Dangerous Prayers (Part2)
By: Craig Groeschel
Are you tired of playing it safe with your faith?
Are you ready to face your fears, build your faith, and unleash your potential?
This Message-part 2, from Life.Church, Pastor Craig Groeschel’s book, Dangerous Prayers, dares you to pray dangerously—because following Jesus was never meant to be safe.
Instead of simply asking God to do something for you, ask Him to Reveal something In You. What you fear the most shows you where you need to grow with God.
Dangerous Prayers (Part2)
Search Me
Do you dare to pray in a way you’ve never prayed before?
With all of your heart, soul, mind, and the full extent of your being?
What would happen in your life and the lives of those around you if you started praying dangerous prayers?
Do you dare to find out?
King Saul falsely accused David of treason and sent his full forces after David in repeated attempts to take his life.
With all his heart, David wanted to please God.
He fought against his anger in order to protect and show honor to the king.
Yet knowing that his motives weren’t always perfect,
David surrendered his heart before God and prayed one of the most vulnerable, transparent, and dangerous prayers you’ll ever hear.
Wanting to honor God in every aspect of his being, David prayed,
“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Ps. 139:23–24).
Not only is this prayer difficult to pray, but it’s even more challenging to apply and live out.
Because if you have the courage to pray it, then you’ll need to exercise the courage to live what God shows you in reply.
So don’t pray it if you don’t mean it.
Be forewarned,
this prayer has the potential to convict you. And To correct you.
Also To redirect your life. And To change the way you see yourself.
Furthermore, To change how others see you.
Maybe you’re still thinking this is no big deal.
And Maybe you’re wondering why you should ask God to search your heart when he already knows all that’s inside you.
You know what’s in there.
He knows what’s in there.
So why ask something so obvious?
This is where it’s tricky.
On the surface, it seems like we would know our own hearts. Right?
I know my motives.
And I know what’s most important.
Also I know why I do what I do.
Besides, you might tell yourself, I’ve got a good heart. I’m not trying to hurt people.
I want to do what’s right. My heart is good. I’m praying, aren’t I?
But God’s Word actually reveals the exact opposite.
It might be a shock when you hear it the first time, but Jeremiah tells us some straight-up truth.
Jeremiah was the son of a Levitical priest born around 650 BC.
During the reign of King Josiah, God raised up this young prophet to take God’s Word to Israel and the nations.
Jeremiah flat out says you—along with me and everybody else—don’t have a good heart.
In fact, not only is your heart not good, but your heart is wicked and sinful in all its ways.
The prophet said, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked.
Who really knows how bad it is?” (Jer. 17:9 NLT).
Without Christ, your heart is deceitful.
The closer we get to Jesus, the more we have to face our shortcomings. Pride. Selfishness. Lust. Addiction. A critical spirit.
Praying this dangerous prayer can open a channel of communication to God.
Instead of simply asking God to do something for you, ask him to reveal something in you.
This moment of truth with God may not change you instantly,
but it will help you to recognize your spiritual need and redirect your life.
That’s why this prayer of David’s is crazy dangerous.
“Search my heart, Lord.”
Psalm 139:23 KJV
[23] Search me, O God, and know my heart: Try me, and know my thoughts:
Dangerous Prayers (Part2)
Reveal My Fears
What is it that makes you anxious? Nervous? Unsettled? Afraid?
I’m not talking about normal external fears like snakes, spiders, or the fear of flying.
I’m wondering what keeps you up at night, those things that ricochet in your mind and refuse to be quieted.
Things like losing your job. Not getting married. Or being stuck in a bad marriage.
Having your health fail. Draining your savings account just to get by.
We don’t know what exact fears were running through David’s mind,
but it’s clear he was troubled about his safety and perhaps his future.
Because after asking God to search his heart, David prayed, “know my anxious thoughts” (Ps. 139:23).
He wanted to share his worst fears with God.
To face them and give them a name.
And To trust that God was bigger than any fear David could dream up.
Are you willing to pray such a prayer?
“Lord, reveal what holds my mind hostage. Show me what I fear the most. Go ahead, help me face what terrifies me.”
What we fear matters.
Years ago, I had a revelation about this subject that touched me in a very personal way.
God showed me that what I feared the most revealed where I trusted God the least.
After the birth of our third daughter, Anna, Amy started having physical challenges.
At first, we thought it was just fatigue, but when half her body went numb, we feared it was something much worse.
Doctor after doctor couldn’t provide answers.
As her symptoms continued to worsen, my trust in God started to weaken.
This fear led to others, and at night my thoughts snowballed out of control.
What if Amy is dangerously sick?
And What if I lose her?
I won’t be able to raise our kids without her.
And I wouldn’t be able to continue to lead the church. Also, I wouldn’t want to go on.
Then it hit me.
The things that kept me awake at night were the things that I wasn’t trusting God to handle.
I was holding onto them, ruminating over them, trying to find a way to gain control over them,
to solve all my problems, to plan for every contingency.
Thankfully, by the grace of God, Amy gradually improved back to full strength,
but her challenges exposed one of my worst weaknesses.
Fear had consumed me.
What about you?
What are the areas that you’re clinging to even while allowing them to terrify you?
And What fears are you withholding from God?
Think about it.
If you’re gripped with fear about the future of your marriage, this is an indication that you don’t completely trust God with your marriage.
And If you’re overwhelmed with worry about how you will pay your bills, this reveals that you may not be trusting God to be your provider.
Also, If you’re paralyzed with worry about the safety of your children, could it be that you aren’t trusting God to keep them safe?
As God reveals your fears, he will also build your faith.
You need Him.
And You need His presence.
Also You need His power. And You need His Spirit guiding you.
Yes! You need his Word strengthening you.
What you fear the most shows you where you need to grow with God.
So, What do you fear? And What are your anxious thoughts?
Also, What is God showing you?
Where do you need to grow in faith?
Trust him.
Psalm 34:4 KJV
[4] I sought the LORD, and he heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.
Also Read: When Hard Work isn’t Enough…. – Diademng (thediademng.org)
Dangerous Prayers (Part2)
