Dear readers,
I recently received a book from a dear friend of mine, and I wanted to share with you my thoughts.
Have you ever sat back and wondered, what do I pray for?
If you really took the time and looked back, what would you find?
“God bless this food.”
“God would you keep me safe as I travel.”
“God would you help me get through this.”
Am I getting close?
Now, before I go any farther I want to be loving and kind with this letter, but I also want to challenge you. By no means do I ever want someone to walk away from a letter thinking that I was attacking them or what they believe.
BUT.
I am in the business of challenging anyone who needs to hear it. I believe The Holy Spirit moves within you if you are a follower of Christ, one of His primary roles is to convict you. By any means necessary. Even if it’s a line or two in a little blog, so be it.
What if the prayers you were praying were ‘too safe’?
You might be thinking, “Is that even possible?”
Well yes, absolutely. Please, allow me to demonstrate.
Let’s look at this prayer.
“Dear God, thank you for this day, thank you for everything you’ve given us, I ask that you would please help us as we go about our day, give us exactly what we need when we need it, bless this food onto our body, and please allow us to have a good rest of our day, amen.”
What am I talking to God about?
Well, I am thanking Him for all He’s given me, and I’m asking for His help.
Most people would recognize this prayer as something that is prayed right before you and your family scarf down an amazing homecooked meal (or perhaps a nice pizza.)
Now, again is there anything wrong with this prayer? No. Not at all. But how many of us would say this is normally how you pray in general?
I should probably share the title of the book I just finished with you now, it was called “Dangerous Prayers” by Craig Groeschel.
You might see where I’m going with this. Hang tight with me, trust me.
In this book, Craig shares three different dangerous prayers that would really shift how you talk with God. But here’s the thing. Most people don’t want to talk to God this way. They are more than happy with their happy and blessed lives, and they would rather continue to ask God for blessing upon blessing in their lives.
Well. I don’t know about you, but I want to live a refined life. A life with impurities or unwanted elements having been removed by processing, in the Bible, Jesus says over in over again that our lives would be full of trials and hardships if we were to follow him.
What if we prayed in such a way that we told God “Okay, I’m ready.”
SEARCH ME.
To ask God to search our hearts and show us anything that is not of Him, so that we may repent and run after God with everything within us. If you ask God to show you what still lurks around inside of your heart He will show you. I can guarantee what He brings to light will be ugly. But it also needs to come out of you. Take those things He shows you and give them right back to God. He knows where they need to be thrown.
He does not condemn us anymore. Yet until we are in Heaven with Him we constantly need to be asking God to chisel away at our brokenness.
BREAK ME.
To come before God and request that He break us is absolutely unheard of in most of our “Christian circles”. When we become fully broken we realize that we cannot do absolutely anything without God providing us the strength to do so.
Paul makes it so clear in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
9″ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
As humans, we don’t want people to see our brokenness. Yet God does. To lay our life down in a way of saying “Lord break me into pieces, so that you can use me perfectly in my weakness for your glory. I want to live broken and poured out for you.”
SEND ME.
Now, I know for some of you this last one will be harder to pray. You don’t want God to send you off to be a missionary, or have you move to a different state or job. You like what He’s given you already.
Well. God can ask us to do anything. Absolutely anything, and if we pray “God send me I’ll go.” He knows you are willing and able to do whatever He says next.
That could just be giving some money to a man on the side of the road. Telling someone in the mall that God loves them. Or dropping everything you have to go into full-time ministry. Who’s to say?
We have opportunities every day to do what God asks us to do. Is our yes on the table for Him to use however He chooses?
If you’re willing to pray dangerous prayers like these, be ready for whatever God says next.
Me personally I want to be Unsafe. How about you?
Until next time,
-Mitchell
