Finding the Courage for Reckless Prayer

I’m trying to pray reckless prayers. Reckless and Audacious. Reckless because I am not concerned about what others think about my prayer.

Audacious, which is not a word that gets used every day, because I need a boldness that isn’t always appropriate.

Reckless Prayer Requires Courage

Dictionary.com uses such phrases as “recklessly brave” and “recklessly bold in defiance of convention, propriety, law, or the like.” That’s a lot of reckless.

Anyone who knows me would not describe me as a reckless person, but wise mentors and hard situations in recent months have challenged me to pray reckless prayers.

The truth is that reckless and audacious prayers are surprisingly difficult to pray.

All kinds of fears and questions surface for me.

What if I don’t see God answer? What if His answer is no? Is my faith strong enough to survive? Do I know for certain that my prayer is actually God’s will? What’s my part in the prayer being answered? Don’t I need to take some action too?  

It’s not just praying that’s scary; it’s the surrender required as well.

Reckless Prayer Requires Surrender

My Control Freak Personality finds surrender particularly difficult. I would rather live with the illusion that I have control over situations and can find solutions with the help of the Internet and a little prayer for wisdom thrown in.

I suspect that praying recklessly and audaciously is less about His answer and more about the state of my heart.

Reckless prayer humbles me and reminds me of my own great need and his great strength.

In asking Him for big, impossible things, I hope for my dependence on Him to grow, my willingness to take risks for His kingdom to increase, and my intimacy with Him to deepen.  

Max Lucado says, “Boldness in prayer is an uncomfortable thought for many. We think of speaking softly to God, humbling ourselves before God, or having a chat with God… but agonizing before God? Storming Heaven with prayers? Pounding on the door of the Most High? Wrestling with God? Isn’t such prayer irreverent? Presumptuous?”  

It may be presumptuous if God did not invite us to pray:    

“So let us come boldly to the very throne of God and stay there to receive His mercy and to find grace to help us in our times of need.” Hebrews 4:16  

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”  Proverbs 3:5-6  

“Our relationship with God is exactly that, a relationship. His invitation is clear and simple: Come and talk with Me, O my people.” And our response? “Lord, I am coming.” Psalm 27:8    

We abide with Him, and He abides with us. He grants wisdom as we need it.  

What do you need? What impossible situation have you been afraid to audaciously pray for? Let’s be recklessly, reverently bold as we come before our gracious Father in prayer and practice prayer before action.