-30)?
The Psalms offer some prime examples of people doing just that. Because God knows the heart, and because He alone bears the remedies, we should take everything to God in prayer and lay it out in the open. As we read the Psalms, we learn that these inspired Scriptures contain everything from praises, to thanksgivings, to laments, to hatred for enemies, etc. Much of what we read in these prayers is a bit shocking. It is hard to imagine someone would openly express such thoughts and feelings to the Lord. It should not seem so shocking if we remember that He already knows our true inner makeup (John 2:25; Hebrews 4:12-13). Would we not be better served to just confess the depths of our sinfulness and weakness to the only One Who can heal our souls? Whatever is ailing us, let’s take it to the Lord in prayer, reverently, but transparently to get the help we need.