Pray Uncensored Prayers

Protect me, God. For the only safety I know is found in the moments I seek You. — Psalm 16:1 (The Voice)

My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me. — Psalm 63:8

God says:

The Psalms are not an anesthetic.

They are not a cup of hot chocolate on a cold night. They are the prayers of someone lost in a dark wood, shivering in bitter cold, unable to stand in fierce wind. They are the praise that flows from that person’s heart when he abandons himself to Me for deliverance, when he trusts that My hand has grasped his and that I am leading him home, very slowly but very surely.

Face the hard questions that life requires you to ask.

Gather with other travelers on the narrow road, pilgrims who acknowledge their confusion and feel their fears. Then, together, live those questions in My Presence.

Your tears will become the melody of a new song. Your darkness will become the window through which new light will appear. Your doubt will become new ground, solid ground, on which to stand.

Your longing to feel your emptiness and ask your questions in My Presence, in the company of other authentic pilgrims, is good. That longing releases true worship and opens your ears to hear the music of heaven and to awkwardly but rhythmically begin to dance.

Decide, again and again, either to cling to Me as I am or reshape Me into who you want Me to be. The stakes are high. Either you will find yourself in finding Me, or you will lose yourself in creating Me to fit your foolish expectations.

Make the right choice.

Take a Moment to Reflect

• What makes it difficult to pray uncensored prayers, as the psalmists did?
• We often read scriptures like the Psalms to “anesthetize” us — from what?
• Where have you experienced the freedom of asking the difficult questions in the company of others in a way that has strengthened you? What is it about this process that makes it good?
• How are we in danger when we want to quickly bypass the hard questions of life to simply praise God?

Take a Moment to Pray

Lord, help me not to fear the hard questions that arise in the darkness of life. Instead, allow me to discover these times as a doorway into deeper relationship with You. Forgive me when I reshape You into the god I want You to be rather than allow You to be the God You are. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Take a Moment to Respond

Join the conversation on our blog! We would love to hear your response to Dr. Crabb’s questions above. ~ Devotionals Daily