Dangerous Prayers: Because Following Jesus Was Never Meant to Be Safe

by Craig Groeschel

When we see how good God is, we become acutely aware of how good we are not. His holiness reveals our sinfulness.

When the prophet saw the glory of God, he didn’t cry out, “I am amazing. I’m holy and perfect like God.” No, Isaiah recognized the depths of his own depravity and shouted, “Woe to me! . . . I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty” (Isa. 6:5). Isaiah didn’t just say, “I messed up. I did a few bad things.” He cried from a heart of despair, “Woe to me!” The awareness of the depths of his sin brought sadness, remorse, grief, and a spirit of sincere repentance. In God’s presence, Isaiah said, “I’m ruined.” Another version translates the original Hebrew text as “I’m undone.”

until we see ourselves as sinners, we’ll never fully understand Jesus as the Savior.

when I started praying dangerously—crying out to God and getting to know who he was—my self-confidence grew into self-awareness. God is righteous. I’m unrighteous. God is full of glory. I’m full of myself. I had to face the brutal truth about my sinfulness. I was selfish. I often told lies, and occasionally I took things that were not mine. I envied others, lusted, and wanted the shiny things this world offered.

At the depths of Isaiah’s despair, he experienced the deepness of God’s grace.

Imagine the power of the moment. Isaiah has never been more aware of his guilt, his sin, his shame. And with one touch from God’s being, his sin was gone. Forgotten. Forgiven. First, unconditional grace. Then, uncontainable gratitude.

There is nothing better to fuel your prayer life than a deep appreciation for God’s grace. Imagine God wiping away all your lies. Healing your hatred. Cleansing your sexual sin. Embrace it. If you are “in Christ,” your self-centered decisions are forgiven. Your anger—forgiven. Hatred—forgiven. Bitterness—forgiven. Boasting—forgiven. Jealousy—forgiven. Envy—forgiven. All your sins, your evil thoughts, your greed, your hypocrisy, your filthy gossip, your secret lusts, your pride, your ingratitude, your materialism, your unbelief—all forgiven and forgotten by the grace of our good God. Later in his life, Isaiah would add color to God’s grace by quoting the one who forgave him, writing, “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more” (Isa. 43:25). When you cry out to God for forgiveness, he doesn’t remember your sins. They are gone. Forgiven. Washed away. And forgotten.

Grace. Changes. Everything. We don’t bring anything. Jesus brings everything.

The moment we see God for who he is, we see ourselves for what we are not.

it’s a daring prayer of faith. It’s the deep realization that your life is not your own. You belong to God. You are his servant. His ambassador. His representative on earth. Your prayers will start to grow from self-focused requests—“Do this for me, God. Help me, Lord”—into Christ-centered, gospel-powered, God-glorifying prayers. “Anywhere, God. Anytime. Whatever you want, I’m yours.”

this isn’t a one-time dangerous prayer you pray and then you go on with your life. This is another prayer of daily submission to God. Search me. Break me. Send me.

How do we live submitted to God when our flesh wants us living for ourselves? How do we overcome our selfish tendencies and live selflessly for Christ? The answer lies in daily submission.

What you feed grows. What you starve dies.

So feed your spirit daily. Give it nourishment by reading the Bible. Spend time in God’s presence by praying. Enjoy God’s goodness by engaging in fellowship with other believers. Hear God’s voice by reading the Bible.

Instead of just, “Bless me. Help me. Do this for me,” your prayers become God-centered and others-focused. “God, use me to be a voice of encouragement today. Give me a chance to help someone who is in need. Help me show your love to someone who is hurting. If I have anything that would help someone, show me how to bless them. Here I am. Send me.”

The simple acts of love often lead to the biggest changes in life.

When God uses you, you will want more. More fulfillment. More joy you find in sacrifices. More blessings that come from obedience. You can live in the daily thrill of being used by God. A reflection of his grace and glory. A conduit of his love and goodness. But only if you’re willing.

