One of the best things that can happen to our prayer lives is when we move beyond standard pleasantries and platitudes into the realm of candid, heart-felt conversation with God. This means that when we run into something frustrating or confusing, we don’t try to pretend otherwise, but rather we put it out there, as it is.  It might sound something like this:

“Dear God, I am so frustrated with ___________________ and I’m having a very hard time understanding how this situation fits into your good plan. In fact, if I’m honest, I am absolutely disgusted right now and I need You to help me move to a better frame-of-mind before I say or do something really stupid…”

When it comes to prayer, the more matter-of-fact it is, the better. This is not to say that it’s okay to be irreverent or disrespectful. Not at all.

But I’m convinced that God can handle more bluntness than we realize. After all, if He didn’t want us to be explicit in our petitions, why would He give us a wide-open invitation to pray about “everything”?

“do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6

So, as you are praying, don’t hesitate to go off-road. Get into your imaginary Jeep and go wherever your heart needs to go with God, no matter how rugged or difficult the terrain. Don’t worry, you won’t lose Him and you will feel a whole lot better when you’re done.

It’s a new day with God. Run with it.