Straight Talk with God

Some people are afraid to pray honestly to God. They sanitize their prayers and make them sound more like prepared remarks or a formal speech, rather than just talking with God openly and frankly. Perhaps these people have been told that God can handle the raw emotion of our hearts, but they’re still not yet comfortable with doing so. If you’re in that situation, I hope that you can learn more and more about God’s love for you, and His offer of redemption (which remains intact even if you allow yourself to get brutally honest with Him in your prayers). After all, He literally knows what you are thinking and feeling already, so why not take your relationship with Him to another level of honesty?

In any case, the author of Lamentations 5 takes the idea of only saying “nice” things to God, and blows it out of the water. The question isn’t just “Why?”, but “Why are you doing these things?”

Why do you always forget us?
Why do you forsake us so long?

Lamentations 5:20 NIV
https://lamentations.bible/lamentations-5-20

In fact, this verse seems to go beyond asking questions, to the point of maybe even being an accusation.

In combination with Lamentations 5:1, we have the ideas of remembering and forgetting. I don’t think that the author is saying that God isn’t all-knowing, but God seems to have forgotten His people in terms of giving them the kind of protection, blessings, and rewarding attention that they were used to in other eras.

You can pray the same way as the author of this lament, if you need to. I admit that sometimes my prayer is, “Come on, God!” I’m frustrated and don’t like where things are, so I tell God that.

I like what Romans 8 says about this (see Romans 8:26-27). Sometimes, we can only feel the pain, and have to let the Holy Spirit interpret for us. Did you notice that this passage from Romans comes right before Romans 8:28? There is hope in lament, and hope even when we don’t know what to pray.

Just like Lamentations chapter 4 had a nugget of hope in it, the author calls to God in verse 21 for restoration and renewal. I don’t know about you, but I think that this is a valuable topic that all of us could include in our prayers: restoration of joy, health, peace, righteousness, and other good things that we may have lost (whether as individuals, or as a community).

Then, in verse 22, I imagine a teenager sending a text to a friend: “Are you mad at me?”. (Actually, that text would probably be more like, “ru mad @me”, I suppose.) When we fear that we have angered someone that we care about, it hurts to know that they are still offended by something that we have said or done. The book of Lamentations is pretty sad (it’s in the name, after all), and this could be one of the saddest verses in this chapter. I imagine the author wondering here, “Have we gone too far past God’s mercies? Are we still deserving of all of this suffering?”.

In this lament (i.e., Lamentations 5), there’s no happy ending, but we find bold questions that other people have also asked. The good news, though, is that God gave those of us who ask questions like this the answer: Yes, He loves us, and He will be with us through suffering (even sharing in our pain Himself), as we find in the person, ministry, and sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

If you want to ask God some difficult questions, don’t be afraid to. Jesus said that those who seek will find (see Matthew 7:7-12). But then, give God a chance to answer your questions. He has provided many answers in His word (the Bible), but He also speaks directly to those who follow Him. There are answers that we may not receive on this earth and must trust God with. However, even in times of lament, God also provides hope and reassurances of His character, faithfulness, and power.

From Sunday School lesson prepared for May 14, 2023

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