Isaiah 6:1-6 Honest in Prayer

A lawyer, named Thomas Strange, was shopping for a tombstone. After he had made his selection, the stonecutter asked him what inscription he would like on it.
"Here lies Thomas Strange, an honest man and a lawyer," responded the lawyer.
"Sorry, but I can't do that," replied the stonecutter. "In this state, it's against the law to bury two people in the same grave, and the authorities would be confused. However, I could put 'Here lies an honest lawyer.'"
"But that won't let people know who it is" protested the lawyer.
"Sure they will," replied the stonecutter. "Everyone who reads it will think, 'That's Strange!'"

Over the course of the last few weeks, we have been thinking about prayer. We have considered prayer as relationship, the role of listening in prayer, how God responds to our prayers, and in this sermon I want to talk about honesty in prayer.

Prayer is all about our relationship with God, rather than a spiritual technique. And because it is about our relationship, good communication is essential, just as it is in any relationship. No relationship can exist without emotional honesty, not least our relationship with God. Yet, in human relationships, as well as in relating to God in prayer, many people find it difficult to be totally honest about what they really think or feel.

The same is true when it comes to prayer, many people struggle to be honest in prayer with their feelings and emotions. I think this tends to becomes more of a problem the older we get. For example, children are often more open and honest about what they think, and they are not afraid to speak it out.

For example, I came across these children’s prayers.

Dear God, did you mean for the giraffe to look like that, or was it a mistake.
Dear God, thank you for my baby brother, but what I prayed for was a
puppy.
Dear God, I bet it is really hard to love all the
people in the world. There are only 4 people in our family, and I can
never do it.
Dear God, if we come back as something, please don’t let me be
Jennifer Horton because I hate her.

So why is it that sometimes we find honesty in prayer difficult to achieve? It is the same reasons why we sometimes find being totally honest with other people difficult.
1. Some people find it difficult sharing their emotions and feelings with another person.
2. We are afraid of opening up, and making ourselves vulnerable.
3. We are fearful of rejection.
4. We feel it would be inappropriate to be totally honest – I am not saying we lie, but we maybe keep back some of the truth, a subtle difference!
5. There are some things we would prefer to keep hidden, and for others not to know.
6. Sometimes we live in denial, about ourselves, and the sort of people we are. We hide the truth from ourselves, and therefore find it almost impossible to share it with others.

But as I look through scripture, what strikes me is that we can find so many incidences of people being brutally honest with God. We see this particularly in the Psalms. The Psalmist is often starkly honest about his feelings, his wishes, his despair, and sometimes even his disappointment with God, and he is not afraid to express this.

But this is not easy, Henri Nouwen, wrote “Prayer is no easy matter. It demands a relationship in which you allow the other to enter into the very centre of your person, to speak there, to touch the sensitive core of your being, and allow the other to see so much that you would rather leave in darkness.”

The reality is that for it is very easy for us to come to pray out of routine or habit, but we are not always totally honest with God. We can wear masks, we pray for the things we think we’re supposed to pray for, but we may not say what’s really on our hearts.

In Psalm 51, verse 6 David writes, “You [God] desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.” In other words, God wants us to be honest and open with him. This is what he desires from us. Just look for yourself again at the Psalms, see how the Psalmist is not afraid to tell God just how he feels.

But how do we do this? How do we enter into that intimate relationship with him?

We can't just determine to try hard to do these things. We have to ask God to show us our heart, and allow Him, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to renew and transform us into His likeness.
This is where our Old Testament reading from Isaiah comes in. Because this is exactly what Isaiah did.

The death of King Uzziah was a very traumatic event for the young prophet Isaiah, and the whole nation. Uzziah was one of the great kings of Israel, who had reigned for 50 years, but was then struck down with leprosy. Not only was this a deadly disease, worst of all, leprosy was seen as the judgement of God. One was an outcast from society and God. All the hope that had been invested in this reign had turned to dust. It is no wonder therefore that Isaiah turned to God at a time like this.

Whilst Isaiah was praying in the Temple, he had this most dramatic, incredible vision of God, revealed in all his glory.

And when Isaiah saw the glory of God, he suddenly became very aware of who he is before God. God showed Isaiah what was truly on his heart, everything was laid bare, Isaiah had no mask to hide behind. Isaiah cries out, “Woe is me! I am lost, For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty!” Notice that it is not God that tells Isaiah that he is a man of unclean lips, Isaiah discovers this for himself when he sees his life in the light of God. We discover the same when we meet a really good, loving, honest or generous person – it throws light on our character and choices.

One of the things this passage reveals is the importance of needing to be honest with ourselves, as well as with God. Isaiah, is honest with God, about who he is, about his struggles, about his failings, it is his confession. God deals swiftly with Isaiah’s sin. A live burning coal from the altar touches his lips, and God declares ”Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.” We see here that God’s goal is not to make us feel guilty, but rather to give us strength to play our part in his purposes for the world around us. Therefore, that fear that if we are honest with God, he may reject us, is totally unfounded. That is not how God acts, God loves us, and wants us, like Isaiah, to share in his loving purposes.

Stephen Cottrell, writing on prayer, says that “When we pray we become ourselves as God always intended us to be. We let go of the illusion our self image so often creates and enter into a relationship of love where our true self comes to light, knowing it is cherished and valued. That is the goal of prayer, not so we can change God’s mind, or get the things we ask for, but that we may be changed into his glory.

So, how do we come before God in honesty? Francois Fenelon, a 17th century monk wrote the following in a letter:

"Talk with God about the thoughts of which your heart is full. If you enjoy the
presence of God, if you feel drawn to love Him, tell Him so. Such sensible
passion will make the time of prayer fly without exhausting you, for all
you'll have to do is say what you feel. But if you are in a time of dryness,
or inner resistance to God, or feel that he has abandoned you. Do the same
thing. Say equally what is in your heart! Tell God that you no longer feel any love for Him, that everything is a terrible blank to you. Tell Him that things concerning Him exhausts you, that His presence doesn't move you emotionally, that you long to leave Him for whatever comes your way, and that you won't feel happy until you've left Him and can turn your time into thinking about yourself. Tell Him all the evil you know about yourself. But don’t just leave it there, say to God take my heart and change it, and have mercy on me in spite of myself! Tell God without hesitation everything that comes into your heard, with simplicity and familiarity, as a little child sitting on its mothers knee."

If we don’t learn to be honest with God, if we bury our feelings, it only leads to frustration and resentment. Learning to be honest with God, takes time. God is teaching me how to be honest with Him. And in my honesty, He meets me. Layer by layer, He shows me the hardness surrounding my heart —my pride, my anger, and my resentment

Then, as I walk with Him, He shows me what's behind those emotions, and He peels that hard shell off my heart one thin layer at a time.

The end of Psalm 139 reads, "Search me O God and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts; see if there is any offensive way in me and lead me into life everlasting."
Spend time with God in complete honesty. Ask Him to reveal His character to you. And, give Him your uncompromising obedience.