One of the most amazing things about God is that He invites us to pray to Him anytime, anywhere, about anything. The Bible stresses this over and over, whether what we’re praying for is big or small, something that would seem inconsequential to someone else, or something that could be life-changing.
But what about those times when it feels like we’re being too bold to pray for what we want? Those times when we ask ourselves why we should think we deserve to ask for something so big?
Have you ever been in that spot? You want to pray – you know what you want to pray for and why – but you also know that God is so amazing and you’re so … not … that you feel unworthy to ask for anything. Especially something so big.
I’ve been in that spot plenty of times, but none so much as when I began experiencing hearing loss almost 20 years ago.
It was sudden. It was scary. And even though I knew others were praying for my issues to improve or go away, I couldn’t bring myself to ask God to heal me. It felt too bold and I felt too undeserving.
God eventually led me to a verse tucked away in the book of Daniel:
We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. (Daniel 9:18b NIV)
And, as the New Living Translation says:
We make this plea, not because we deserve help, but because of your mercy. (Daniel 9:18b NLT)
Wow. That verse brought it all home for me in a fresh way.
We never “deserve” anything from God. Anything we ever get from Him is because of His goodness – they’re examples of His love for us and His mercy toward us.
Maybe you need a fresh reminder of that, too.
It’s taken almost 20 years for me to write about that experience. I didn’t know if others would be interested and I wanted anything I wrote to be for the right reasons.
I finally shared part of the story in Refresh Bible Study magazine from Lighthouse Bible Studies. The issue’s theme is “Scripture-based prayers,” so seemed the perfect channel for sharing about Daniel 9:18b.
You can read my article, “When our prayers feel too bold.”
You can also download the entire magazine, which is full of devotions, short Bible studies and personal experience stories about Scripture-based prayers. Several of my writer friends have articles in this issue, including Barbara Latta, Katherine Pasour, Jeannie Waters and more. I hope you read something that strikes a chord for where you are right now.
I also hope you’ll leave a comment to encourage someone else who might be having trouble being bold in their prayers, even though God invites us to be.
What have you learned about praying for situations that feel too big or too bold?
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