Dangerous Prayers

This is a review of “Dangerous Prayers: because following Jesus was never meant to be safe” by Craig Groeschel. This little book is not just a book about prayer, it is a book about a profound lived experience. I found it deeply impactful and still, months later, something I ponder on from time to time. Suffice to say – I loved “Dangerous Prayers” and I highly recommend you get it and read it over and over.

Dangerous Prayers: because following Jesus was never meant to be safe

Author: Craig Groeschel

Genre: Religious

First Take: Very impactful and thought provoking

When did I read it? Late 2020

Details:

I bought this book because I was struggling with my prayer life.

Craig challenges you from the start of this book – “are your prayers lame?” I had been struggling with prayer for some time and purchasing this book was me trying to wake myself up.

Are your prayers LAME?

Well… there’s a question to get you thinking.

Were my prayers lame? What’s your prayer like? For me, even the philosophy of prayer itself has become messed up among many Christians… I know Christians who demand formulae be used in “crafting” prayer. When I came across this book, I was in an interesting place. I was rebelling against formulaic prayer and instead merely trying to open my heart to God in wordless heart connection.

I am not sure what I expected when I found the book, but the challenge to enter into dangerous prayers was a welcome one.

Craig challenges us to pray three dangerous prayers:

  • Search Me
  • Break Me
  • Send Me

David prays, search my heart and know me, O Lord. (Psa 139:23-24). I’ll leave it to Craig to tell you why that’s dangerous to pray, but I am sure, if you are the slightest bit self aware, you understand already.

Most of us pursue comfortable lives. Craig encourages us to ask God to break us. He remoulds us into a useful vessel for His work only if He first breaks us. The last few years for me have been a process of breaking, and asking God to do this again is very scary. But that’s a test of faith…

Finally Craig encourages us to pray that God will send us. In the words of Watchman Nee:

“I do not consecrate myself to be a missionary or a preacher. I consecrate myself to God to do His will where I am, be it in school, office, or kitchen, or wherever He may, in His wisdom, send me.”

Watchman Nee (The Normal Christian Life)

God might send us to the wilds of some developing nation, or He might send us to the Office. Wherever God send us, we do His will. That’s actually difficult and dangerous, because we might be sent by God to do something we just don’t expect.

A Lifestyle

The interesting thing for me, is that these are not just prayers. These are a way to live your life. The challenge is to live as you pray, open to God, broken in pride and ready to be sent by Him.

Craig doesn’t explicitly tell us that these are more than prayers, but that’s what I got from the book and in discussing it with my close friend Andy. We both read the book close together and immediately felt a similar impact.

I strongly recommend you read it.

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