Honest Before God

In the book of Numbers, chapter 11, Moses cries out in complaint to God:

“Why have you treated your servant so badly? Why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all these people on me? Did I conceive all these people? Did I give birth to them? … I am not able to carry all these people alone, for they are too heavy for me.”

At this point in his life, leading the people of Israel through the wilderness, Moses felt the weight of the world on his shoulders. The burden was crushing, and he cries out to God in a heartfelt lament: I can’t do it on my own.

Maybe you know what that’s like. I imagine many of us have been there—humbled to that point of need. But I wonder how many of us feel we can be that honest before God. Many of us were taught that prayers had to be nice—formal, polished, with just the right words.

But in the Bible, so many of the prayers are raw and real. We don’t have to read far into the Psalms to see this is the case.

It takes humility and strength to recognize our limitations. It takes humility and strength to recognize our need for others and for God, and to ask for help. Many people have discovered that when they let down their guard enough to let others in and share their deepest concerns and burdens, relationships often deepen.

My prayer today is this: May you and I—may we—be the kind of people who are humble and strong enough to cry out to God in honesty. May we be humble and strong enough to ask for help when we need it. And may we trust that God is big enough to handle not only our burdens but also our honesty.

Let us pray: We cry out to you, O God, as people who sometimes feel broken and alone. We don’t always have the words to pray, but we trust that you know our hearts. In this next moment of silence, we lift up to you the deepest prayers of our hearts. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.