When it comes to prayer, I think most of us struggle in a similar way. Our prayers can easily get stuck in the rut of small, uninspired requests that pertain mostly to the little needs we face each day. We pray for favor at work. We ask for help with our kids. We ask for safety as we make a trip or pray for wisdom to have a hard conversation. All these are right and good. In fact, Jesus taught us to pray this way.
But how often do our prayers stop here?
Leaders, I think we can make a connection between the kinds of desires that shape our lives and the prayers we offer up on a daily basis. We do not often think beyond our immediate circles or the next week of life. We’ve learned to pray for stuff that center on us and what we might be able to do with the time and resources available to us. What this reveals is not that we live without desires—we often want to do something more significant with our lives—but that our aspirations are simply too small. As you ponder how to pray this week, ask yourself two questions:
Do I pray BIG prayers?
Mine are often too small. Think puny. If God were me, I would be unimpressed. But when we truly consider the one to whom we pray, do our prayers reveal a confidence that God rules the entire universe and can move mightily to bring about miraculous events? Do the prayers we express match the power and purposes of the one who hears them?
The pages of Scripture contain many prayers that would challenge the small prayers we frequently offer. Jesus taught us to pray big: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). Paul prayed big, asking God to grant the Ephesians strength “to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses all knowledge” (Ephesians 3:18–19). In the face of threats, the early believers prayed big: “Grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness” (Acts 4:29).
Do I pray to a BIG God?
One amazing prayer in the Bible comes from the mouth of Hezekiah, one of the last kings of Judah. In the middle of his reign, the capital city of Jerusalem came under siege. Making quick work of other fortified cities that stood in their way, the powerful Assyrians came to Jerusalem and declared that it too would fall at their hands. Miraculously, other events drew that army away from Jerusalem, but as they withdrew, word was sent to Hezekiah telling him that they would be back soon.
When Hezekiah received that message, he prayed.
“O Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. . . . So now, O Yahweh our God, save us from [Assyria’s] hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the Lord” (Isaiah 37:16–20).
Faced with an impossible situation, Hezekiah prayed a huge, global prayer, trusting in God who alone made the heavens, the earth, and who ruled over the kingdoms of men. He prayed that God would save, not primarily for Hezekiah’s sake, but for the sake of God’s name.
Hezekiah could pray this way because he knew the God whom he served.
The Lord himself confirms this a few verses later when he responds through the mouth of Isaiah,
“Whom have you mocked and reviled [O, Assyria]? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes to the heights? Against the Holy One of Israel! . . . Have you not heard that I determined it long ago? I planned from of old what I now bring to pass” (Isaiah 37:23, 26).
Our situations are not all that different from Hezekiah’s. No, we might not face a horde of Assyrian warriors today, but we have our own battles–things that weigh us down with uncertainty. The decision a boss will make about our career. The salvation of family members or neighbors. Wisdom for a complex relationship or broken friendship.
What would it look like to pray an audacious prayer to the eternal, omnipotent God? One that, if answered, could only come from the hand of God. And the glory, when answered, could only return to God’s exceeding goodness.
Great prayers made by great saints flow out of great trust in a great God. The more expansive our understanding of God, the larger will be our prayers. Pray for small things, without ceasing and in constant rejoicing. Pray for big things too. Ask God to reveal his infinite power and glory in and through your life in ways that go beyond your average day-to-day requests. Remember, He is Lord of heaven and earth. And he loves to give good gifts to his children.
Today’s Tenacious Question
How should remembering who God is help you to recalibrate the way you pray and the things you pray for this morning?
Prayer
Lord, teach us to better know you and pray in accord with who you are and the purposes for which you have created the world.
Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash
