Being Audacious: Why Aren’t We Bolder in Prayer?

Do you ever sometimes wish you could be more like your children? I’m not talking about grown-up children. I mean the little ones. And not just in the child-like faith that Jesus talks about in Scripture.

My little guy is bold. He has absolutely no trouble asking for exactly what he wants. (Seriously, he is precise. “Mommy, can I have three gummy bears, please. No, two. No, three. Yes, three gummy bears.”)

And when he asks, he asks confidently with total assurance that he’s going to get what he wants. (Does he always? Well, no. But that doesn’t deter him.) He is unafraid to approach his daddy or me to request his heart’s desire.

We laugh a little, but…is that how we should be with our Father?

“Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.” – Hebrews 4:16 (HCSB)

He said “boldness,” right? Well, that’s what I just did. I was bold. I was brazen. I was downright audacious. I asked the Lord for exactly what I want, exactly what it looks like we need.

In this journey that I started on the day that I turned in my notice at my job (see previous blog posts for more details), I have run the full gamut of emotions – not just day-to-day but moment-to-moment. Never once have I doubted that I’m doing the right thing by leaving my job in May, but I’ve gone from completely confident to “I must be off my rocker.” I’ve gone from wholly trusting in God to “So…when are you going to show us Your plan, Lord?” I’ve gone from knowing full well that He will provide for us to, “The numbers just aren’t adding up here.”

So, I laid it at His feet. Seriously, just a little while ago. I looked at my numbers and I said, “THIS is what it looks like we are going to need, Lord. THIS is what I’m asking for. And I know You can do it.” But I didn’t just leave it there because God is not a short-order cook who writes down our requests and rushes to deliver. I told Him I was leaving it at His feet, trusting Him to handle it HIS way and in HIS timing, believing that in the times of uncertainty and difficulty, He will sustain us.

Now, how many times will I go back and try to pick it all up? I don’t know. But for today, I’ve left it to Him. I promised I would not crunch any more numbers until it was absolutely necessary. I will do the work that I can do, but I’m leaving the rest to Him. For today.

But I know it’s more than just asking God boldly. There is another verse from Scripture that comes to mind.

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” – Psalm 37:4

I’ll be honest and say that my son is much more likely to get what he is asking for if he has been well-behaved and compliant in the recent past, and he knows that asking politely with a “please” goes a long way with us. Many times, we read the “he will give you” part of this verse and skip right past the “delight yourself in the Lord” part. What exactly does it look like to delight in Him anyway?

I have some of my own ideas (maybe you do, too). I believe He wants us to find peace and contentment in Him, whether or not we get what we are seeking. I think He wants us to dwell on Him and what we can do to serve Him and those around us, and allow Him to take care of us in His way and His timing. I believe that He wants our intentions to be pure and not self-motivated. Only then can we see Him do what only He can do.

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I’m pretty excited to see how He’s going to answer my prayers. And I can’t wait to share it with you!

Three gummy bears, Lord. Three.

Love in Christ,