You’ve heard of The Prayer of Jabez, right? That little book by Bruce Wilkinson sold more than 30 million copies. It’s based on prayer in the Bible (1 Chronicles 4:9-10) in which a guy by the name of Jabez boldly asked God to give him a successful life. If you’ve read the book, you know the outcome. God answered his gutsy prayer.
But what happens when God doesn’t give you exactly what you want? What about when He doesn’t answer at all? Do you quit praying? Or if you keep talking to God, do you resort to telling Him what you think He wants to hear instead of what you really feel? Too many Christians have a view of prayer that keeps them from speaking out when life is caving in.
There’s another guy in the Old Testament who prayed a gutsy prayer. He didn’t ask God for a million bucks. No, what made his prayer courageous was the fact that he was totally honest with God even though he felt he’d gotten a raw deal from the Almighty. I call it the prayer of “Gimme a Break.” It’s found in Psalm 22 where King David basically says, “Gimme a break, God. Look what You allowed to happen to me. How could You be so cruel? How could You be so far away?”
Here’s how it reads in the Bible (verses 1-2):
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent.
If you think those words have a familiar ring, you’re right. Jesus blurted out some of those very words as He hung on the Cross, dying for our sins. But they weren’t original with Jesus. Israel’s most famous king said them first. But as you keep reading in Psalm 22 (verses 11-18), it’s almost eerie how David’s metaphorical description of his personal crisis fits the passion of Christ. Can you just hear Jesus saying the following?
Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.
Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
Roaring lions tearing their prey open their mouths wide against me.
I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me.
My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.
Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.
I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me.
They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.
Does this work? Does this work? Does this work? Does this work?
Sure hope so! Sure hope so! Sure hope so! Sure hope so! Sure hope so! Sure hope so! Sure hope so! Sure hope so! Sure hope so! Sure hope so! Sure hope so! Sure hope so! Sure hope so!
Pretty weird, huh? Although they anticipated what would happen to Jesus 1,000 years later, these words belong to David. His enemies were out to get him, and he felt totally alone. As far as the king was concerned, God had forgotten all about him. In David’s frontline battle to maintain control of his kingdom, the Creator of the cosmos was missing in action. No Prayer of Jabez answers here. In fact, there were no answers at all to David’s prayers. God was silent and His actions seemed so unfair.
All the same, in this pessimistic psalm David offers us some suggestions about how to pray when we really don’t feel like it.
EXPECT THE WORST
When David prayed Psalm 22 he was in deep weeds. The happy days he’d experienced earlier in his life were a distant memory. This day was bleak because of people who were out to get him. He wasn’t sure he’d live to see tomorrow.
No doubt you know what it’s like to be on the ropes. Friends betray. Pets die. Parents divorce. You get cut from the team. The girl you like starts going out with someone else. And in the midst of it all it seems as if God’s lost your e-mail address.
Life on a defective planet is marked by setbacks like these. Expect them. David learned to. The episode that prompted Psalm 22 was only one of many in the king’s life.
KEEP TALKING
Did you pick up on what’s going on here? David is convinced that God has abandoned him. But does he quit praying? Not at all! In fact, he continues to pour out his heart to a God he isn’t quite sure is listening to him. This is what’s known as faith. You act on what you know is true even when you don’t have much evidence.
One of the marks of a growing Christian is the determination to look toward the Son even when He seems to be hidden by dark clouds. Remain in contact with the One you’ve committed your life to. Act as though He’s listening even though you can’t tell He is. Talk to the Lord every day. Long speeches aren’t necessary.
DON’T FAKE IT
Be honest, now. How do you feel about the fact that David is secure enough in his friendship with the Lord to be totally honest with his feelings? Isn’t it kind of cool that he wants God to know he’s disillusioned and jaded? Can’t you just hear him? “Gimme a break, God. Life has gotten pretty lousy. Where has trusting You gotten me anyway?” OK, so it doesn’t exactly say that. But David does pray despite how he feels.
“Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer. . . . You lay me in the dust of death” (1-2, 15).
When you feel shortchanged by God, don’t pretend you like it. Talk it out. Tell Him how you feel: abandoned, misunderstood or taken advantage of. The Lord can handle whatever it is you’re feeling inside. He won’t be put off by what you say. The fact that David’s prayer is in the Bible means God wants us to communicate our deepest doubts and raw anger even if we feel He’s let us down big time. (And just in case you’ve forgotten, the Lord is capable of reading our minds and knows if our pious words are for real).
BE PATIENT
If you haven’t pulled your Bible off the shelf by this time, do it. Read through all of Psalm 22. Compare the way David starts with the way he ends. Do you notice a difference? By the time David has finished unloading on God, his perspective has changed. God is back in view. David is on His side. Take a look at verses 23-28:
You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.
From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows.
The poor will eat and be satisfied. They who seek the LORD will praise him — may your hearts live forever!
All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations.
Talk about doing a 180. It sounds like someone else on his knees. The dark clouds are gone. The sky is clear. Feelings of being forsaken have been forgotten. David is back on track with God.
It’s hard to know how much time David’s prayer represents. Chances are, the prayer that is recorded in Psalm 22 wasn’t prayed in one sitting (or kneeling). The time between what was going on at the beginning of the prayer and at the ending could have been weeks or months. But it is likely that David kept talking to God about his situation the whole time.
In other words, hang in there. Don’t give up on God just because the landscape hasn’t changed overnight. It may take longer than you think. But, then again, as may have been true for David, simply telling God about his problems helped him see things about the Lord that he’d forgotten.
As this prayer by David illustrates, honest communication with God is a great way to process what is going on in our lives. It’s a healthy way to work through what we’re feeling, as well as to confide our worst fears and prized hopes to the Lord. “Gimme a break” prayers verbalize the grunt-hard difficulties and disappointments of life in a way that reminds us that there is no situation we face that God is not interested in. 
