Depressed, messy prayers
There is a lot of nervousness right now about the economy and job security. Government jobs are under heavy scrutiny, and while many private-sector companies are cautiously optimistic about the future…they’re also worried about budget constraints, talent shortages, foreign politics, domestic politics, and waning consumer sentiment – because many Americans still feel the impact of high prices.
If you’re feeling like your job security is low, then public perceptions, partisan divides, and loudly-shouted mixed opinions about economic data do nothing to alleviate your fears. While I’m not currently there, I have been before. There have been times in previous positions where I’ve been worried that I might lose my job for something I did, or times that I worried about moves the company was making that could eliminate my position, or times when fear and nervousness spiked because a “reduction in force” happened with no warning at all.
And in all those times, you know what always grew? The amount of time I spent praying. Nothing drives you to increase your time talking with God as much as having your paycheck security threatened.
But what of those prayers? How do you pray for help when the world around you feels so uncertain? Especially if you haven’t talked with God 1-on-1 in a while…just letting the preacher on Sunday talk to God for you. Should I sit up straight, fold my hands, bow my head, and close my eyes? Do I need to drop down to my knees and (politely) beg? Should I recite the Lord’s Prayer five times…ten times…more? What are the right words to say? Pastor Tony Evans has this advice:
If you have wrongly assumed that all prayer should be dignified and employ only theological jargon in your petitions to God, you have not understood prayer rightly. Let David be your model. He approaches God honestly, pleading emotionally for deliverance. As a troubled child depends on his or her daddy, go to your heavenly Father in your turmoil and open your heart to Him.
That is exactly what David did. In Psalm 142, the beginning header recounts that this was written when he was in the cave. How dark was it? How confining? How much despair and depression did the sloped walls communicate? They certainly contributed to his mood and the raw words he prayed:
Psalm 142
I cry aloud to the Lord;
I plead aloud to the Lord for mercy.
I pour out my complaint before Him;
I reveal my trouble to Him.
Although my spirit is weak within me, you know my way.
Along this path I travel they have hidden a trap for me.
Look to the right and see: no one stands up for me;
there is no refuge for me; no one cares about me.
David certainly felt isolated and unsure of his future. When he looks to the right and sees…no one, he feels utterly alone. There was no one there to be his “right-hand man”; a warrior would have his trusted ally on his right to help protect his flank while holding his own shield with his left hand. But for David…he looks and finds no one to care about him.
Alone. Surrounded by cave walls. No support. All he sees are hidden traps up ahead.
Perhaps you can relate.
So David does the only thing he can do, and it is a model for us as well:
I cry to you, Lord;
I say, “You are my shelter, my portion in the land of the living.”
Listen to my cry, for I am very weak.
Rescue me from those who pursue me,
for they are too strong for me.
Free me from prison so that I can praise Your name.
The righteous will gather around me
because you deal generously with me.
There are no highbrow words, no flowery talk. David doesn’t posture, fake being strong, or try to bargain with God. Instead, he readily admits: I am very weak…they are too strong for me. He can’t do this on his own. The future, apart from God’s rescue, has no hope.
Looking at David’s example…it’s ok to pray this way. Be raw. Be real. Be honest. Tell God that you are weak, but you trust that He will be strong.
David made it out of that cave, because the God he trusted took care of him. You can, too.
Keep Pressing,
Ken