God, I Have Issues: 50 Ways to Pray No Matter How You Feel

All of us experience a range of emotions from day to day, even from hour to hour. At one moment we may be filled with excitement and enthusiasm, only to have our joy cruelly dashed by a cutting remark from our boss or some bad news about a loved one. At another moment we may be filled with fear and anxiety, while at yet other times we may be struggling with lust or anger. This is the human condition - and yet many of us fail to bring the entire gamut of our emotional experiences to God in prayer. There is especially a temptation to "paper over" those feelings and attitudes that we deem to be sinful or negative. The Lord, however, knows us through and through (see Psalm 139), so in a sense it is useless to approach him in prayer wearing a mask.

That said, how do we bring our various feelings and emotions to God when we spend time with him in prayer and meditation? This question is ably addressed in God, I have Issues: 50 Ways to Pray No Matter How You Feel (St Anthony Messenger Press, 2005). The author of this profound but simple tome is Fr. Mark Thibodeaux, a Jesuit priest and retreat director. In God, I Have Issues, Fr. Thibodeaux offers fifty different scenarios in which we might find ourselves at any given moment, and then provides some very helpful suggestions as to how we might bring our thoughts and feelings to the Lord. Among the many situations that he covers are the following:

• God, I'm afraid
• God, I'm angry
• God, I blew up today
• God, I need to confront someone
• God, I'm in awe of your creation
• God, I'm grateful
• God, my family is driving me nuts!
• God, I just can't forgive
• God, I'm lonely
• God, I'm in love
• God, I'm worried
  

For each of his fifty scenarios, Fr. Thibodeaux offers an insightful description of the particular situation, based upon his own experiences and those of his friends and spiritual direction clients. He then presents suggestions for praying with the particular emotion or situation, as well as a list of pertinent biblical passages. A few of the "issues" presented are "vocation specific" (e.g. "God, this marriage stuff is tough") but most are applicable to nearly everyone, no matter one's state in life or particular life circumstances. God, I Have Issues is a valuable and eminently practical spiritual resource for anyone interested in growing in one's relationship with God by means of honest emotional disclosure.