permission to scream

Rough roads and uncertainty make me wonder how to pray. I know better than to pray for a better road. I know better than to pray for a storm to end quickly. The road you’re on is crucial to you getting to your destination and you learn more through the storms than through the sunny days.

So, how do I pray when I’m tired of the road…tired of getting rained on?

Jesus taught us a prayer to a sovereign God. But, even though I know that God is in control, I still need to scream sometimes. Sometimes I need one of David’s prayers. The writer in me can connect to David’s emotionally poetic outbursts. The confidence that David shows in his writing is always a little surprising to me. He prayed like God was on his side. I should be more like that.

Come back, God—how long do we have to wait?—and treat your servants with kindness for a change. Surprise us with love at daybreak; then we’ll skip and dance all the day long. Make up for the bad times with some good times; we’ve seen enough evil to last a lifetime. Let your servants see what you’re best at—the ways you rule and bless your children. And let the loveliness of our Lord, our God, rest on us, confirming the work that we do. Oh, yes. Affirm the work that we do! -Psalm 90:13-17