Things Not to Pray For

By Mike Glenn

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

I have spent most of my life following Jesus Christ. To be sure, there are days when I’ve done it better than other days, but all in all, I’ve been pretty consistent as a believer. Although, I might categorize my “following” as more of a “meandering after Jesus.” The truth is He’s been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I’ve been practicing the spiritual disciplines for most of my adult life. I spend daily time in prayer, keeping a journal and reading the Scriptures. I’ve been doing this long enough to begin to see certain patterns of life with God.

For one thing, I’ve learned if I pray for Jesus to help me with a problem, He’ll put me right in the middle of the problem itself. I want Jesus to grab me, throw me on the other side of the problem and then I want to look back and say, “Whew, that was close.” That’s not what happens. Jesus takes me right through the problem. For instance, if I start praying about a broken relationship, I’ll start running into that person wherever I go. I’ll see them in line when I’m getting gas, shopping for groceries – you get the picture. Whatever I’m praying about, Jesus will make sure I’m face to face with it.

This used to frustrate me and it took me a long time to understand it. Here’s why Jesus does that. He does it so we no longer have to be afraid of it. Jesus takes us through the challenges of life, not around them. That way we’re never afraid of the issue coming back up. In the power of Christ, we’ve dealt with it. Jesus took the children of Israel through the Red Sea. We walk through the valley of death. Christ redeems us through the cross. By living through these challenges, we live into our future without fear.

Now that I know that, I’m more careful about when I pray for God’s help. I know what that help will look like and I have to make sure I’m ready to face whatever the problem is head on. I’ve also learned there are some other things that I’m more careful about when I ask for something in prayer.

Such as, I would advise you not to pray for strength. The only way we get stronger is to lift heavier weights. Have you ever worked out with a trainer? They measure your success by how much weight they can continue to add. Same with Jesus. Want to get stronger? He’ll put you in places where you have to lift heavier things. Jesus doesn’t magically give you more strength. We grow in our strength one rep at a time. What is true for our body is true for our soul. Want to get stronger? Lift more weight.

Of course, we all know not to pray for patience. When we do, God will put us in places where patience is the only option we have. There’s a reason Jesus talked so much about agriculture. We plant the seeds and we wait. We water the plants and we wait. Waiting is the nature of farming…and discipleship…and evangelism. We plant the seeds and we wait. The Holy Spirit does what He does and we have no control over the process. We have to learn patience the hard way – by sitting and waiting. Be careful when you pray for it.

Want to be more loving? Guess what? Jesus will send you someone who needs to be loved. There are some people who have been so wounded by life they can’t understand the love of God because no one else has loved them. You’ll find someone in your path, like the Good Samaritan, you’ll bind up their wounds, find them a place to stay and pay for their care. This is what Jesus meant when he told us to take care of His sheep. We are called to love people so well it’s easy for them to believe in the love of God. That’s not easy. The scars of Jesus remind us daily what love costs. I’m not saying don’t pray to become more loving, but I am saying be careful when you do.

It’s the same when you pray for holiness. We become holy by doing holy things. We aren’t given the holiness merit badge without first becoming a holy person who does holy things. Grace, mercy, faithfulness, goodness – and all the rest, God will teach us these things, but He doesn’t just give them to us. They are lived until they are learned. That way you never have to be afraid of losing it. Now, you know it and you know it because it’s been proven in the field test of your own life.

Go ahead. Pray for patience, strength and faithfulness all you want to. God is eager to teach them to His children.

But don’t say I didn’t warn you.