A dangerous prayer.

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The Masked Rabbit wrote those three words “a dangerous prayer” in response to a post I put up about a worship song that really moves me to examine my willingness to answer my calling.  A dangerous prayer is one which you want to pray, but what if the answer is something you’d prefer not to do.

“Lord guide me to answer your calling.”

“Lord tell me if I should leave my job to follow you.”

“Lord take all of me to be used for your glory.”

These are beautiful things to pray.  But they are dangerous.  What if God guides you to give up something you’d rather not give up?  Leave a job that’s making you some serious dough?  What if the answer you’re praying for is one you’d actually pray to avoid?

I have to be honest.  I’ve avoiding saying a prayer because I wasn’t quite sure I wanted and honest answer from God.  I’ve done that a lot.  Lawyers are funny people.  The big secret at trial is that there are no secrets.  Every one knows what questions are going to be asked, and what answers will be given.  Deviations from the script are relatively rare.  This is how I pray.  I like to ask predictable questions, make predictable requests, all in anticipation that I will receive predictable responses from God.

“No need to tithe my child, pay off debt first.  And eat out a lot.”

“Stay in your job, even though it means you can’t make it to your kid’s church events on Wednesday nights.”

“Me taking all of you looks almost exactly like your life looks right now… but you might have to toss in a blog or something.”

So my prayer today is for help from God to pray those dangerous prayers.  And follow those dangerous answers.  To have some guts.  A sense of adventure.  I don’t really believe that God would wreck my life.  But any changes are kind of stressful, right?  But change is amazing!  Especially when it is sponsored by the creator of heaven and earth.

Lord, give me courage.  Courage to pray the dangerous prayers that I refuse to pray.

We were built to be heroes.  And sometimes being a hero is dangerous…

14 thoughts on “A dangerous prayer.”

    • Anne, are you upset that I did not reply to your prior comment? I apologize. My failure to respond to your comment had much more to do with my daughter and I contracting pneumonia than it did just a general failure to reply. I certainly meant no disrespect. I would encourage you to remain more open minded in the future, and when someone fails to reply perhaps ask a simple question, inquire about whether they are okay, especially since prior to becoming ill I was quite on top of replying to your comments. It’s a bit disappointing, actually, that your assumption was that I was simply ignoring you considering our history of robust (and timely) exchanges. Going back all the way to our earliest exchange about my comments policy in general, you seem eager to find something to call me out on. Eager to criticize. Eager to find fault. I enjoy being challenged on my thoughts, but this comes often across as just being combative for the sake of being combative. Is this just a general character trait of yours that I need to get used to, or is there some issue between us? Feel free to touch base via email if you prefer at james.d.voigt@gmail.com. Thanks.

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    • Sorry to hear you have not been well Jim, I too have been in Hospital but thankfully only for a short stay, they think it was a very bad bug but God used it for good.

      No I have nothing personal against you Jim and never did but if you look below you will see you answered most comments except mine and some of my others were also not answered,no reason given by you or others.

      But to be honest, I feel it was not just your response although as you said it was not intentional with you so I understand but I have had to continually deal with those who feel they can disregard the feelings of others by ignoring or deleting their comments and not just mine without a reason given or Scriptural confirmation that they are in error but because they think they are right and with me this can even be when I’m encouraging them which is often as I believe that being in the Body of Christ we are to be there for each other through the good and bad.

      When I first started Blogging and even later, my Computers were crashing so I lost Posts and comments but I explained about this a few times so others would know there was a reason. Comments are my Priority now even before Posting. Yes I realize that we all have the freedom to make our own choices but they must not be to hurt others even by omission unless it can’t be helped, we need to remember that we are not blogging alone people need to know if we won’t be blogging even for prayer support so they don’t worry.

      I remember a few other Bloggers being upset when people just stopped Blogging with no reason given, like me they wondered if they had died or been in a serious accident, I found this was not so with some who I knew well and cared a lot about, they just didn’t want to Blog anymore so left and that’s their choice but they had caring followers who needed to know it was for that reason not anything else.

      Another thing that upsets me is when I receive notification that someone has joined up with us and they don’t even know they have, it’s a worry, or receiving Likes that are not genuine, perhaps I have missed something about WordPress but to me Blogging for Christians needs to be about honesty even if this is not so with worldly Blogs.

      Also playing emotional games to get a response is not acceptable either or trying to manipulate someone to do what they want they all show immaturity at best, the same as putting people to the test by a worldly fleshy agenda, but these all are not in reference to you Jim, so for now I will apologize for misreading your actions or non actions..

      Christian Love – Anne

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      • Thanks for your reply, Anne. Personally I have found that my comments get deleted, or are never approved on a regular basis and I just let it slide. Some people will post my comments, and others will not. This is life. My solution is simple: Just keep posting more comments. Take caer Anne. Keep your eye on that prize and don’t get bogged down in what others think of your comments! If you know they are from the heart, that’s good enough. Others will come around eventually.

