A lesson from one of my best friends, Andrew Ayers. Enjoy!
—————————————————————————————————————————————–
This theme of having shameless audacity, or being bold, has constantly popped up in my life over the last year. As a natural introvert, being “bold” is something that can feel uncomfortable at times, but as a follower of Christ I have come to learn that Jesus asks us to be bold in our lives; especially in prayer.
This is found in Luke 11:1-13 when Jesus teaches the disciples how to pray.
Luke 11:1-13
One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’”
Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.
“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
God honors bold prayers because bold prayers honor God. Bold prayers honor God because it shows how we view Him. If we have a small view of God, we will pray for things He doesn’t need to help us with. If we have a big view of God, we will pray with boldness because we know nothing is impossible through Christ.
Does this mean we will get everything we boldly pray for? No. Will it be on the exact timeline that we want it? No. But the great news is that His plan for you is better than you can imagine. Maybe, the “No” you get sets you up for something better, or maybe the “No” is really a “Not yet.”
“Not yet” requires us to think long term, which as Americans, is something that we have trouble with. In this day where almost everything is accessible through our phones at any second, we have a hard time with anything that takes persistence. But time and time again, we see this is how God frequently operates. Think of Moses, Abraham, or Joseph. These men waited on God for as long as 40 years! Just because what you prayed for wasn’t instantly downloaded into your life doesn’t mean that God isn’t listening!
I can almost guarantee it won’t be on your timeline, but don’t give up! God is always faithful and when you have stayed the course, you will thank Him for the time it took and the trials you faced along the way. We can’t lose if we keep praying!
Be bold in God’s presence. He delights in our shameless audacity.
– Andrew Ayers