Is God a bad parent? We’ve all seen a whiny kid pestering his mother for some forbidden snack as he makes his way through the aisles at Tops or Wegmans. I don’t know about you, but I give these histrionics wide berth. I will skip aisles and backtrack later to avoid witnessing up-close the pestering and crying and mini-tantrums. Despite conscious avoidance, I have noticed that these hissy fits almost always end because of the unilateral surrender of the parent to the whims of the child. I admit to feeling a little judgmental towards the parents. At the least I think, ‘you’re making a mistake by rewarding that behavior.’ And then I remember those passages of scripture that tell us to pray constantly and I wonder: is the scripture writer urging us to pester God like that annoying kid at the grocery store? And if so, is God a bad parent?
Upon your walls, O Jerusalem,
I have posted sentinels;
all day and all night
they shall never be silent.
You who remind the Lord,
take no rest,
and give him no rest
until he establishes Jerusalem
and makes it renowned throughout the earth. (Isaiah 62:6-7)
Isaiah speaks the word of the Lord, looking to the day when God will restore the broken walls of Jerusalem. He says the sentinels are to never be silent, reminding God of the promise to restore Jerusalem. Is this the incessant pleading we avoid like the plague when it emerges from the mouth of a toddler in Wegmans? Or is it something else?
I can’t imagine God needs reminding. Or that God relents against better judgment to give us goodies because we just won’t shut up. I think consistent prayer reminds us of God’s promises and keeps us in hope. I think regular prayer opens our hearts to hear and respond to God. Sometimes I think we have to exhaust all our selfish prayers like a toddler in a meltdown before we can know the quiet comfort of God who is always all ears for us.
Prayer: Gracious, loving Father, you know our needs more clearly than we do ourselves. Abide with us as we keep talking until we can hear you. Amen.