Have you ever felt like there are just some things you can’t say to God?  Or that when you do talk to Him, you somehow need to put your words into a holy sentence structure?

As a young Christ-follower, I sure did.  I was convinced that if I didn’t polish my words and pray with certain religious verbiage, God wouldn’t listen.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

If you can’t be raw, unfiltered, and completely vulnerable with God, then who can you be that way with?

David, referred to as “a man after God’s own heart” in Acts 13:22, is one of the best examples of this.

David’s walk with God had more ups and downs, twists and turns than the world’s best roller-coaster. 

He defeated Goliath (up), became one of Israel’s most well-known kings (up), committed adultery with Bathsheba (down), had her husband murdered (down), and embarked on an abundance of other exploits to numerous to name here (corkscrews galore).

With the highs and lows of his life documented for all of us to study, the way he prays should not be overlooked.

A huge chunk of the Psalms were written by David.  As you read through them, you’ll notice they are basically a collection of unsanitized prayers.

David removes any religion from his conversations with God and just tells it like it is.  He says what he means, describes what he’s feeling, and pours out his every raw emotion.

David knew it was foolish to try and sanitize his words.  What would be the point?  Didn’t God already see and know everything about him?  Was there anything David had already said or done that God had not been privy to (Psalm 139:1-5)?

The same is true for us today.

God wants us to talk to Him – unfiltered; unsanitized; completely raw.

He already sees your anger, worry, frustration, and bitterness.  He already knows about that sin, that secret, that addiction, that heartbreak.

There are no special words, phrases, or flowery church jargon that God is looking for.  He just wants you – the real you – to talk to Him.  Dump out the hurt, the pain, the anxiety, the fear…in your own words.

Don’t hold back.  David didn’t.  He brought his authentic, broken, and very real self to his conversations with God, was called a man after God’s own heart, and saw God move in His life in some incredible ways!

“…pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge.” (Ps. 62:8 HCSB)

Until next time, Grace and Glory!