New City Catechism, question #40: “What should we pray?” Answer: “The whole Word of God directs and inspires us in what we should pray, including the prayer Jesus Himself taught us.”
Scripture abounds with exhortations to pray, and examples for us to follow. We see there a variety of types of prayer: prayers that lament and mourn, that extol the Lord, that pour out emotion, that recount the Lord’s historical acts of salvation, and many more. If the New City Catechism is accurate, then these are all types of prayers we should pray as well.
There are some kinds of prayer, though, that strike me as prayers we should pray with our eyes wide open, so to speak – being fully aware of what the outcome may be. Prayers for patience might be the most obvious one of these. We see in Scripture a pattern, not of the Lord “zapping” or supernaturally imbuing one with godly characteristics (Solomon and his wisdom notwithstanding), but of the Lord orchestrating events to produce or grow such characteristics in His people. Paul’s humility came not from a lightning strike from above, but at least in part from a thorn in his flesh; similarly, patience – one aspect of the fruit of the Spirit – is grown gradually over time, as one is exposed to events and circumstances which require patience to be exercised. And so it seems to me that praying for the Lord’s Name to be made great is also a dangerous prayer, by which I mean a prayer whose answer may bring difficulty, hardship, or at the very least, discomfort to he who prays.
Take a tour of the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, and see where and when it is that the Lord’s Name is made great: when He delivers His people out of slavery in Egypt. When He brings them safely through the deserted wilderness in which there is little water, little food, and abundant enemies. When He drives out the residents of Canaan, the Promised Land. When He rescues them time and again from the oppression of the surrounding nations in the time of the Judges. When He brings them out of exile back to their land. When the sick and lame and blind and diseased are healed miraculously. When the apostles are imprisoned and beaten and martyred. What these situations all have in common are the distress and discomfort and affliction of those who serve Him. The Lord’s power, the Lord’s reputation, the Lord’s authority are most clear and obvious and made great when the power and abilities and control of His people are most evidently absent. And so when we pray for the Lord’s Name to be made great, we are asking for those circumstances to be brought.
Sometimes, it is true, those circumstances are already upon us. We see that in Hezekiah’s prayer in 2 Kings 19. The Assyrians were already threatening, and Hezekiah tied deliverance from that army to the reputation of the Lord. So did Moses also, when he interceded for the Israelites in Numbers 14. I read both of these more as an argument for why the Lord should deliver them. Their pleas for deliverance and rescue aren’t based upon the righteousness or faithful and perfect obedience of His people (nor should they be; more often than not, the trouble they were in was because of their disobedience), but on what a lack of deliverance would say to the surrounding spectators of nations about the power of the Lord. That’s further evidenced in 1 Kings 20, when the Lord enables the Israelites to triumph over the Syrians, not because of the righteousness of the king of Israel (spoiler alert: that king was Ahab, and he was one of the worst in a line-up of bad kings), but to demonstrate His power and authority. Culturally, though, I’ve not witnessed this kind of prayer prayed in the midst of affliction. I’ve seen it prayed, mostly in a more charismatic setting, when everything is going well. I’m not saying we shouldn’t pray in this manner. The whole Word of God directs and inspires us in what we pray, remember? Absolutely, let’s pray for the Lord’s Name to be made great among the nations. Let’s also be aware of what we’re actually praying though.
A second reason for awareness is that this a prayer the Lord is likely to answer affirmatively. The whole of Scripture indicates that it is God’s will for His Name to be made known and to be made great (Philippians 2:9-11 is a clear example). 1 John 5 further indicates that we should be confident that when we pray according to the will of God, He hears and responds and provides for our requests. Thus it stands to reason that the Lord will answer prayers for the magnification of His Name, and often His answers come in a form other than what we initially anticipate.
So what are your thoughts here? Have you ever prayed a “dangerous” prayer? Send me an email or leave a comment below and tell me how the Lord answered.
I often seem to pray for patience but usually don’t have the patience to wait upon the Lord for Him to answer. As I look back on my trials in life, I have seen how God did answer my prayers, sometimes I just wasn’t paying attention. As today is the National Day of Prayer let us remember that everyday is the day of prayer. We need to be aware of how God answers us, even in the midst of what we think are great troubles, He sometimes answers us in a still small whisper, we just need to listen. Thank you again for putting so much of your heart into your writings that you share with us.
I enjoy all your posts, and the inspirations or challenges they bring. I have at times prayed “dangerous” prayers, and it was most often when my heart yearned to be made like Christ and that I would be fully in his will. Then come what may, it would be worth it and I would even embrace any hardships or lessons that may have come as an answer.. Other times when feeling a very average or low spiritual zeal, I seem to more often value and pray for comfort, health, and safety. So thinking about it now, what I value most at the time (and therefore pray for) fluctuates with my spiritual focus – in that way I should observe my own prayers which likely tell me something about the state of my fervor for the Lord.
I think that’s a really good point. Our willingness to pray these “dangerous” prayers really speaks to what we’re treasuring and where our focus is.