Truth in Prayer - Be Yourself

Introduction. Tonight I would like to speak to you of another quality that we need to have when we pray. Do you want to pray well? Be yourself with God. I've told you repeatedly that prayer is talking to God like a friend, and therefore, we must be very simple, very direct with him. When we are, it is a sign that we approach him with trust in our heart. We know we can trust him, as we trust a friend. We can confide in a friend. We can be ourselves with a friend. We can let our hair down with a friend and we know we shall be accepted.

When we pray, I would like us to have that kind of simplicity, trust in God, by coming to him just as we are. Even if we feel we are sinners. Just come like the Prodigal Son and say: "Lord, I am not worthy to be called your son, your daughter. And we know he welcomes us with open arms.

Moses had that kind of intimate relationship with God. The Bible says that the Lord used to speak to him "face to face", as a man speaks to another. Cordial relationships, friendly relationships. He was a friend of God. So the Bible speaks of Moses. (cf . Ex 33:11; Num 12-6-8)

One of the disciples asked Jesus one day: "Lord, teach us how to pray, as John taught his disciples.” A prayer simple and direct. It was a perfect prayer that obtained an immediate response.

Now, let's look at Peter's tears of repentance. Another expression of prayer the Gospels talk about. During the Passion of Jesus, we know how Peter denied his master three times. Jesus had predicted that. And right after he denied his Master the third time, their eyes crossed. Jesus looked toward Peter and Peter saw Jesus, and tears began to flow down his cheeks. Tears of repentance. No words could have spoken more movingly of his love for Jesus. That was a good prayer. What does it mean to "be myself" when I pray?

First, be natural in the language we use in prayer. Let's not use nice words we have in books, but that are not our way of speaking. They hinder our direct communication with the Lord, it seems. Let's just talk the way we do with anybody. We have our own language. I have my own language, you have your own. Let's just talk to God the way we do normally. No fancy words. God would not be impressed anyhow by fancy words or beautiful prayers which are not our prayers.

Express your real feelings, the feelings of the moment. I have different needs at different times in my life. The needs I have today are not the needs I may have tomorrow. I also have different moods at different times. When I pray, I should pray from where I am. Come to the Lord just the way you are. If I am full of joy, things are going well today, the weather is beautiful I just feel in high spirits, I could sing Halleluia to the Lord! Or, maybe I feel like saying the Magnificat, Mary's beautiful prayer of praise to God: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” That's the way I feel now, so I pray the way I feel. Some other day, I feel down, things are not working right, I'm nervous... It's not time to sing Halleluia. I'm going to say: Lord, there's something wrong today. I'm not feeling good. I'm down. I don’t even know how to pray today. I don't feel like praying. I just come because I want you to know I love you nevertheless, in spite of all this. I just want to tell you how I feel.

Just talk from where you are and the way you feel. Be yourself as you would be with a friend. That's the best way to pray. It shows the trust you have in God.

What about using prayer books or any ready-made prayers? Generally speaking, it's better to talk to God in your own words. It's more you. And I'm sure the Lord loves it better. Even if you're not good with words, you can't make a good sentence, that's not important. You just talk from your heart. Just tell God how you feel. That's the real you. And the Lord likes to hear the real you when you pray. Just like when you visit a friend. You're glad to visit that person because that's him or her. And that friend loves you because you are you. So, just be you.

The same with God. I recommend, if you don't do it, that you do like many: just talk to God during the day. A short prayer, just a few words, like: I love you; or, Help me, Lord; I offer you this work, this pain. We call these short prayers "ejaculations." They are like darts or arrows, we send to God. This helps us to develop a habit of just talking with God. That's excellent. It's a great help to cultivate a loving relationship with-God.

Use the prayers of others if they inspire you. There are a lot of beautiful prayers you can read in books. These are good if they inspire you. If they don't, forget them. Some prayers might be adapted to your mood today. Use them today. They may not correspond to how you feel tomorrow. Use another prayer. If a prayer you have in a book inspires you any time, you can use it all the time. That's what is valuable in those prayers, if they inspire you in your heart. Because prayer must always be me, as I feel, as I love God, as I praise him from my heart. Prayer is a personal relationship with God.

Prayers written by others can well be used as models, especially if they have been written by saints, holy people There is something special about saints. They have a way to relate to God which can uplift us. They have experienced God, and their prayers can be contagious in the sense that they awaken in us, in a very special way, a great love of God, a greater abandonment to God, and things like that.

Among the prayers written by others, which I especially recommend, are the Psalms. They are the sacred prayers of the people of Israel, the prayers Jesus used, the prayers Mary used, the prayers the Apostles used; finally, the Church has been using them also for 2000 years. The Psalms are inspired prayers, and the good thing about them is that you have 150 different psalms. You have some for any occasion or situation you find yourself in. There are psalms of praise, when you feel like praising God; psalms of thanksgiving, when you want to thank God for the blessings granted to the People of Israel from the day Moses led them out of Egypt, brought them into the promised land, saved and helped them throughout their history. In this spirit of thanksgiving, we Christians can thank God for sending us his only Son, Jesus Christ How fortunate we are to have come to life, to have been born after the coming of Christ, to know the love of God manifested to in the life and teachings of Jesus.

