God never asked for showmanship.
In fact, when asking for honest prayer, He warns against showmanship in Matthew 6:5,
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.”
Prayer is a conversation between you and God. He doesn’t want you to put on a show. He wants you to be genuine. He wants you to be honest.
Honest Prayer?
Okay. Honestly, I don’t spend much time in Lamentations. But I came across a verse about prayer that really caught my attention.
Lamentation 2:19, “Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to Him for the lives of your children, who faint from hunger at every street corner.”
In context, God’s people were being commanded to confess their failings to God who was delivering consequences for a life away from Him. Conditions were beyond bad. But the message to me was clear:
Pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. That’s the definition of HONEST PRAYER.
In my journaling Bible, I wanted a visual to remind me that honest prayer is messy.
It’s gut-wrenching.
It’s life-changing.
I recall the first time I prayed such a prayer, July 27, the summer before my senior year of high school. I poured out every drop of my heart like water before the Lord until I had nothing left.
And He answered me. He rescued me. He heard my honest prayer and transformed me because of it.
Bare your heart and soul before the Lord and watch Him work.
Action Plan: When was the last time you were honest before God? What holds you back from pouring everything into your relationship with Him?
Art Note: This page was the perfect example of “Start Small with Bible Journaling.” I was traveling at the time, and I’d forgotten to pack anything that would add color to my pages. I purchased a simple watercolor set for less than $2. I had black Micron pens and a white Signo Uniball. For some basics, check out my new Bible Journaling page.
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