Do I think boldness really matters in my prayer life? Of
course it does, why bother to pray for if you are not going to pray for bold things?
Dave Earley says, “The more precise the prayer, the more faith it takes. If you
want specific answers to prayer, you need to make specific request. If you
offer only general request, how will you know if they are answered?”[1] This
is a common problem in the Christian life, we are often afraid to ask for the
things that we truly need and stick to only general request. Why do we stick to
only general request? Fear, is the biggest culprit, it makes a stick to general
request assuming God will answer those; because if we asked for specific
request and never saw the response to our petitions our faith will grow even
weaker in God.
The very
first thing I think of when I think of a biblical example where boldness made a
difference in prayer has to be Joshua. Think of the boldness that was required
for this man to pray to God to stop the sun for moving, so that he can continue
in battle. Joshua didn’t just pray for victory he prays for the Lord to do
something only he could do make the earth stop rotating around the sun. Joshua
had to be taught this boldness; he learned it from his mentor Moses. Moses on
more than one occasion stood in the gap for the children of Israel, causing God
to turn his wrath away from them.
Three
applications that become can be taken away from Earley’s book are in no
particular order fasting, praying more boldly (or more specifically), and to pray
a larger variety of prayers. I have seen the effects of fasting personally in
my life, back in August 2012, I was struggling with health problems and a group
of brothers from Bible study unbeknownst to me individually fasted for me; and
on the last day I fasted for myself. In regards to fasting Earley makes a great
statement that we have to constantly keep at the forefront of our minds, “God
is not an ATM into which we put our prayer and/or fasting and automatically get
back what we want. God is God.”[2]
also need to be more intentional and specific in the way that I pray. It’s
often more convenient to pray a generic prayer; so that I can cross the task
off my list. By praying more specific prayers, it will draw me closer to the
Lord and increase my faith. Last but not least I need to pray a greater variety
of prayers. Earley says
Not only did David pray, but he prayed a variety of prayers.
David prayed simple prayers and complex ones. He prayed tears. He asked
questions. He made both resolutions in prayed big prayers of faith. He also
used balance. A pray prayers of adoration, confession, Thanksgiving, and
supplication. God is a person. He has personality. We are people. We have
personality. Prayer is expressing the many facets of our personality and our
situation to the many aspects of God’s personality. One type of prayer will not
do. We need to pray with all kinds of prayers (Ephesians 6:18).[3]
There is
always more that we can learn, but I hope this helps us all to grow and depend
on Christ all the more.
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