DANGEROUS PRAYERS Search Me

SEARCH ME

Why do prayers need to be dangerous?

In the Bible we see that God’s people prayers were honest, desperate, fiery, gusty, real.

As I studied the Bible more, I admired the diversity of prayers spoken by God’s people. But here I was praying for the Father to bless my hamburger and fries, or bless my day, or for protection, and thanksgiving. Don’t misunderstand, these prayers are alright, they are just lukewarm at best. What we have to be careful about is letting prayer become repetitive. Every morning (thank you for another day), every night (protect me while I sleep).

We tend to stumble into ruts and pray the same things over and over. We get bored with our prayers. And if we get bored praying, then I wonder if we’re really praying.

Praying from the heart is personal and unmistakable. There’s certainly nothing wrong with praying from a book or someone else’s prayer. In fact, reading prayers can be a good starting point in learning to pray your own.

You don’t have to look far for the best prayer book ever written. The Psalms of David. David questioned, complained, petitioned God from the depths of his soul. The dangerous prayers of the Bible can be the fuel for your dangerous prayers today. Allow the words of the followers of God who have gone before you to inspire you, and to help you find words of your own.

slide 2

Psalm 13:1–2

How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever?How long will you hide your face from me?2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart?How long will my enemy triumph over me?

The biggest mistake I’ve made in my prayer life, the reason my prayers were so lame, is because I prayed to safely.

I wasn’t on fire and I wasn’t cold. My prayers were tepid.

Lukewarm prayers don’t draw us nearer to God or help us reveal his love to this world.

slide 3

Prayers are Inherently Dangerous

Jesus, the Son of God, prayed a vulnerable and dangerous prayer of submission.

slide 4

Luke 22:42

42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours 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.

The Son of God challenges us to risk loving others more than ourselves. He calls us to deny our daily desires for something eternal. He tells us to pick up our cross and follow Him.

Let us dig deeper still into these ideas through three powerful prayers drawn from Scripture.

These prayers are short, simple, straightforward, but not safe.

Let’s stretch our faith, expand our hearts, and open our lives to God.

I realized the closer I got to Jesus, the more I’d have to face my shortcomings.

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?

It’s time to stop praying safe.

It’s time to start talking, really talking—and listening—to God.

It is time for dangerous prayers.

slide 5

Hebrews 4:16

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.

Instead of simply asking God to do something for you, ask God to reveal something in you.

Psalm 139 is an open and honest prayer before God about how nothing is hidden from him. Open your heart to God. Pray it as your own.

slide 6

Psalm 139:23–24

23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.24 See if there is any offensive way in me,and lead me in the way everlasting.

Dangerous prayer. David was being actively pursued by king Saul. Saul had declared that David was not obeying his God.

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 the way others see you. If you have the courage to pray this prayer, then you’ll also need the courage to live with what God shows you in reply. So don’t pray it if you don’t mean it.

Maybe you’re thinking this is no big deal. Why should you ask God to search your heart when He already knows all that’s inside you. You know what’s in there. So why ask something so obvious?

This is where it gets problematic. On the surface, it seems we should know our own hearts. Right? I know my motives. I know what’s most important. I know why I do what I do. You might also tell yourself; I’ve got a good heart. I’m trying to not hurt people. I want to do what’s right. My heart is good. I’m praying, aren’t I?

God’s Word actually exposes the exact opposite. Around 650 BC during the reign of King Josiah, God raised up a young prophet to take God’s Word to Israel and the nations, Jeremiah.

slide 7

Jeremiah 17:9

9 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.Who can understand it?

It’s easy to pretend we are good at heart, but the Bible teaches us that our heart deceives us and is to a great extent wicked. At its core, our heart is all about self—not Christ. It’s about what is temporary—not eternal. It’s about what is easy—not what’s right. It’s preoccupied with what we want—not what God wants.

Our original nature at birth is sinful. (You never have to teach a 2-year-old to be selfish, right?) Our ways are not God’s ways. That’s why we need Christ. Not just to forgive us, but transform us. To redirect us. To make us new.

