To Kiss God's Lips

#Shift

That’s the only way to begin this week’s blog post.

After weeks and weeks of zeroing in on one topic, it feels awkward and unnatural to switch gears.  But, shift it is...

I'm currently Praying Through the Bible (not just reading it through over this year, but doing so with the intention of praying for the generation coming after us). 

This thought keeps surfacing:

The Lord loves honest praying. 

He doesn't just tolerate it. 

Nor does He simply allow for it.

He's not critical of it.

He doesn't gloss over it.

I'd go so far as to say that authenticity may very well be the starting place of genuine prayer.

A few points to consider: 

The Imprecatory Psalms of David 

Imprecatory: prayers that call for God to rise up and do something, especially, bring judgment. Imprecatory psalms are shocking! 

Here are just a few phrases out of Psalm 109 as David practically curses the wicked and deceitful who have not just betrayed him, but actively, violently opposed the God of the Universe:

May their days be few...their wives be widows...their children be fatherless...wandering about, begging. May their creditors seize all they have and strangers plunder the fruits of their toil. Let there be no one to extend them kindness...blot out their names...

Needless to say, David does exactly what Lamentations 2:19 tells us:

Pour out your heart like water before the Presence of the Lord, lift up your hands to Him...

The presence of these prayers in Scripture doesn’t mean God endorses human vengeance or every raw emotion expressed in the moment. But it does remind us that God invites honesty and vulnerability rather than performance. And, He listens to every prayer of a sincere heart.

The Story of Job

Job railed against his circumstances, wished he had never been born, asked God to take his life, questioned God's justice, and demanded answers. All the while, his "friends" (if you can call them that) gave the proper, polite, safe, currently correct theological response. 

What happens at the end of the story? When God shows up, He sets Job's theology aright, rebukes his friends, then commends Job for sharing his very truthful heart. 

Again, God loves our sincerity.

The Psalms of Lament

Research shows nearly 1/3 of the Psalms are laments. Google will happily share the list with you. Believe me, they are messy. If you read them, placing yourself in the situations of the men who authored them, you'll empathize with their cries, questions, confusion, deep anger, doubt, despair. 

God never censored these Psalms. God preserved these Psalms in His Holy Word to help us process grief, confusion, anger, doubt, despair—and to teach us how to pray when life feels tangled.

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I'm of the opinion these honest prayers reveal a far greater faith than we give ourselves credit for... Faith that God...

- already knows what we're thinking, so why pretend...

- is bigger than our messy lives, and who wants us to "cast that mess" before His Sovereign throne, allowing Him to do the sorting. 

- can handle our mixed-up-emotions and won't judge us for them (after all He created us to be emotional people).

- extends grace and goodness that outweighs our performance.

- desires relationship above all - how can there be real relationship if there is no honesty?

- is serious, when He invites us to "Come unto Me...and I will give you rest." 

One last thought, because it's where my passion lies: 

Honesty opens the door to deeper intimacy.

So, toss away the myth (if you believe it) that prayer has to be polite, pretty, calm, organized, and "righteous" in wording. 

I'm choosing honest, disorganized, and heart-felt for my personal prayer time.

No wonder the sage of Proverbs wrote (24:26):

Honest responses are like a kiss on the lips (in Ancient Israel, a symbol of friendship, loyalty and respect).

Did you catch that? 

Honest prayer is a kiss on God's lips.