Dangerous Prayers
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 from Life.Church, Pastor Craig Groeschel’s book, Dangerous Prayers, dares you to pray dangerously—because following Jesus was never meant to be safe.
Some days we feel Blessed. Other days we face Challenges, Opposition, and Persecution. But Every Moment of Dangerous Prayer will be Filled with His Presence.
Dangerous Prayers
Why Your Prayers Need to Be Dangerous
Like so many people, I struggled to pray consistently and effectively for years.
Even with good intentions, I’d often get distracted or even bored when I prayed.
As a young pastor, a friend of mine helped convince me it was time for a change.
For too long, I had tolerated faithless prayers but knew God wanted more for me, and I wanted to know Him more intimately.
“Hey, Craig, do you believe God still does miracles?”
“Of course,” I said.
“Good—because your prayers are so lame.”
I tried to laugh with him, but my friend’s joke stung—mostly because he was right.
Left speechless, I offered no defense as I processed the truth of his observation.
And I couldn’t deny that he voiced a secret I already knew but didn’t want to admit: my prayers were pathetic.
This message is for anyone who feels stuck in a prayer rut, praying repetitive, predictable, and safe prayers.
We serve a God who can do more than we can ask or imagine.
So, it’s time to stop playing it safe. We weren’t created for a life of comfort.
We are passionate and powerful, charged with changing the world in radical ways!
I believe this message will encourage you to break through the boundaries,
and will inspire you to pray dangerously and to live boldly.
As I studied the Bible more, I marveled at the variety of prayers spoken by God’s people.
Not only did they pray about things that were incredibly personal—to conceive a child, for instance (1 Sam. 1:27)—
but also, their prayers were often so practical, for food and provision (Matt. 6:11) and escape from their enemies (Ps. 59:1–2).
Sometimes they seemed to gently whisper to a loving God.
Other times they yelled at him in agony and frustration.
Their prayers were honest. Desperate. Fiery. Gutsy. Real.
And there I was praying that God would keep me safe and bless my burger and fries.
My friend was right.
My prayers were lame.
Maybe you can relate.
It’s not that you don’t believe in prayer.
You do. But you’re stuck in a rut.
Also, You pray about the same struggles and the same requests.
In the same way. At the same time.
If you even try to pray at all.
You probably know you should pray more.
And with more passion. More faith.
You want to talk to God and to listen to him, to share an intimate conversation like you would with your spouse or best friend.
And You really want to but aren’t sure how.
So, your prayers remain safe. Flat. Dull. Predictable. Stale. Boring.
My friend’s wake-up call convinced me that it was time for a change in my prayer life.
For too long, I had tolerated lackluster, faithless, and mostly empty prayers.
I knew God wanted more for me,
and I wanted to know him more intimately, despite my hesitation about what it would require of me.
When we’re seeking to communicate with God in real, vulnerable, and intimate prayer, he’s not wrapping us in a bubble of spiritual safety.
Instead, He bursts our what’s-in-it-for-me bubble and invites us to trust him when we don’t know what he will do next.
Some days we feel blessed. Other days we face challenges, opposition, and persecution.
But every moment of dangerous prayer will be filled with his presence.
Are you ready for more?
And Are you sick of playing it safe?
Also, Are you ready to pray daring, faith-filled, God-honoring, life-changing, world-transforming prayers?
If you are, then this message is for you.
But be warned.
There will be bumps.
When you start to pray things like “search me, break me, send me,” you may experience valleys. Attacks. Trials. Pain. Hardship. Discouragement. Even heartbreak.
But there will also be the joy of faith, the marvel of miracles, the relief of surrender, and the pleasure of pleasing God.
It’s time to stop praying safe.
It’s time to start talking, really talking—and really listening—to God.
It’s time for dangerous prayers.
1 Samuel 1:27 KJV
[27] For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him:
Dangerous Prayers
Your Will Be Done
Instead of long, loud, and fancy, the prayers that move God are simple, authentic, and heartfelt.
But simple is not the same as safe. And that’s the reason I’m compelled to write this.
The biggest mistake I made in my prayer life, the reason my prayers were so lame, is because I prayed too safely.
I was in a comfort zone with God.
However, I wasn’t on fire and I wasn’t cold.
My prayers were tepid.
But safe, lukewarm prayers don’t draw us closer to God or help us reveal his love to this world.
Prayers are inherently dangerous.
This idea about prayer dawned on me while reading about Jesus talking to his Father in the garden of Gethsemane,
just a short time before he gave his life on the cross.
Knowing what was ahead, Jesus asked God if there was any other way.
Then Jesus, not just a regular disciple or a person in the Bible,
but J-E-S-U-S, the Son of God, prayed a vulnerable and dangerous prayer of submission:
“Yet I want your will to be done, not mine” (Luke 22:42).
Luke 22:42 KJV
[42] saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, 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.
And Instead of coming to him for a safer, easier, stress-free lifestyle,
the Son of God challenges us to risk loving others more than ourselves.
Instead of indulging our daily desires, he calls us to deny them for something eternal.
And Instead of living by what we want, he tells us to pick up our crosses daily and follow his example.
I worry that for a lot of people, prayer is like buying a lottery ticket,
a chance at a life here on earth that’s problem-free, stress-free, pain-free.
For others, prayer is merely a sentimental routine,
like reciting favorite song lyrics or a beloved nursery rhyme from childhood.
Yet others pray only because they feel even guiltier if they don’t.
But none of these prayers reflect the life Jesus came to give us.
Instead, he called us to leave everything to follow him.
Jesus didn’t just challenge others to leave their own wills behind.
He too lived a dangerous faith.
He touched lepers. Showed grace to prostitutes. And stood bravely in the face of danger.
Then He told us we could do what He did—and more.
And that’s why we can’t settle for simply asking God to bless our food or “be with us today.”
We’re told in the Bible that we can “come boldly to the throne of our gracious God” (Heb. 4:16a NLT).
We don’t have to approach timidly or feel awkward—we can come before him with confidence, assurance, and boldness.
When we pray this way, then “we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most” (Heb. 4:16b NLT).
Your prayers matter.
How you pray matters.
What you pray matters.
Your Prayers Move God.
Also Read: Why does it sometimes seem like God is far away? – Diademng (thediademng.org)
Dangerous Prayers