I bet David was tempted to cope when he was running for his life from Saul. He could have turned to alcohol to escape. He could have turned angry, resentful, and bitter. Or David could have plotted to harm King Saul, justifying his actions in the name of self-preservation. But instead of taking the easy path, David chose a more daring one. The man “after God’s own heart” decided to pray, knowing that his own heart was capable of deceiving him again and again.

Without Christ, your heart is deceitful.

That’s why this prayer of David’s is crazy dangerous.

“Search my heart, Lord.”

The first time I heard about dangerous prayers was during my fresh journey towards Christ, when my pastor at Racine, John St Clair was giving a sermon on dangerous prayers and for the first time in the middle of the auditorium instead of on the stage. I didn't realize at the time what a dangerous prayer really meant. I went through my spiritual life saying safe prayers, lukewarm prayers, and what can you do for me prayers. God was with me through some rough times. When my grandson had surgery and when my divorce happened. But I always felt kind of frustrated. I knew there was more I should be doing, more that I should be praying about. I had become a prayer warrior as a Stephen Minister. I love praying for other people. When I started volunteering at the Resource Center my spiritual life seemed to take on more meaning in that I was praying for a lot more people, I was ministering to some of the most broken people I have ever met. Still, I was discouraged that I hadn't really faced my sins. Fast forward about six months when I realized that my church at Racine was too far away. I could not commit to more work at the church like I wanted. I decided to come to the Monett Church of the Nazarene. I didn't decide it God did.

I had a hard choice to make. I realized the closer I got to Jesus, the more I'd have to face my shortcomings.

slide 8

Isaiah 29:13

13 The Lord says:“These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.

I gave God lip service, but my heart was wicked. I talked the talk, but I didn’t walk the walk. I professed to be a Christian, but I didn’t know the Christ.

I went to the chapel at the resource center and prayed David’s dangerous prayer. “Search my heart, Father. Help me to face my sin.”

I wish I could tell you there was thunder, and lightening and that the Lord showed me my heart was pure, my ways were holy, and my motives were all about serving. But on that day, there was no answer, no signs. I have learned over time to have more patience, I waited on God. That afternoon when I got home, I went into my study and just stood there staring at my desktop computer and the drawer of my desk where my pornographic material was kept. No audible voice from God, but I sensed the holy presence. There appeared in my mind words that were not my own. “Shut down that computer, unplug it, open that drawer and remove all material inside and take it out into your garage and burn it, throw away the ashes.” Yes Lord. Yes Lord. I obeyed.

Praying this dangerous prayer that day opened a channel of communication with God I didn’t know existed. He revealed things to me that day that began my journey toward knowing God personally. And I would grow to learn that that something was actually learning to love and serve with every fiber of my being a someone named Jesus.

It's a dangerous prayer.

But it’s one that could redirect your life.

“Search me, God,”

slide 9

Psalm 139:23–24

23 Search me, God, and know my heart;test me and know my anxious thoughts.24 See if there is any offensive way in me,and lead me in the way everlasting.

We don’t know what was on David’s mind, but it’s clear he was troubled about his safety and perhaps his future. So, when David prayed “know my anxious thoughts”. He wanted to share his worst fears with God. To face them and give them a name. He wanted to trust God was bigger than any fear David could come up with.

Are you willing to pray such prayer? “Lord, reveal what holds my mind prisoner. Show me what I fear most. Please help me to face that what horrifies me.”

Why would anxious thoughts matter to God? It’s not about our comfort or experiencing a stress-free life.

slide 10

What we fear matters. What we fear the most often reveals where we trust God the least.

What about you? What are the areas that you’re clinging to even while allowing them to terrify you? What fears are you suppressing from God?

Think about it. Your marriage’s future. You’re not completely trusting God with your marriage. How you’re going to pay the bills, this reveals you may not be trusting God to be your provider. Your children and their safety. You aren’t trusting God to keep them safe.

