teach us to pray: dirty prayer

teach us to pray: dirty prayer by ric gustafson


When we sin, we feel dirty and contaminated. This emotion is called shame. Sometimes we feel so shameful, we lose interest in praying. We feel shame when we've done something to someone or someone has done something to us.
God does not look at us as shameful. Jesus spent a lot of time with shameful people including lepers and tax collectors. He ate with them which made the Pharisees very angry at him and his teachings.
The woman who bleed for twelve years one day decided to touch his cloak. She touched Jesus and Jesus touched her back and healed her. I Peter 2:9 says that you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession. Because of that, we cannot say that we are too dirty to pray. Even though we are outcasts and unclean, Jesus welcomes us with loving arms. All we need to do is reach out to him and hold on. We need to say Jesus please take away my shame. Instead of hiding because of our shame, we need to say Jesus help me. When we do that with an open and honest heart, Jesus will come in and cleanse us totally and take away our shame forever.


research help: In Touch  October 2012


Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric