Honest Prayer

The great psychiatrist, teacher, and spiritual leader Carl Jung once said, “People will do anything, no matter how absurd, in order to avoid facing their own souls.” Can’t you relate to that? I mean, how many times just today have I pretended that I didn’t notice the selfishness inside, not to mention my cowardice at facing my insecurities and failures!

The author of Hebrews invites into the kind of prayer that might change our approach to our souls. She writes that we should pray with utter sincerity - letting God know what’s really on our hearts:

Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart… - Hebrews 10:21

As Jung pointed out, however, it’s awfully scary to be that honest with ourselves in the first place, so bringing God into the equation sometimes can make such transparency feel even more out of reach. And yet, throughout the whole book of Hebrews we’ve met a savior who, over and over again, shows deep understanding and compassion for what it means to be human. What about taking a risk today, trusting Jesus that we could be more forthcoming and that we would be met with what the Gospel writer calls “grace upon grace” (John 1:16).