Of all of the prophets, Jeremiah is the one whose life and character we know best, because his writing is largely biographical. He was given the difficult task of warning the chosen people that the Temple would be destroyed. Because of this, he became known as the “Prophet of Doom.”
He was hated by his own people and regarded as a traitor. His friends turned against him and made threats on his life. He ended up in prison. He suffered ridicule, rejection and violent opposition.
In our first reading, Jeremiah prays that he might witness the vengeance of God on those who hate him. Jeremiah is moaning and groaning to God, in prayer, no less! If you are a moaner and groaner, it seems you have a biblical justification from this reading for your griping and grumbling.
So, in our prayers, should we feel free to complain to God and bombard heaven with our grievances? Like Jeremiah, can we complain to God, telling Him what is wrong in our lives?
This reading makes it clear to me that God wants not only our praise but also our pain.
Jeremiah models for us how complaining can be a form of prayer. Let’s face it: complaining is normal human behavior, and complainers do tend to get attention.
When we complain to God with brutal honesty in prayer, we begin the critical task of resolving our grievances by collaborating with God to creatively heal them.
There is a story told of a man from Iran who was seeking the necessary documents to immigrate to England.
“Aren’t you happy in Iran?” asked the official. “I have no complaints,” replied the man.
“Are you dissatisfied with your work?” Again, he answered, “I have no complaints.”
Are you discontent with your living conditions?” Once more, he replied, “I have no complaints.”
Exasperated, the official finally asked, “Then why do you want to move to England?”
“Because there,” the man said, “I can have some complaints.”
This story illustrates the importance of having the freedom to speak your mind, even to complain, without fear of retaliation. And that includes speaking honestly to God.
Perhaps you are asking yourself, “How can I pray to God when I am so grouchy or crabby? How can I offer up grumpy prayers to God?”
These questions bring us to the most critical issue we face in prayer: Can I trust God?
Jeremiah shows us that yes, we can bring our complaints to God. He doesn’t sugarcoat his frustrations. He trusts God enough to tell the painful truth.
Here is an example of parents who offered up grumpy prayers while caring for their special-needs son, Joey.
In their prayers, the parents complained to God that they felt unfairly treated because of the burdens their son placed upon them. But one day, their grumpy prayers turned into prayers of gratitude.
Joey asked his parents to take him to the park so he could play ball. They offered up a grumpy prayer for patience, knowing their son was not athletic, and they prayed that the other children would not ridicule him.
When they arrived at the park, Joey’s classmates were already there. When they saw him, each team invited Joey to join their team. The Saints were the first to approach, and Joey happily agreed to play with them, even though he liked the Angels just as much.
The Angels readily agreed to the late addition. The Saints’ coach gave Joey a team cap and a T-shirt. Joey looked over at his parents, who were anxiously ecstatic. Their grumpy prayer now turned into a prayer of protection, that their son would not get hurt.
The Saints’ pitcher told Joey, “We are losing by two runs, and it is the top of the ninth inning. You’ll be up to bat in the bottom of the ninth.”
The Angels came to bat, but went out one, two, three. Now it was at the bottom of the ninth, and the Saints were still behind by two runs. They had two boys on base when Joey came to bat.
The Angels’ pitcher lobbed the ball gently so Joey could make contact. He swung clumsily and missed.
The pitcher lobbed another slow pitch, and this time Joey made contact, hitting a slow ground ball. “Run to first!” shouted the Saints.
The Angels’ third baseman glanced at Joey running as fast as he could and intentionally made a wild throw over the first baseman’s head. “Run to second!” yelled Joey’s teammates.
The first baseman appeared to trip while chasing the ball. Two runs were scored, and the game was now tied.
The parents cheered Joey on: “You can do it, Joey, run to third!” The ball was finally retrieved, but it was overthrown into left field. Now, everyone from both teams was cheering Joey as he slid into home plate with the winning run.
At that moment, the parents silently offered up a prayer of gratitude for their son.
The parents had been brutally honest with God in their moaning, groaning and complaining. But they eventually realized that God allows children with physical or mental disabilities to be born into this world so that God’s love can be revealed through how we respond and how we treat one another.
The same is true of any suffering that burdens us. It is okay to be grumpy in prayer but be ready to turn your complaints into gratitude.
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