Honest Open Prayers – can we go large?

What is this? The weeping prophet? Where’s their inner strength? They are certainly not a happy chappy are they? I am talking about Jeremiah from his wailing in Jerm 8:18-9:1.

Their joy is gone, they can hear the cry of the poor people, across the land. Where are you? Where is God in all this? Hey, have we ever said that?

They continue …the harvest is past – not so as the Harvest Festival may yet to be celebrated yet but we get their drift. The summer is over, we are not saved, where is the balm, the ointment to aid recovery?

Context

The context here is that we have a son of a priest from Judah who dictated prophecies to the secretary Baruch. Although he was raised as a priest there’s no record of his service as a priest. What we do read of is his courage to speak on behalf of the people of Judah from God’s perspective. One problem : they didn’t want to listen. Well, he started in his early 20s but who is going to listen to a youngster even when he is telling them the truth? As the nation of Judah lost to Assyria and Babylon, Jeremiah moved with his people still continuing to speak. He could have been as Paul described a thorn in the side – you may have alternative titles…Here is a red-blooded individual who loved his people. 

Perhaps we need genderless role models? This is a heartfelt prayer from a man who doesn’t care to much for that alpha male imagery, that classic masculinity isn’t evident here just open rawness, vulnerability…honesty? Where are you?

And may be that’s it. Our prayers can be well formed, eloquent even, but not from our heart. I spoke with someone recently who believed in a higher being but defo not God. They showed me how they spoke with this higher being. Their hands came together. The words aren’t the ones typically heard in church settings but the emphasis was clear, it was direct :

“where are you, why aren’t you here for me?” Add in the missing words of intonation…

You want me to swear?

I’m not suggesting that we frequently add swear words to our prayers but I’m advocating a real honesty in our prayers.

How are our prayers away from the ‘Church’? I am not asking whether you get on your knees,
as we may need more than prayers to get back up again… 

But how do we dialogue with God? When we speak with our God, let’s not treat God as a distinct long distance relation where we communicate via WhatsApp or by telegram (the old fashioned version). 

Let’s consider how the Royal Family may have prayed these past few days? I am sure the prayer Why? Where are you? might have been on their lips. Such prayers will have been said countless times with all those who died of Covid over the past 2 years. Sometimes it is those without an outward faith who might say the most intense honest prayer. 

Intimate conversation

Let’s consider one who sits with us individually, just like those images portrayed in the Gospels of Jesus eating with ‘sinners’, intimately chatting over gnawing over a leg of lamb – vegetarian options also available. Perhaps the Gospel messages suggest more than scenes where we picture Jesus but tell us of how Jesus spoke, listened, was with people then. How Jesus is here with us now. 

Those meals weren’t a quick process but one where we pause, rest a while. If you have ever been to a Middle Eastern or Mediterranean meal?: don’t book a taxi or look to catch a scheduled train. It’s not like our MacDonalds drive bys. Other meal vendors also exist.

Whole Meal deal – can we ‘go large’?

Could we be really honest and tell God how we are really feeling? That we want some extra help at this time if we are dry, like toast.  And take that offer of the whole deal: by listening to God, let God speak to us individually, as someone who supports any other person when we may be struggling.  

Be with God, be open with God, especially in those moments of crises. Where are you? “I’m here”