Thursday, January 18, 2018

 

Imagine for a moment, that for one full week, you had to speak honestly. Imagine for a moment, that for one week, the people closest to you were able to not only hear what you say but they could also hear what you are thinking. Let’s be honest, we are sometimes dishonest when we speak. Like when someone invites you to dinner and asks if you enjoyed the meal and you say, it’s good when you are really thinking the food is terrible. You force yourself to eat the food then your host asks if you want more and you tell them thanks but no thanks, I am a light eater but in reality you’re thinking, this stuff is so bad I couldn’t possibly eat another bite. We have all been in situations when the best option is to not say what we are really thinking. I am not suggesting that we should ever lie, but expressing everything we are thinking is not something we should do either.

 

 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. – Matthew 6:7-8 NIV

 

God is the author of all words and his son Jesus is the Word of Life and no amount or combination of words will ever impress or move him. From his perspective, how much you pray or what words you use to pray with is not what your Heavenly Father is looking for, it is the honesty with which you speak with him that he is looking for. Your Heavenly Father already knows what you are going to say even before you say it. If this is the case, then why pray? Prayer is not about impressing God or attempting to get him to do something for us; prayer is about determining a time and choosing a place where we can build a trusting and loving relationship with our Heavenly Father. Without honesty however, this is impossible.

 

While it may be impossible to be completely transparent with the people around you, even with those you love and who love you the most, when it comes to your Heavenly Father you can be completely honest with him. He knows what you are thinking, the good and the bad yet he still invites you into his presence. Don’t however think for a moment that God is moved by the combination or amount of words that you use; He is moved by your honesty. In light of this, don’t approach him with words to try and impress him, tell him how you truly feel. Tell God what you like and what you dislike, tell him about your worries and your fears, about your inconsistencies and broken promises. Tell Him about your bad thoughts and your sins, about your highs and lows. The truth of the matter is that God hears your every thought, even those you have forgotten so speak honestly with him; he knows everything about you and still loves you the same. God could never love you any more or any less. While transparency can be a problem with the people around you, that’s not the case with God. Complete transparency is what God looks for the most when you pray.

 

 

Questions

1. How would it make you feel if you knew that the people closest to you were able to hear exactly what you are thinking?
2. Think of a time when you were not entirely honest with your words, a time when what you said and what you were thinking were not the same. Why did you choose to not say what you were thinking?
3. When you talk with God, what is your focus, speaking the right words or speaking exactly what you are thinking?
4. Why is it that you are unable to be completely transparent with God when you are able to be completely transparent with the people around you?
5. If when you prayed, you expressed your true thoughts, how differently would your prayer life look and feel?