I recently went through a difficult period. Believe it or not, ministers have bad times too. My family was going through some things that made me ask God a lot of questions.
I was a little down and depressed, but I didn’t want anyone to know. I found myself pretending and editing my responses. I didn’t open up and tell people what I was thinking or feeling. I said everything was fine when it wasn’t. I became an edited version of myself. I even began pretending with God.
When I prayed, I wouldn’t tell Him how I felt. I read my Bible and prayed my regular morning and nighttime prayers. But I never opened up to God. I felt distanced from Him.
Finally one day I cried out to Him and said, “God, I am going to be 100 percent transparent with You. I’m not going to hold anything back. I’m going to tell You exactly how I feel because there’s no one I can be completely honest with.”
Transparency Changed Everything
I discovered transparency is an invitation for God to move in our lives and make amazing changes in us. He’s waiting for us to open up. He’s a gentleman and won’t barge in. Part of being transparent with Him is saying, “God, I don’t have it all together.”
First Peter 5:6 (NKJV) says, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.” When we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, we place ourselves under His protection and guidance. We can then receive His counsel. At the right time, He will lift us up. Being transparent is being humble.
Casting Your Cares
How can we be transparent with God? What is the best way? We see the answer in First Peter 5:7 (NKJV), “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” The way I like to personally translate this verse is “pray honest prayers.” Formal, polite prayers never get anybody anything. Honest prayers do.
When we cast something, we throw it forcefully in a specific direction. Casting is not polite, uptight, or formal. It is violent. Synonyms for the word cast include “sling” and “throw violently.” It’s wanting to get something far away from you. And that’s what God wants us to do with our cares.
He is saying, “Cast it on Me. I can take it.”Denise Hagin Burns
Unloading on God
God wants us to unload on Him. He wants us to give Him our frustrations, disappointments, unmet expectations, failures, unfulfilled dreams, anger, anxieties, and sadness. He is saying, “Cast it on Me. I can take it.”
Until you are transparent and honest with God, you haven’t fully opened your heart to Him. He wants your entire heart—not part of it.
Opening your heart by honestly unloading your cares on God, allows Him to do a work in your life. I challenge you to pray honest prayers and allow God to move in your life.
Author
Denise Hagin Burns
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