Dangerous Prayer [1]

I was recently reminded of a book I read about 5 years ago on dangerous prayer. The author Craig Groeschel challenges the reader to dare to pray dangerously, which I found intriguing, so I read on! He challenges us to think about our prayer life, and whether they are:

Predictable OR Passionate

Boring OR Gutsy

Lame OR Life-Changing

As we study the bible in more depth, we can see the variety of prayers spoken by God's people. The prayers were personal, to conceive a child for instance, practical for food and provisions, prayers to escape from their enemies. Sometimes they would gently whisper to God, other times they would shout at him in agony and flustration.

They prayed for boldness to share their faith, they prayed for walls internally and externally to fall.

Daniel prayed for the mouths of hungry lions to shut and Jonah prayed for the whale's mouth to open!

Their prayers were honest, desperate, fiery, gutsy and heartfelt.

Hebrews 4:16 says:

"Let us then approach God's throne with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace, to help us in our time of need."

God wants us to come to him boldly. Any encounter with God can be dangerous! Not in a life threatening way, but in a way that can be life altering and soul shaping. So prayers are inherently dangerous as we see in Luke 22:42:

"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will but your will be done."

So this is Jesus talking to his Father in the Garden of Gethsemane, just a short time before he gave his life for us. Knowing what was ahead, Jesus asked God if there was any other way. Then Jesus prayed a vulnerable and dangerous prayer of submission, yet not my will, but your will be done.

Jesus never asks us to do something he wouldn't do himself. He calls us to a life of faith not a life of comfort.

 Over the next three weeks, we are going to explore 3 dangerous prayers that will stretch our faith, expand our hearts and open our lives even more to God.

SEARCH ME

BREAK ME

SEND ME

When we start to pray like this, we may experience valleys, attacks, trials, pain, hardship, discouragement and even heartbreak. But there will be the joy of faith, the marvel of miracles, the relief of surrender and the pleasure of pleasing God. Wow!

So this week, we are going to focus on "BREAK ME"

The author Craig Groeschel says:

"if we only pray for protection from trials, then we rob ourselves of our future maturity. It's the challenges in life that help us mature and draw us closer to God."

Isn't that so true!

 But would you dare to pray "break me?"

 It's a scary thought isn't it?

Our initial response could be: "Don't break me, it would hurt too much!"

This reaction would probably be what we all would feel, but Craig Groeschel goes on to say by praying safely, we don't realise what blessings might be on the other side of God's breaking.

A powerful scene from Jesus's life is described in the book of Mark, where something is broken so that something else can be released.

Mark 14:3:

"While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured perfume on his head."

This perfume would have cost someone about a year's worth of wages to purchase. Only 'ladies of the night' would have been able to afford it and perfume was usually only worn by prostitutes. One year of wages to this woman would have been one year of shame, humiliation and sin. So when she broke the jar she wasn't just parting with the money she had earned, but she was parting with her past, her profession and her livelihood. She broke the jar symbolizing that she would give Jesus all her life. She surrendered herself, she said:

 "Jesus here is my life, you can have it all."

 In 1 Corinthians 11:24-25:

"And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said ' This is my body which is for you; do this in remembrance of me. In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."

At the last supper, the final gathering of Jesus with his closest friends, Jesus offered them bread and wine, using grain and grape to foreshadow his imminent suffering and death. Holy communion helps us to recall the extraordinary sacrifice Jesus made for us. Some theologists believe that Jesus's instructions 'to do this' also refers to how we are to live our lives daily, broken and poured out. Rather than persuing our will, we surrender to his.

And in Luke 22:60-62, Peter denied knowing Jesus. Jesus saw the denial and their eyes met, (The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter).

Can you imagine the shame, the sorrow, the brokenness Peter felt?

But then when Peter experienced the grace of Jesus after the resurrection, no one was better prepared to preach on the day of Pentecost. God chose Peter to be a foundational part of his church on earth, to tell others to turn from sin, because Peter had turned from his.

Years later, when Peter was asked to deny Jesus, he refused. The same man who was fearful now stood boldly in faith. He was a different man, broken and poured out.

True brokenness is a daily decision, a daily choice to die to pride, to crucify lust, to destroy selfishness. Rather than live a life of ease, it's a choice to live a life of faith.

When Jesus looked at those he loved and thought of those who were to come, he made a choice. He chose brokenness. His body was broken for us and his blood poured out for our sins.

Matthew 16:25

For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.

Jesus isn't inviting us to a life of comfort and ease, but one of surrender and sacrifice.

What if we recognised that burdens can, with God's help become blessings?

What if we embraced the truth that problems can make us stronger?

That trials can strengthen our faith?

That hurting can make us more compassionate for the plight of others?

That suffering draws us closer to God?

Isaiah 64:8 :

"Yet you, LORD are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand."

God is the Master Potter, and we are His clay. He wants to mold us into his image, and we need to let him examine us, break us, mold us and strengthen us to become his perfect masterpiece.

 Are you up for the challenge?