“You should know that there are
two sorts of prayers—the one tender, delightful, amicable, and full of
sentiments; the other obscure, dry, desolate, tempted, and darksome.”
~Miguel de Molinos (1628–1696)
Some prayers are bellowed in hearty
belts of praise; others are uttered, barely discernible, in silent whimpers.
Both are prayers in suitable season. Both are good prayers.
The prayer of praise is usually
formed by either the baby believer or the astute biblical veteran—believers at
opposite ends of the spiritual maturity continuum.
A prayer of praise in a time of
arid dryness is tantamount to the glory of victorious faith. With the fainting truth
acknowledged, and the brutish reality accepted, the person prays in the full
knowledge they are still sheltered by the covenant Lord of all creation; the
Lord of all possibility. They choose belief in deliverance, whether it comes or
not.
But it is the latter prayer of
anguished lament that occasions this article.
The Language of Lament
The most versatile of prayers
involves the language of lament. We learn this from David in consideration of
his 50-odd laments in the book of Psalms. He uses the truth-of-his-circumstance
to process his grief through the language of lament.
We have the same opportunity. When
we pray via the language of lament we spill out the hurtful disgust deep in our
souls before our Sovereign God who can help.
We do this in faith, for we know
not how our help will come. But having prayed faithfully we will come to know
the seeming magic in such a prayer of truth. This ‘magic’ is actually
miraculous as it is healing.
Some may fearfully resist being so
honest before God. They might feel they cannot be so coarse or crude. But God
is no puritan who looks away in embarrassment at our most shameful
circumstances. God knows our circumstances inside out, just as he knows our
feelings and what we think of them.
So praying in the language of
lament is an act of trust in God and it is choosing to be intimate with our
Lord who can help.
***
The prayer of lament on a dark
night, when all is wrong in our lives, is one of the greatest votes of faith in
God. We could just as easily deny our true feelings. We could just as easily
anaesthetise ourselves. But we know that’s not fixing anything.
There is faith in praying
truthfully at our lowest ebb—and wisdom too.
When we are in the dark night of
our soul, honest prayer is our way through. We know God more, and feel that Divine
healing touch, when we are honest in our plight.
© 2012 S. J. Wickham.
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