Heavenly Father, because you gave Jesus for me, I give my whole day to you today. Every part of me is yours. Take each part of the body you created and consecrate it for your purposes today. God, I give you my mind. Please guard my thoughts. Help me take captive any thought that is not from you to make it obedient to Christ and all your truth. Renew my mind. May all my thoughts be pleasing to you. Help me to think on things that are pure, excellent, and worthy of praise. Help me to think your thoughts. Direct my mind toward your perfect will today.

Lord, I give you my eyes. Help me to look on things that are pure and honoring to you. Protect my eyes from lusting after the temporary pleasures of this world. Give me eyes to see what you see. Since my eyes are the lamp of my body, help me see things that let your light shine through my life today. God, guard my ears. Protect me from listening to any lies from the evil one. May I only hear your voice, your Spirit, your truth guiding me. Lord, help me turn from any voice that distracts me from your plan for my life today. May I be sensitive to everything you say to me. Interrupt my plans. Redirect me toward your agenda. Give me ears to hear your voice so I may follow where you lead. God, set a guard over my mouth. May every word that I speak be pleasing to you, O God. Give me words to say to lift and encourage others, pointing them to you. I know my words have the power to give life and to take life. Empower me to speak life to everyone that I see. Lord, help me guard my heart, as I know it can easily deceive me. Purify my motives in all that I do. May my only goal be to serve and please you. God, help my heart be moved by what moves your heart, be broken by what breaks yours, and rejoice in the things that bring you joy. Create in me a clean heart, God. Help me to love and serve you today with my whole heart.

God, may my hands be your hands in the world today. I devote the work of my hands to you. Empower me to be productive today, honoring you in all the work that I do. Help me, God, to do everything for your glory. Lord, direct the steps of my feet. May your Word be a lamp directing all my steps. Guide me to the right places and right people so I can serve you best today. Keep me from the wrong places that might tempt me to sin against you. Guide my feet, Lord, into your perfect will. God, my whole body is yours. I know that before I was even created, you had good works, prepared in advance, for me to do today. Use me, God, to do them all. You have given me everything I need to do everything you have called me to do. Help me to see needs and meet them. Show me those who are hurting that I could encourage them. Direct me to those without you so I could help them know your goodness and grace. God, I devote every part of me to you and to your will today. Here I am, Lord. Send me.

When I start my day wholly devoted to God, my mind is focused toward what lasts rather than the temporary pleasures of this world. My day matters to God. And it’s meaningful to me.

Years ago, I heard a pastor tell a story that I’ll never forget. This seasoned preacher described how each week, after the Sunday service, he’d stand by the door of the church to greet people as they left for their cars. He described the joy of hugging the grandmas and high-fiving the younger kids week after week. The pastor admitted openly that he loved when his parishioners would praise his message, complimenting him on how God used him to speak to them. But then the pastor described an encounter he had with a guy, Matt, that he’d seen regularly at church but had never gotten to know well. Matt was probably in his midforties, graying slightly around the temples. Lines around his eyes indicated he might have had some challenging years in his life, but his warm smile and confident handshake led the preacher to believe that Matt was probably in a better season in life at the moment. Then one Sunday after the service, Matt grasped both of the pastor’s hands firmly and said, “Pastor, I want you to know that my answer is yes. Now what’s the question?” The pastor looked at Matt curiously. Poor guy, what’s he talking about? The answer is yes? What does that mean? Not wanting to make it awkward, the pastor grinned at the man, nodded, and said, “Thank you, Matt. God bless you.” The next Sunday after church, Matt approached the pastor at the door and said the exact same thing. With heartfelt sincerity, he looked the pastor directly in the eyes and said, “Pastor, I want you to know ...

What we pray for reflects what we believe about God.

take a moment and do a prayer audit. Think about everything you prayed for recently—not your whole lifetime, just the past seven days. Consider writing on a notepad or typing a memo on your phone and listing all the different things you petitioned God to do in the last week. Take a moment and give it some thought. Do you remember? What did you pray about? What did you ask God to do? Now answer honestly. If God said yes to every prayer you prayed in the last seven days, how would the world be different?

I had access to the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. The Great I am. The Alpha and the Omega. The Beginning and the End. The all-powerful, ever-present, all-knowing God who can send fire from heaven, shut the mouths of hungry lions, or calm a raging storm. And all I asked him to do was keep me safe and help me have a good day.

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