Has God Forgotten to Be Gracious?
Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has he slammed the door on his compassion?
Psalm 77, written by Asaph, begins with a profound expression of anguish. The psalmist has found himself in a terribly difficult and painful situation. He has cried out to God, even shouting and praying all night. When he thinks of God, he moans with unfulfilled longing (77:1-3).
Psalm 77 models for us exceptional honesty in prayer. It shows us that God cares more about our openness with him than that we get all of our theology right when we talk with him. Oh, to be sure, orthodoxy matters a great deal. But sometimes our efforts to say all the right things in prayer compromises our genuineness. The Psalms in general, and Psalm 77 in particular, encourage us to pray with “no holds barred.” We don’t have to be afraid of asking God tough questions, or even of challenging his goodness. What God wants from us, is not all the right words, but us . . . our full, true selves. God wants relationship, not with some whitewashed image of ourselves, but with us.
When we pray honestly, holding nothing back, we enter into a deeper and truer relationship with the living God. In the context of this relationship we will discover, again and again, that God has not forgotten to be gracious. Yes, sometimes his grace seems strangely hidden. But we who know God through Christ can always be sure that nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love and grace.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: Have you ever prayed like Asaph in Psalm 77? When? What happened? Do you feel free to express what’s really going on inside of you in prayer? Why or why not?
PRAYER: Thank you, dear Father, for the example of Asaph. His honesty inspires me to tell you the truth, not only when I’m rejoicing, but also when I am hurting, worrying, or doubting.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for being our great High Priest. You understand our weaknesses and temptations. Because of what you have done for us as Priest and Sacrifice, we have even greater reason to come before the Father with boldness, confident that we will find mercy and grace at his throne.
All praise be to you, Triune God, because you will never forget to be gracious! Hallelujah! Amen.
A P.S. from Mark
My book No Holds Barred: Wrestling With God in Prayer explores the themes of this reflection in much greater depth.
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