Whatever Prayer; Whatever Plea

Is there someone to whom you can talk about absolutely anything and everything? Is there a relationship in which there are no forbidden subjects? With whom do you have zero secrets?

The truth is that in just about every human relationship, there are “off” subjects. Even husbands and wives have issues that are a bit dangerous to address. Best friends might not stay best friends if one said everything that crossed his mind.

So can you imagine a relationship that is completely open? That is what the people of God have with their God, their heavenly Father, in the covenantal relationship which says, “I will be their God, and they will be my people.” In the Old Testament of the Scriptures, in 2 Chronicles, as Solomon is dedicating the long-awaited temple in Jerusalem, the king prays to God on behalf of the people. He prays with amazing  honesty, confessing their sins and grieving their penalties in advance; and and then, when they return, that God would hear their prayer. In every situation, when the ugly truths are confessed, that God would receive “whatever prayer, whatever plea.” No forbidden subjects. No situation too dangerous to share.

Why can we be so open with God? There are probably several reasons, but the most obvious is contained in the very next verse: “for You, You only, know the hearts of the children of mankind.” If God already knows, then it is the height of foolishness to try to keep Him in the dark. And further, if God wants to help and to heal, it is depth of stupidity to try and handle the offense on our own, since it was our own independence from Him that got us into this situation in the first place.

The old hymn says, “What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear; What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.” And the chorus: “Oh, what peace we often forfeit; oh, what needless pain we bear; all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.” Let’s not be stupid and stubborn. Let’s adopt the little phrase, “whatever prayer, whatever plea.” And what is the motivation for doing so? Another old song starts out, “No one understands like Jesus. He’s a friend beyond com-pare.” Verse 2 says, “No understands like Jesus; Every woe He sees and feels. Tenderly He whispers comfort, And the broken heart He heals.”