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July 30 - July 31, 2020
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.
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.
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.
Praying from the heart is personal and unmistakable.
The first prayer comes from David, and it’s a doozy. In the Old Testament we see David squaring off against God’s enemies left and right. In a raging fit of jealousy, King Saul falsely accused David of treason and attempting to assassinate the king. Saul sent his full forces after David in repeated attempts to take his life and remove what Saul saw as his biggest threat. And he knew how to hit where it hurts—he claimed David wasn’t faithful to his God.
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, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Ps. 139:23–24).
So when I paused to pray “Search me” that afternoon at church camp, I was blindsided by the reality of the depths of my sinfulness. Years later I discovered a verse that says it well: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (Isa. 29:13). I gave God lip service, but my heart was wicked. I talked the talk, but I didn’t walk the walk. I pretended to be a Christian, but I didn’t know the Christ.
Instead of simply asking God to do something for you, ask God to reveal something in you.
Are you willing to pray such a prayer? “Lord, reveal what holds my mind hostage. Show me what I fear the most. Go ahead, help me face what terrifies me.”
What we fear the most often reveals where we trust God the least.
Our fears matter. Because ultimately, our fears show how we’re relying on our own efforts and not trusting in our Savior.
To please God, to serve him, to honor him, to live for him, you cannot be driven by fear. You must be led by faith.
Faith doesn’t mean you don’t get afraid. Faith means you don’t let fear stop you.
David was called “a man after God’s own heart” (see 1 Sam. 13:14 and Acts 13:22). He was devoted to God’s will and worshiped passionately, gave extravagantly, and led courageously. Yet he still made mistakes—big ones. Like you and like me, he was tempted to sin and didn’t always make the right choice. Even after he knew the goodness of God and had walked with him 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 is any offensive way in me” (Ps. 139:23–24). Show me if I am
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Proverbs 12:15 says, “The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.”
We need God’s help to see the sin that’s difficult to see in the mirror.
That place that I had been most sure that I was right was the place that I was most wrong.
Denying the truth doesn’t change the facts.
As I reflect on my spiritual journey through this prayer, let me recap what God has been showing me. Search my heart, God. God showed me my hypocrisy. I often show people the me I want them to see. My words honor God, but my heart can be far from him. Know my anxious thoughts. I’m scared to death of not measuring up. I’m haunted by my insecurities. I’m paralyzed with fear that I don’t have what it takes to please people. See if there is any offensive way in me. Time and again, I’ve put the approval of people ahead of the approval of God. I’ve battled with wanting to be liked by people more
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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.
Step through your greatest fear and into faith. Embrace your deepest need and let it drive you to depend on Christ.
“It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until he has hurt him deeply.” —a. w. tozer
To be wholly useful to God, we have to be empty of self.
What are we losing by clinging to our comfort?
When you are broken, you will know it. There will be no question. You will not have to ask.
It’s easy to impress people with our strengths, but real connections are forged through our shared weaknesses.
God never calls perfect people. God calls imperfect, flawed, weak men and women just like you and me.
Whenever I feel inadequate or unqualified, I remember that God called Moses, a murderer; David, an adulterer; and Rahab, a prostitute. Not only did God call people who did really bad things, but he also called unusual, insecure, and inconsistent people. Just consider some of God’s chosen messengers, ministers, prophets, and leaders. There’s Noah, who got drunk; Isaac, who was a daydreamer; Joseph, who was abandoned; and Gideon, who was afraid. There’s Jeremiah, who was too young, and Abraham, who was too old. Elijah, who battled depression. Naomi, who became bitter. Martha, who was a
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When you start to avoid what hurts you, what happens? Over time, your spiritual side grows stronger. And your selfish side starts to die.
Answer honestly. If God said yes to every prayer you prayed in the last seven days, how would the world be different?
Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little, when we arrived safely because we sailed too close to the shore. Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of things we possess, we have lost our thirst for the waters of life; having fallen in love with life, we have ceased to dream of eternity, and in our efforts to build a new earth, we have allowed our vision of the new heaven to dim. Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, to venture on wider seas, where storms will show your mastery; where losing sight of land,
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Instead of craving a life of comfort, I’ve found joy in serving the needs of others through daily acts of faith.
It’s time to pray with courage, to risk, to open yourself up to a different path to a better destination.
It’s time to be disturbed. Think about what could be different if you prayed with more transparency. If you risked more. If you were more open to what God might do in you instead of just hoping he will do something for you. What if you prayed bolder prayers? Dreamed bigger? Recklessly pursued Jesus with daring, self-abandoned faith?
