the most ridiculous prayers…

look at psalm 143.7 (msg), hurry with your answer, GOD.  i’m nearly at the end of my rope.  Don’t turn away.  don’t ignore me.  why can’t we just pray honest prayers?  you know what i think we pray a lot of times.  we pray prayers with disclaimers – you know, like “batteries not included,” at the end of an ad.  we pray that way in our prayers many times. 

let me show you how that would work with this prayer.  hurry with your answer, GOD.  disclaimer: unless of course you don’t want to hurry.  because i don’t want to see i’m telling you to hurry if you don’t want to hurry.  so, really, take your time if you want to.  i’m nearly at the end of my rope!  well, not really at the end of my rope.  i’m like three feet from the end of my rope.  so if somebody’s closer to the end of their rope than i am please help them first.”  then get real pious and pray things like, “GOD, i don’t want to seem ungrateful so thank you for this rope that i’m nearly at the end of.  really, i want to thank you for this rope.”  ridiculous!  answer my prayer now GOD.  don’t ignore me.  but then we add the disclaimer: “if you have time today to not ignore me which in light of the fact that there’s war and famine and disease all over the world you probably don’t have time for me today so forget i said anything at all.” 

we pray the most ridiculous prayers.  i think one of the reasons why is because we have a small view of GOD.  we think GOD can’t handle all of our prayers all at once and HE can.  GOD is the ultimate multi-tasker.  if you can get in your car and you can drive your car and listen to the traffic report and talk on the cell phone and put on makeup and shave.  if you can do all that at the same time don’t you think that the GOD of the universe who made everything who is the almighty, the all-powerful, can listen to every prayer of the billions of people on this planet and give personal attention and care?  of course HE can. 

that blows our mind a little bit but that is the greatness of GOD.  that’s how great GOD is.  so you’re not bothering GOD with your prayer.  you’re not taking away from somebody else’s need with your prayer.  so talk to GOD honestly.  because when you talk to GOD honestly you’re able to hear an honest answer. 

do you hear that answer audibly?  i never have.  you hear it through a thought HE brings to mind or a bible verse HE brings to mind or somebody who comes into your life.  if you pray dishonest prayers to GOD, and you fake it with GOD, you’re not going to hear any honest answers from GOD.  but if you honestly tell HIM how you’re feeling, you’re going to hear some honest answers back.  and that’s how your heart’s going to change.  that’s where the pressure gets released. 

just a thought from the front porch…