When I prayed this prayer, God answered and showed me what it might look like if I could have a greater faith in Him. Not only am I a Christian, but I’m also a pastor. I know I’m not supposed to worry. But when it’s your own child, it’s hard not to let your mind race into the wrong direction. I have been estranged from my daughter and grandson for about 4 years. I fear we might not reconcile before it’s to late. I’m kept up at night with thoughts of despair and longing. A deep sadness resides in my soul. God showed up in a dream I had. I was sitting in a chair, when I looked up and standing there was my daughter and grandson. Both were smiling and had that special look in their eyes that was loving and forgiving. In my dream a profound sense of happiness and holiness came over me and I bawled like a baby. Then I woke up. That mourning I started circling my daughter and grandson with prayer, and pray every day for them.

Our fears matter. Because ultimately, our fears show how we’re relying on our own efforts and not trusting in our Savior.

slide 11

2 Corinthians 12:9

9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

To please God, to serve him, to honor him, you cannot be driven by fear. You must be led by faith.

Remember 1 John 4:18

slide 12

1 John 4:18

18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

Our fears matter. Because ultimately, our fears show us how we’re relying on our own efforts and not trusting in our Savior. We find a good example of this in the book of Matthew.

slide 13

The New International Version (Matthew 14:29–31)

“Come,” he said.Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

Peter thought he was strong in faith. For a while his faith did sustain him. But seeing the wind, fear took hold of him and he sank.

As God reveals your fears, he will also build your faith. You need him. You need his presence. You need his power. You need his Spirit guiding you. You need his Word strengthening you. Faith does not mean you won’t get scared. Faith means you don’t let fear stop you.

What you fear the most shows you where you need to grow with God. What do you fear? What are your anxious thoughts?

What is God showing you?

Where do you need to grow in faith?

Trust Him.

If David's prayer hasn't seemed dangerous enough already, then I'm going to warn you. It's about to get even more intense.

slide 14

Psalm 139:23–24

23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.24 See if there is any offensive way in me,and lead me in the way everlasting.

David was called “a man after God's own heart”. He was a giving man, a righteous man, he worshipped passionately, and he led courageously. Yet he still made mistakes--big ones. Like you and me he was tempted to sin and didn't always make the right choices. Like us, even after knowing the goodness of God and having walked with God for most of his life, David still blew it. And that's why he prayed this dangerous portion of the prayer: “search me, God … know my anxious thoughts … See if there's any offensive way in me”.

Show me if I'm doing anything that offends or hurts your heart.

Hearing God’s response to this portion of David’s prayer can be demanding. It’s not easy because most of us are masters at rationalizing our wrong actions. Also, I’m good at doing what Jesus warned against in Mathew 7. I can point out that speck in your eye, while ignoring the log in my own.

How do you hear from God about any offensive way in you?

One way is to consider what others have told you about you. Is there an area of your life, your habits, your relationships, or your actions that others have suggested needs to change? Is there some area of your life that is challenged by others? Have loved ones expressed concern for you, or asked you to consider getting help?

My ex-wife, whenever we were in the car together, was always telling me to quit giving dirty looks, or cussing out, or demeaning other drivers. I was awful about it. But I even evoked Mathew 7 against my wife. I rationalized by telling her and myself that I wasn’t disrespecting them, just the inconsiderate and dangerous way they were driving. You would think that my wife telling me this over and over would have brought me around. It didn’t. That place that I had been most sure I was right was the place that I was most wrong.

I prayed this dangerous prayer, Show me, God. See if there is an offensive way in me. Is this a problem?

God showed me clearly: It involved my pastor, Josh Lien. I was going to Arby’s to get a roast beef. I needed to turn left across hwy 60. As I approached the intersection there was a white SUV waiting to turn left right where I was going. In my opinion the driver of the SUV had the front of his car stuck out almost into traffic. As I made my turn, I mustered the dirtiest look I could and glared at the driver. Low and behold it was Josh and his wife. They both recognized me and smiled and waved. Needless to say, I shank down below the dashboard and tried to disappear. This was my moment, God exposed me, in a dramatic way, how my sin was wounding me.

