Oh, God--where do I even begin?

Have you ever started a prayer like that? It's admittedly not the most pious of beginnings, yet it contains a certain gut-level honesty that is admirable. I'd guess that more than a few prayers of true repentance sound like that, although by no means is this type of prayer confined to spiritual infancy or great tribulation. Because it is part and parcel of the human condition that we often face our own finiteness, it is fitting for us to beseech the One who knows the end from the beginning when we don't have a clue how to start.


My own prayers have felt like this of late. I say "felt" because I can't quite make myself say the words, yet the underlying notion is real enough.

There's a genuine comfort, then, in knowing that Jesus my Savior is also Jesus my Mediator. He isn't simply sitting back on His heavenly throne, waiting for the day when He can finally prop His feet up on His enemies (see Q. 56). His position is an active one, and all of the marvelous obedience He demonstrated on earth is is put to work in heaven as He advocates on my behalf, as He defends me from the charges of the evil one, and as He gives me the peace I need to trust in the God I cannot see, through the power of His Spirit.

Labels: Christ, mediator, Prayer