Did you ever play "Truth or Dare" as a kid?
I did a few times. Let me tell you, I was sweating bullets each time. No matter what I picked, it was going to be challenging! Truth meant they were going to ask who you thought was cute and dare meant you had to kiss them. As an eight or nine year old both meant death!
So... want to play Truth or Dare? Because God is inviting us to in our prayer life; but He is challenging us to more than admitting our feelings. He's calling us to impact eternity. Those are some big stakes. I can feel the "Truth or Dare" nerves rising up. No matter what we pick, our prayers are going to be beyond us, forcing us to depend on the Spirit and to live like we believe He will move.
Let's start with Truth: God HEARS and is MOVED by our prayers
Do we pray like the Lord of Creation is listening intently? Do we pray as if we have authority (Matt. 28:18, John 14:12), the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16), and that God answers our prayers that align with His will (Psalm 37:4, Matt. 7:11, Matt. 18:19-20)? Our prayers shape eternity when we take a moment and reflect on WHO we are praying to. And if God can do far more than we ask OR IMAGINE (Ephesians 3:20), the gravity of our prayers reaches black hole status!
Let's get to the Dare: Pray BEYOND yourself
Rather than praying for ourselves, let's pray for the impossible in the lives of others. Rather than blessing, let's thank God for what we do have and ask for wisdom on how to use those blessings for the Kingdom. Rather than safety and provision, let's ask God where He would have us go and reach beyond ourselves. All these prayers lead to one outcome: a trust fall into Jesus. Or at least they should, otherwise I dare you to pray bigger still! Pray in such a way that success is only measured by if God shows up! Then, get ready for God's answer. Need help believing bigger or seeing His answer? Great, God gave us provision to ask Him in Hebrews 4:16- Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. He's ready to help us pray beyond ourselves. Are you ready to take up the challenge?
Let's do this, Church!