What about you? Is there something others have been trying to help you see about yourself that needs to change?

slide 15

(Proverbs 12:15)

15 The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.

Maybe it’s time to pause and listen. God may speak to you through those who love you the most.

Lord, show me if there is any offensive way in me.

Are you ready to pray this dangerous prayer? Are you prepared to hear what God may show you as you do? Do you have the faith to ask and the courage to obey?

Search my heart, God.

Reveal my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me.

And lead me the way everlasting.

Every phrase in this faith-filled cry to God is important. But it’s incomplete without the final passionate prayer—lead me in the way everlasting.

We don’t want God to just show us the impurity of our hearts. We want more than to simply know our fearful and anxious thoughts. We desire more than just knowing how we are offensive. We want God to lead us, to direct us, to guide us to become who he wants us to be.

Lead us in the way everlasting.

Don’t pray this half-heartedly. This isn’t a game or a little spiritual exercise to help you have a better day. This is soul-cleansing, heart-mending, eternity-altering prayer.

Hear I’m going to reflect on my spiritual journey through this dangerous prayer and recap what God has been showing me.

1. Search my heart, God. God showed me my hypocrisy. My words honor God, but my heart can be far from Him.

2. Know my anxious thoughts. I’m scared to death of not reconciling with my daughter and grandson. I’m haunted by my insecurities.

3. See if there is an offensive way in me. Time and again I would lose my christianess in my car.

4. Lead me. And this is where the rubber meets the road. This is where things get real. This is where genuine, Spirit-filled, life-altering change becomes possible.

I've consistently battled with putting the approval of people ahead of the approval of God. This is perhaps my deepest inner spiritual flaw. It's sin. And it's keeping me from serving God with my whole heart. Why? Because becoming obsessed with what people think about me is the quickest way to forget what God thinks about me. Being obsessed with the approval of others is, in a word, idolatry.

So, I'm asking God to make me different. Stronger. More confident in Christ. More secure in his love and calling. And it's working. My preaching is bolder. My leadership is sharper. My sensitivity to his spirit is stronger. And as I care less about what other people think, I'm more passionate about what God thinks. I'm less in love with this world, and my mind is more focused on eternity.

slide 16

Lead me. Pray it. Search me, God. Know my anxious thoughts. See if there are any offensive ways in me. And lead me in the way everlasting.

Don't be discouraged. Be full of faith. Discovering your deepest need is a gift. It's an opportunity. It's a blessing. Because your deepest need becomes a gift when it moves you to depend on Christ.

God will do the same for you. Wherever you are weak, his strength is there. Wherever you are hurting. His comfort is available. When you are tempted, his grace will give you a way out. Let your fears drive you to God. The fear of God is the only cure for the fear of people. If you battle with lust, let God's word renew your mind. If you are tripping over pride humble yourself and God will lift you up. If you are hiding a secret sin, find forgiveness by confessing it to God and healing by confessing it to trustworthy people.

Ask God to show you the truth. Because the truth will set you free.

Are you tired of boring, safe, sterile prayers? Are you stuck in a spiritual rut? Is your faith fat? Your passion low? Are you hungry for more? And ready to obey?

Then venture out into the deep waters of communication with God. Open your heart to healing from a divine God. Step into the beauty of God's forgiveness and grace. Seek his unfailing, unconditional, and unquenchable love. Respond to what he shows you. Step through your greatest fear and enter faith. Embrace your deepest need and let it drive you to depend on Christ.

Are you ready?

“Search me, Lord.”

Blessed be our God. King of the universe. Creator of all things. Our souls thirst for your grace and mercy. Blessed be your faithfulness.

Father, we humble ourselves before you. Strengthen our faith so that we my step out upon the water of dangerous prayers. Renew our obedience to you oh Lord. Let our Savior reach out his hand to us to guide us through our brokenness. For it is within Christ that we find true friendship, unwavering love and a deep desire to share His heart. Search us, Lord. Reveal to us any anxious thoughts. Find any offensive way in us. And most importantly, lead us in the way everlasting.

It's in the precious name of Jesus that we pray. And all of God’s children say: Amen.