Praying Audacious Prayers
We are doing a 40-day Prayer Challenge in our church, based on Mark Batterson’s Draw the Circle. We did it last year at this time and saw God do some amazing things—for individuals and for our church body.
Tonight Pastor Wayne taught from Joshua 3-6 and the Battle of Jericho. Certainly asking God to tear down those massive walls of Jericho was audacious. God’s instructions to Joshua and the children of Israel were, of course, most unusual. His battle plan was not theirs.Wayne made three main points to encourage us to pray audacious prayers that can break down the walls in our lives.
Remember what God has done before.
How important is remembering in growing my faith to believe more for the future! I find it is most helpful if I don’t just remember and recount what God has done, but that I thank God for each provision, each answer, each blessing that He reminds me of
Remove your shoes.
God told Joshua, as He had Moses before, “Remove your shoes. You are on holy ground!" Because God has so graciously invited us to come and talk, welcoming us with delight, we can get a little casual about who He is. He is God, the Almighty, the Most High, the King of Everything. And He is holy. So where He is is holy ground. Awe and reverence should be part of our approach.
Relentlessly pursue God as you ask and wait for God’s answers.
He loves when we ask. It demonstrates our dependence, acknowledges His ability and willingness to provide and draws us close to Him as our Abba. When we persist, we are demonstrating faith and hope. He will answer—I find He usually says, “I have a better idea.”
I’ve seen God answer some long-term prayers in ways that astounded me. And I am still waiting for His answers on some other very personal requests.
I really never get over that God wants to spend time with me, desires to hear my heart’s desires, never quits looking for ways to do good to me, and receives joy when he gives me joy.
What about you? What audacious prayer might you pray?
C2014 Judy Douglass.