Raw Prayers: Praying Through Our SinSample

GUILT

Guilt is as important to our lives as physical pain. It’s a warning sign that helps us know that something is wrong. But when guilt is not dealt with biblically, it can become a paralyzing force in our lives. We’ve all done things for which we have deep regrets. If those regrets are not dealt with properly, they can really hang us up. Guilt can be a heavy burden, like carrying luggage everywhere you go. You sit there under the weight of it and think – there’s no way God could forgive me; there’s no way God could use me. It’s natural to try to relieve those feelings of guilt.

There are, of course, some unhealthy and dangerous ways of dealing with guilt. Some have tried comparison. They may say something like, “I know what I did is wrong, but it’s not as bad as what others have done.” Others medicate by eating, drinking, inhaling, injecting, or in other ways masking the pain with cheap thrills. Blame is sometimes used to point the finger at what others have done to us to justify our own bad behaviors. Another unsuccessful strategy is to try to compensate by doing good- hoping that our good will outweigh the bad. And perhaps a favorite in today’s culture is to create a different God. A God who doesn't think that what I’m doing is wrong - or doesn’t judge, condemn, or punish.

At the end of the day, these ways of dealing with guilt only avoid reality. But there’s good news. God’s plan for guilt is not to keep you weighed down and feeling hopeless. God’s plan for you is that you will discover freedom, joy, a sense of God’s love, and a calling even more powerful than before you were overwhelmed with guilt! If you have been avoiding your guilt, consider facing your guilt the biblical way. Bringing your guilt to God will move you out of your past and into your future.

Ask Yourself:

-What regret do I have that causes me to wonder if I can be used by God?

-In what way have I been dealing with my guilt in an unhealthy way - comparison, medicating, blame, compensation, or creation of a different God?

-Am I willing to bring my guilt to God?

Pause to pray through your guilt: My Lord, my Master, my guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear. Please lead me on the path to restored joy and gladness, and freedom from my heavy burdens... Amen.