“Go where your best prayers lead you,” I heard this quote by Jon Tyson and I can’t get it out of my head. What are ‘best prayers’? I learned the answer to that in a class I’m taking at our church. The speaker, Tim Osterlund, started and ended his lecture with this statement, “Attempt something so big that unless God intervenes, it will fail.”
Both of these quotes, can be taken out of context and used to lead us in self centered prayers and self-centered attempts. Taking words out of context is not a new thing, it happens with Scripture all the time. Keeping the words in context means keeping Jesus at the center of our lives and our prayers and every attempt we make in life. These words in line with the Word, is fire!
Our Best Prayers Take Us Places
The best prayer test, is if it leads us closer to Jesus. Wherever that prayer takes us, it is our best prayer. It may take us to our living room floor or might lead us to move across the world. However it goes, ‘best prayers’ will move us; they will always move our hearts and many times our body. Moving us, is how Jesus leads us to know Him better. To know Him better is to love Him more. Always, this is the goal of prayer, not to get what we want, but to know a God who knows and wants what is best for us. To get what we want in line with what He has for us, is the answer to all our prayers.
Faithful Fight
Our pastor recently preached on identity. We are in 1 Timothy, and learning about the instructions Paul gives to Timothy. The example was given about living this life of faith, and winning! Living this life with Jesus from a position of offense (the sports kind), not just defense. If we safety up and only protect, never crossing over into new territory, we miss a big win. Pursuit of righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness, is the Way to victory. He didn’t save us to sit still, protect, and hope we don’t mess anything up. He saved us to go and experience Him and share Him with others.
Humble and Bold
God put all these together, to give me a fresh play book, to teach me something I needed in the worst way, or the best way, whichever way you look at it. Praying is the number one thing to ‘do.’ Praying can lead us into attempting things that only God’s intervention can accomplish. Praying humbly and boldly, from offense (the sports kind), is what brings us into new territory. Offense can mean attack or pursuit of the goal; a play and a plan to win.
The other meaning of offense, is crime or infraction. This is where we are careful to understand what position of offense I am talking about. Pursuing God and the things of God will take us places we could never go on our own. Humble and bold prayers are praying offense and the key to growing our faith. Praying offense, winning prayers, is asking God for strength, wisdom and courage to believe; to be who He has called us to be, and go wherever He leads us.
Getting Stuck
Therefore, only praying defense, will get us stuck. Because, the truth and danger of praying defense only, is getting stuck praying protection in one area in hopes for nothing bad to happen; safety being the only goal. Living in defense only, can lead us in prayers rooted in fear, not faith. Help nothing bad to happen, can translate to help nothing to happen that I don’t understand and can’t control. Praying defense is important, but from a position of faith, not fear.
There is a difference of how we pray defense and offense, but both have the same goal. Going wherever our best prayers lead us, and attempting things that can only be done through prayer is the best way to pray. Praying to win, is trusting God with all our prayers; praying on the winning team.
To sum it up in one prayer, at the end of the Lord’s prayer, Jesus says, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Trusting God to lead and deliver us is our best defense and offense.
