Bold

I read a devotion recently by Lysa TerKeurst that really spoke to me.

Why Am I Scared to Pray Boldly?

Lysa starts off saying:

I have to admit I'm sometimes scared to pray boldly.

It's not at all that I don't believe God can do anything. I absolutely do.

The reality is sometimes God chooses not to do things. And if His will is no - while I am boldly praying for a yes - it makes me feel out of step with God.

I can completely relate to that! I know that God can do anything. I believe that with my whole heart. Yet I find myself almost unable to pray boldly. I am uncomfortable with it. I am afraid to get my hopes up. I am afraid of disappointment. It makes me feel out of step with God. Absolutely. And he has said no so many times.

That makes me wonder then, why pray boldly?

The reality is, my prayers don't change God. But, I am convinced prayer changes me. Praying boldly boots me out of that stale place of religious habit into authentic connection with God Himself.

Ah, pray boldly for my own sake, to change me. Prayer connects me to God. The more connected I am, the less likely I will be out of step with God. It strengthens my relationship with him.

My other problem is that I am not a bold person. Nope, that is not in my personality. I am careful, thoughtful, and sometimes indecisive. Bold is not in my vocabulary. Given that, I was happy to read what came next.

Not bold as in bossy and demanding. But bold as in I love my Jesus with all my heart so why would I offer anything less than an ignited prayer life.

Oh, I get it! I think even I can do that kind of bold! I can pray boldly as an offering…offering up myself entirely to my King. I can offer my hopes and dreams, fears and regrets, imperfections and failures, and even bold requests.

What do you need to pray boldly about today? Don't delay - go ahead and ask. And ask again. Not so that we can cause God to move, rather so that we can position our souls to be able to see our sweet Jesus move in any which way He pleases.

I love that last sentence. “Not so that we can cause God to move, rather so that we can position our souls to be able to see our sweet Jesus move in any which way He pleases.” Yes! I have been praying anxiously for something the last couple weeks, well, really the last six years. This is a hard thing for me to pray boldly about. I do not know if it is in line with what God wants for my life even though it is a good thing. I am making a choice to pray boldly for it, petitioning my Father for his blessing in my life – for one particular blessing. This is not an easy request for me to make. I have tears in my eyes while I ask. I am afraid of my heart breaking if the answer is no…again. But I have decided that I will still praise him even if he says no, simply because he is worthy.

I have realized that I need to be praying boldly again for Rusty’s job situation – for his current company and his future (at his current job or a new one).

Do you need to learn to pray boldly too?