Speaking the Truth
A Way of Prayer
by Deborah Beach Giordano
An Act of Faith
Shout hallelujah
to the highest heavens;
sing a joyful hymn
of thanksgiving to the Lord,
and laugh out loud
with delight!
Rage and rant,
let your unsated anger burn
white-hot bright;
call for armies of angels
to avenge the wrongs
that have never been made right.
Weep silently
in a quiet place;
mourn the least, the lost, the lonely;
grieve the hurts and hatreds,
the gaping wounds and soul-deep scars
in bleeding, unhealed hearts.
It takes strength
for all these things;
for remembering,
for regretting,
for renewing
and releasing.
Faith is more than
thanks giving,
praise singing,
and endless intercessions:
it shows itself blatantly
in acts of trust and honesty.
Prayer is a dare:
a challenge we extend
to ourselves;
will we speak the whole truth,
and reveal who we are?
or tell more pretty lies?
The simple truth;
no rationales or reasons,
or elaborate excuses,
no blaming or downplaying,
bare, unvarnished facts
and only that.
Proud of our humility,
scornful, self-certain,
angry, frightened, resentful,
despairing or filled with doubt;
all are possible,
all may be true;
all can be transformed
by the presence of the Light;
out in the open,
freed by our own admission,
confessing aloud
what God already knows.
How great a hallelujah,
the song of honesty:
a gift beyond mere rubies,
a treasure that is told:
Just as I am, Lord,
I put my trust in You.
Suggested Spiritual Exercise
Speak a truly radical prayer: Tell God exactly how you feel.