From my journal…
Hope can seem so fragile that our fears tempted us to kill it ourselves. That’s very real to me. Which is why fixing my hope on Jesus rather than in my expectations (positive or negative) is my last resort (and should have been my first).
“Ugh!” and “Sigh” in Jesus’ presence are good and authentic prayers of lament. They are a lateral move from despair to surrender… which reminds me of Gethsemane.
Whether we’re saved from or saved through our worst fears—even death—the intimacy of kneeling beside the Christ of extreme humility as he bears our burdens and prays co-suffering tears for us to his Father is a powerful way to attach ourselves to his no-matter-what hope.
As a friend of mine recently wrote "words are my second language"...
Bradley, the idea that a sigh can be prayer resonates with me. There have been times when I haven't had the words or even the desire to formulate a prayer, yet I still knew I wasn't alone. I've come to experience prayer less as something I initiate and more as being available within a relationship that is already there. Your reflection has me thinking about how even a sigh might express that relationship without needing to explain it.