"O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee."
Psalms 69:5
This verse made me think today because it seems like a very humble and appropriate way to approach the Lord. Sometimes we go to the Lord in prayer just demanding things as though they are owed to us, or wheedling as though if we just say the right thing or are charming enough we can get our way. Those things work on regular people sometimes, but this seems a much more realistic way to approach the Lord, who does already know every embarrassing detail of our foolishness.
I think maybe one of the critical factors in learning how to pray and how to interact with the Lord is exactly this... realizing that our core selves are laid bare before him... that he can see through to the state of our soul where we can't even see ourselves. The masks and the image that we build for ourselves and hide behind when dealing with others are useless here, and this is the one person in the universe that truly knows us. Thinking of God that way... as a friend and someone we can be utterly honest and open with because he knows us already and loves us anyway... that is essential to our understanding of everything that the Gospel is about.
Today, let's approach the Lord in prayer with humility and openness, confessing all of our faults, and trusting that the Lord knows what to do even when we don't. Let's seek his guidance and take his advice to heart, acting on his commandments and working diligently to make ourselves and the world around us better. If we're having a hard day and need to vent, we can do that with God, who will wrap us "in the arms of his love" (2 Nephi 1:15) and comfort us, and then when we are ready, help us up to try again.
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