Praying With One Eye Open
James 5:16(b) (NIV) 16 . . .The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
I’m going to say it: Praying boldly terrifies me. And not because I think God is limited or unwilling. I think mostly I’m afraid of asking for something out of God’s will and setting myself up for failure and disappointment. I would rather not ask and save myself the humiliation of trying to get God to do something he’s just not going to do.
So, I pray with one eye open. I say things like, “God please do _______, unless it’s not in your will, and then never mind!” It’s easier for me to pray watered-down prayers than to stand in bold faith.
But the more I reflect on it, the more I realize that the act of bold faith is not so that we will change God but so that our faith will change us. Bold prayers help me to discern the will of God. They help me to see what I wouldn’t have dared to see otherwise. And because God is a bold God, being a person who prays bold prayers means that I get to authentically connect with God in His nature.
He laid out His truth for us in His Word so that we would have promises to stand on and hope to have. He isn’t a God who wants to set us up for failure or break our hearts. He wants us to know who He is and to invest in a relationship with Him that requires trust and going outside of our comfort zone.
God knows that I want His will. He knows the position of my heart and that I don’t want to have to solve the mysteries of life on my own. So, I don’t have to back down from my prayers when I’m standing on promises He gave me to stand on. And I have to have the Godly character to be solid in my faith and to know my prayers were not prayed in vain regardless of what He decides to do. There is a balance between boldness and surrender.
To be bold in prayer and faith is not to try and play God, but rather, it is an act of obedience. It is part of aligning my heart with the heart of Christ, which is the will of God. My prayer life needs to be bold. It needs to be on fire with faith.
In Matthew 6, Jesus even says, 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (verses 6-8 NIV)
Time and time again, throughout the Word of God, God is calling us to be bold and to stand in our faith and ask until we see God’s hand move so that we can bear witness to the presence of God’s power.
Questions: Where can you be more bold in your faith? What is a prayer you’re afraid of praying? How can you begin to refine your prayers with boldness rather than bracing for disappointment? What does your prayer life say about your relationship with God?
Prayer: Father, thank you for taking up all of my worries and anxieties so that I can be free to rest and trust. Thank you that you have my best interest in mind and that you support me every step of the way along this journey. I ask for your guidance and courage to pray big prayers with the faith to stand behind them. Enrich my prayer life with your love and with trust. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
I’m going to say it: Praying boldly terrifies me. And not because I think God is limited or unwilling. I think mostly I’m afraid of asking for something out of God’s will and setting myself up for failure and disappointment. I would rather not ask and save myself the humiliation of trying to get God to do something he’s just not going to do.
So, I pray with one eye open. I say things like, “God please do _______, unless it’s not in your will, and then never mind!” It’s easier for me to pray watered-down prayers than to stand in bold faith.
But the more I reflect on it, the more I realize that the act of bold faith is not so that we will change God but so that our faith will change us. Bold prayers help me to discern the will of God. They help me to see what I wouldn’t have dared to see otherwise. And because God is a bold God, being a person who prays bold prayers means that I get to authentically connect with God in His nature.
He laid out His truth for us in His Word so that we would have promises to stand on and hope to have. He isn’t a God who wants to set us up for failure or break our hearts. He wants us to know who He is and to invest in a relationship with Him that requires trust and going outside of our comfort zone.
God knows that I want His will. He knows the position of my heart and that I don’t want to have to solve the mysteries of life on my own. So, I don’t have to back down from my prayers when I’m standing on promises He gave me to stand on. And I have to have the Godly character to be solid in my faith and to know my prayers were not prayed in vain regardless of what He decides to do. There is a balance between boldness and surrender.
To be bold in prayer and faith is not to try and play God, but rather, it is an act of obedience. It is part of aligning my heart with the heart of Christ, which is the will of God. My prayer life needs to be bold. It needs to be on fire with faith.
In Matthew 6, Jesus even says, 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (verses 6-8 NIV)
Time and time again, throughout the Word of God, God is calling us to be bold and to stand in our faith and ask until we see God’s hand move so that we can bear witness to the presence of God’s power.
Questions: Where can you be more bold in your faith? What is a prayer you’re afraid of praying? How can you begin to refine your prayers with boldness rather than bracing for disappointment? What does your prayer life say about your relationship with God?
Prayer: Father, thank you for taking up all of my worries and anxieties so that I can be free to rest and trust. Thank you that you have my best interest in mind and that you support me every step of the way along this journey. I ask for your guidance and courage to pray big prayers with the faith to stand behind them. Enrich my prayer life with your love and with trust. In Jesus’ name, Amen.