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. I couldn’t deny that he voiced a secret I already knew but didn’t want to admit.
This devotional 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 plan 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. 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. You really want to but aren’t sure how. So your prayers remain safe.
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? Are you sick of playing it safe? Are you ready to pray daring, faith-filled, God-honoring, life-changing, world-transforming prayers?
If you are, then this Bible Plan 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.
Your Will Be Done
Matthew 6:5-8
5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
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. 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.
Revelation 3:15-16
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
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: “Nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” (Luke 22:42).
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. 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. 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 unto the throne of grace” (Heb. 4:16a). 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 may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:16b).
Hebrews 4:14-16
14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Your prayers matter.
How you pray matters.
What you pray matters.
Your. Prayers. Move. God.
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, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked 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. To correct you. To redirect your life. To change the way you see yourself. To change how others see you.
Maybe you’re still thinking this is no big deal. 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. I know what’s most important. 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 heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9).
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.”
Break Me
It’s fine to pray for safety and blessings, but what if you want more? What if you desire power from the Holy Ghost, strength from heaven, unshakable faith, genuine intimacy with your Father?
Instead of just asking God to keep you safe, give you more, and protect your life, you may have to ask God to break you.
When I think about praying this prayer, “Lord, break me,” I think about the experience Amy and I once had in our small group. On a blustery, cold Wednesday night in January, we sat around a warm and cozy room with seven or eight other couples talking about this exact dangerous prayer.
We agreed we all wanted to pray it—and mean it—but couldn’t deny being afraid of the consequences. The first woman who spoke took the possibility seriously but acknowledged her struggle. A loving wife and mother of four, she had followed Jesus faithfully since she was a sophomore in high school. She served in the kids’ ministry at church, tithed faithfully, helped foster children, attended a weekly Bible study, and often volunteered to pray out loud in groups.
But when confronted with the option of asking God to break her, she refused. “Sorry, but I’ve got to be honest,” she said. “I don’t want to ask God to break me. I’m afraid of what will happen. I’m a mom with four kids. I love them too much. Asking God to break me is simply too scary for me to ever pray. What if I get sick or depressed or pulled away from my family?”
Most other people in the small group nodded in agreement.
But my question then remains the same for all of us today: what are we losing by clinging to our comfort?
What are we missing out on because we’re so committed to avoiding pain and discomfort?
Jesus said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” (Matt. 16: 24-25). Jesus isn’t inviting us to a life of comfort and ease, but one of surrender and sacrifice. Our highest desire shouldn’t be for our will to be done, but for his will to be done. And Jesus is inviting us to die to our own lives, so we can live moment by moment, day by day—for him. To leave our cozy living rooms and safe prayers in order to know what it means to be broken for the sake of others.
By playing it safe, we risk missing something far more precious than our security and comfort. We don’t realize what blessings might be on the other side of God’s breaking.
Luke said, “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said,Take, eat; this is my body.’” (Luke 22:19). Almost all Bible scholars agree that Jesus’ instruction to “do this” provides believers a way to remember, honor, and celebrate his death and resurrection. But some believe that Jesus’ “do this” also refers to how we are to live. What if Jesus wasn’t just talking about a ritual that we do occasionally at church? What if he was also inviting us to be broken and poured out daily? What if we had the courage, the audacity, the faith to pray, “God, break me”?
We don’t just remember Jesus during Holy Communion at church. We remember him in how we live our lives daily. Because Jesus’ body was broken, because his blood was poured out for us, we too should live daily for him, broken and poured out.
This may not sound appealing at first glance. Who wants to be “broken” and “poured out”? That sounds painful at best, and miserable at worst. But it’s in the giving of our lives that we find true joy. Rather than pursuing our will, we surrender to his. Instead of trying to fill our lives with all that we want, we empty our lives to make a difference in the lives of others.
True brokenness before God isn’t a one-time event; it’s a daily decision. Paul said, “I die daily” (1 Cor. 15:31). What does that mean? Every day, he chose to crucify his own desires so he could live fully for God’s. If you have the courage to pray this prayer, get ready. Get ready to know God, and be known by God, in a way you’ve not experienced before.
You can play it safe. But my gut is you want more than that. I choose different. I am a faith-filled, bet-the-farm risk-taker. I will never insult God with small thinking or safe living. If there are blessings on the other side of brokenness, then break me.
Psalm 51:17
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
*Devotional written by Craig Groeschel. Retrieved from https://my.bible.com/reading-plans/18063-dangerous-prayers