        J

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      • Thank you Jim, I agree and you may have noticed I have continued to comment but perhaps being of the weaker sex I’m more sensitive and valuable to hurt and with having been rejected in my life quiet a few times Satan knows my weaknesses, none of these are sin of course but they do limit us if we focus on them without Trusting Jesus to resolve them and our other shortcomings, so yes I’m still aiming to be perfected in Love.

        What people do not realize is what they do to us with the intention to hurt and seek revenge for what ever they think we have done to them, they are also doing it to Jesus because as you said we share in His Name but you are right Jim, Jesus also said to His Disciples, and to us, if people do not listen to shake the dust off our sandals, meaning their abuse because their not going to wash our feet (offer Godly Hospitably ) and just move on.

        I will take your advice Jim, with thankfulness.

        Blessings to you and your family for Easter and always – Anne.

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      • Nanci Haigler Flynn says:

        I’ve found your recent comments interesting, Anne, partly because I well remember a great many years when I felt wounded because I didn’t get the attention I needed to make me feel important and special to the people who were important and special to me. It took a long time, most of my 68 years, for me to realize that my need for the attention of other people was steadily being whittled away by the slow but steady deepening of my relationship with Jesus. It still hurts when I feel ignored by people I love, but the hurt no longer wounds me and I’m able to move past it by appreciating the love and attention lavished on me by my Heavenly Father. I hope that as you spend the years ahead deepening your own relationship with God himself you find that it is less offensive to you when other people don’t respond with the attention you seek. Just as we are not made for a spirit of fear, we are also not made for a spirit of offense, which breeds resentment that sours into bitterness, and that wounds the heart of Almighty God, whose eye is on the sparrow and on each and every one of his children.

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    • Thank you Nanci for seeking to encourage me as you thought it may be needed but you can be assured I do not have bitterness or resentment towards anyone, I do not seek revenge and would willingly help everyone of those who have hurt me if they were in genuine need, even those not connected to the Blogs or those who are not Christians but those I shared about have also hurt Jesus my Spiritual Husband. I’m sure if someone hurt your husband or children Nanci, you would feel hurt and no doubt angry too and this is not a sin, it’s what we do about it that may be.

      Someone once said to me God is big enough to look after Himself but we defend those we Love, Jesus did, He got the whip out when they were hurting His Father and He called the Pharisees a brood of wipers because they were hurting His Children and so did John the Baptist when they were being superficial and showy, Paul called some in the Church childish and others He rebuked and corrected as did others with those who called themselves followers of Jesus but were fleshy in their words and actions.

      Although God had a close relationship with Adam He still said it is not good for man to be alone and we are the Body of Christ, we are to Love each other, put each other first, encourage, support, commend, speak tenderly to, be compassionate, pray for, help carry each others burdens and even cry with each other as well as rejoice, we are not to abuse and seek to hurt our Brothers and Sisters in the Lord or even ignore them.

      We don’t judge anyone’s weaknesses and shortcomings but yes we may need to rebuke others in the Church when they sin, warn of danger and correct error and of course the flesh does not like correction but to deliberately abuse and not Love anyone, even our enemies is a sin because our Faith is all about God’s Love which we show in our words and actions.

      We remember although God is complete in the Godhead or as They are called today The Trinity, but He still chose to need us and tells us to search for Him with all our heart not to be lukewarm, yes He wants our attention and He created us to need others attention and not to be rejected or the Body of Christ would be pointless!

      Jesus grieved about those who ignored Him because they were ignoring God, if we are sharing God’s Truth and this will be confirmed in Scripture and by His creation, than those who reject it are ignoring God too.

      Christian Love from both of us – Anne.

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  3. I agree Jim, the flesh is very self focused, this is why we must put it to death, when we are Born again of The Spirit we want God’s perfect will for us, why ? because we will know in our heart that it is for the best, we will not doubt that God works everything for good in our lives but not only will we not doubt but we will long for God’s perfect planes for us to be fulfilled in our lives regardless of the cost because we know all earthly satisfaction is short lived.

    Galatians 24 -25 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. if we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
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    Jeremiah 29 :11-12 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a Hope.

    Christian Love Always – Anne.

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  5. Jim, I love sharing your walk. It is so much edgier than mine most days. Yet brings to the surface stuff in me I tend to avoid looking at. Details I brush into a bigger canvas. And then see again when I read your words. Here’s to lawyers. Godly lawyers! 🙂

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  6. Nanci Haigler Flynn says:

    The only things that don’t change are rocks and dead things, and even they will change if you give them enough time. The only thing more dangerous than following God’s lead in making changes is not making any changes at all, no matter what God is saying to you.

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