Prayer of repentance. The Psalms, here again, are models for us to express our own repentance. Several psalms are called "penitential psalms." We can pray these psalms when we need to ask forgiveness of God. Here, for example, is a psalm written by David after he had committed serious sins: adultery and murder. "Have mercy on me, O Lord, in your great mercy."

If you become familiar with the Psalms, you will know where to look for Psalms of Praise, Psalms of Thanksgiving, Psalms of Repentance. There are also Psalms of petition. We pray for God's help when we are sick. Some psalms were written by the psalmist when he was ill. The Psalmist prayed to God for help in national disasters, then the people were overrun by enemies at war.

We should notice that Psalms to be prayed, even in times of trial and distress always end up with a prayer of confidence in God. "I know you will not abandon me, O Lord." A cry from the heart; a cry of faith. All the psalms manifest the deep and unswerving faith of the Israelites. We too can learn how to pray by reading frequently from the Book of Psalms.

Oh, I know, there are some Psalms which do not fit the mind of a Christian very well. In those ancient times, the Israelites had not heard the teachings of Jesus, for example, about forgiving your enemies. You can skip those psalms. Jesus came much later and brought God's teachings to a greater perfection, or rather, he brought God's people to a better understanding of God's love. But, as a whole, the Psalms are just beautiful. We can learn to pray by praying with the psalms. The important thing is that our prayers must always be true, expressing what we really feel in our heart.

Now, I would like to give you a few samples of New Testament prayers that are true and come straight from the heart.

The Prayer of the Publican. "O God, be merciful to me, a sinner." How simple. He was a sinner and he just says it to God. No excuses; Humility. (Lk 18:13)

Peter, when he made a miraculous catch of fish, fell on his knees, the Gospel says, and tells Jesus: "Leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man." A cry from the heart. In the presence of the divine, the power of God, he felt like a sinner. God is all holy. In his presence, we experience that we are so unholy. (cf. Lk 5:8)

Centurion said to Jesus: "Sir, I am not worthy to have you under my roof. Just say the word and my boy will get better." (Mt 8:8) He just said it as it was. Very simple. "I am not worthy. Just say the word." Act of faith.

The father of possessed boy: "I do believe; help my lack of trust." (Mk 9:2) Help my little faith. That's exactly how he felt. And that's the way he prayed.

Jesus praises his Father: "Father, Lord of heaven and earth, to you I offer praise; for what you have hidden from the learned and the clever, you have revealed to the merest children." (Mt 11:25)

Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane utters a cry of anguish from his heart. "Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass me by. Still, let it be as you would have it, not as I" (Mt 26:39; cf. Mk 14:36). Jesus was overwhelmed at the thought of the sufferings that awaited him. He felt it hard to face them and he begged his Father: "If you can spare me that cup of suffering." That's what his human nature felt and so he prayed. But in his spirit, he knew he had to accept the Father's will. So, he said: "Not my will, but yours be done." See the contrast between the flesh and the spirit. He had that too. He had to contend with that. He prayed as he felt it. That was an honest prayer.

Finally, listen to Jesus on the cross. "Father, why have you abandoned me?" (Mt 27:46) He knew the Father had not abandoned him, really. But, that's how he felt. We might think it was blasphemy for Jesus to say: "Father, why have you abandoned me?? But that's how he felt in his human nature, at the gut level. In his spirit, he knew the Father had not abandoned him, but he prayed as he felt. It was a good prayer. He poured out his real feelings, being sure his Father would understand. He felt no guilt for praying honestly, as he felt.

This reminds me of Job in the Old Testament. We sometimes speak of the patience of Job. But I assure you, if you read the story of Job attentively, you will see that he was not always that patient. Listen to these words: "Cursed be the day that I was born!" All the misery I've had. Would that I had been dead the moment I was born! He vented his anger and bitterness quite freely. That's how he felt; that's how he prayed.

With a loving God we too can share all our feelings. (cf. Linn Brothers: Healing Life's Hurts, Ch. 6 “With a loving God I can share all my feelings,” p. 78 ff.)

When you visit a friend, an intimate friend, you can tell him your real feelings. You know he will accept you as you are. That's the privilege of friendship. With such a one, you can be true and honest; you can be yourself. And it's the same with God. If you are disappointed with God because he is letting you suffer, even though you have prayed and prayed and prayed, and nothing has happened; if that's how you feel, tell him. "I know you care, my God, but I cannot understand. Why don't you do something? I'm calling out for help and you're not helping me! It would be so easy for you, God." That's being ourselves with God, telling him how we feel right here, at the gut level.

Remember, feelings are neither good nor bad; they just are. In your soul, you can feel abandoned by God, just like Jesus on the cross, and still believing that he loves you. But when you pray, you just pour out your feelings, get them out. Tell God how you feel. You may be impatient, angry, bitter. Make that the subject of your conversation with God. That's fine. God doesn't mind. That's the privilege of friendship. You're treating God as a friend, a friend who understands how you feel. You might tell God that you're tired today, you're scared, you're angry, you're just "blah." Maybe you're lonely. You feel so lonely at times. Confused. Or, anxious...

Conclusion. My friends, when we come into the presence of God, let's not be artificial. let's not "make believe." Be natural. Let's be real. Let's be truthful and honest. That's the way it is with friends. When we do that with God, we do him the honor of treating him as a friend. With God, be yourself, with your joys and sorrows, even with your warts and blemishes. It's only you that God can love. Amen.

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