Prayer Requires Openness Psalm 143

It might sound strange, that we need to be open before a God who sees it all.

Yet, prayer requires a transparency within our hearts that allows us to reflect our hearts against the face of God.

David sang this prayer in Psalm 143:1-4:

Hear my prayer, O LORD,
Give ear to my supplications!
Answer me in Your faithfulness, in Your righteousness!

And do not enter into judgment with Your servant,
For in Your sight no man living is righteous.

For the enemy has persecuted my soul;
He has crushed my life to the ground;
He has made me dwell in dark places, like those who have long been dead.

Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me;
My heart is appalled within me.

David’s heart was transparent before God. He did not try to hide what he truly felt, even if that meant telling God that he was scared, overwhelmed, even appalled.

When we approach God in our prayer conversation, it is important that we be honest before him.

You understand how it is when you ask a friend, child or family member a question that you already have the answer to. You are testing to see if they will be honest with you. That honestly is what builds in you trust to believe what that person is saying is the truth.

God already knows your circumstances and doesn’t rely on us for the truth, but He does want us to know the truth ourselves. This requires us to be honest with God, even if it sounds like doubt.

David continues with memories of how it once was in verse 5:

I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all Your doings;
I muse on the work of Your hands.

God is a personal God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. When we come into His presence in prayer, we will remember how good He was to us and it’s okay to reminisce with Him.

It’s psalms like these that help us understand why David was called a man after God’s heart (1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22).

David had a relationship with God that came from tragedy and triumph. From low points to high points. God was always God in his life and he was always open and honest before God.

In prayer, we must take the posture of the student, knowing and trusting that there is more that God wants to teach us, verse 10:

Teach me to do Your will,
For You are my God;
Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

As you examine your prayer time (I like to call ‘conversation’) with God, look for times where you were less than open with God about your situation. Going forward, before you converse, remind yourself to be more open and honest about God.

Honesty is part of confession. Confession is the quickest way to alleviate your conscious of sin’s guilt and expand your conversations with God (1 John 1:9).