PRAYING DANGEROUS PRAYERS - HOUSE OF PRAYER

Prayer is learned by imitation, much like children learn to speak. Scripture gives written prayers not merely for copied words, but so that God’s people can catch the spirit of those prayers and begin praying things they would never have prayed on their own. The first dangerous prayer is, “Search me.” Psalm 139 does not call for morbid introspection, constant fault-finding, or condemnation-heavy digging around in the heart. God’s kindness invites the honest question, “Is there anything in me that is damaging my relationship with you?” God points out what offends him, and when he points it out, he also gives faith for change, freedom, and transformation.

Compassion becomes another dangerous prayer: “Break my heart for what breaks yours.” Jesus sees crowds who are harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd, and he is moved deep in his gut. Christ’s compassion is not a little “ah shame” moment before carrying on with the day. His heart is deeply invested in human pain, hunger, and hopelessness. Yet Christ’s burden does not leave his people crushed, because the harvest is plentiful. Jesus shares not only his sorrow but also his hope, calling for earnest prayer and labourers who believe lives can be transformed.

Moses gives the prayer that sits underneath all the others: “Show me your glory.” God’s glory is his goodness, holiness, mercy, compassion, bigness, kindness, and fiery beauty revealed. Prayer cannot remain a functional parking-ticket moment, where somebody does what is required and moves on. God invites encounter. Moses asks to see God’s glory, and God answers because he loves to make himself known. Christ came from glory and brought glory to earth, showing God’s determination to reveal himself to people who hunger to see him.

God’s glory changes what gets prayed in hard places. Jesus faces the cross with a troubled soul and refuses to make “Save me from this hour” his final prayer. Christ prays, “Father, glorify your name,” because his life exists for the Father’s glory. This prayer does not make suffering easy, but it makes a life count for something bigger than comfort, protection, or getting through the day.

Isaiah sees the Lord high and exalted, sees his own uncleanness, and sees the corruption all around him. God’s holy fire does not destroy Isaiah but cleanses him. Christ reveals that same glory by drawing near to sinful people, touching what is broken, and taking guilt away. Forgiveness turns “I am a mess too” into “Here I am, send me.” God’s people do not need more condemnation when prayer grows cold. They need a fresh picture of Christ’s glory, then hearts ready to say, “Here I am, send me.”

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Let God search the hidden places Psalm 139 places the work of searching in God’s hands, not in anxious self-analysis. Human fault-finding easily becomes heavy and condemning, but God’s conviction is kind, specific, and full of grace for change. A single area surrendered to him can create wide open spaces in relationship with him. [09:55]
• 2. Compassion carries both sorrow and hope Jesus feels the suffering of the crowds deeply, yet he does not treat their condition as hopeless. His compassion becomes earnest prayer because he sees a plentiful harvest where others see only desperate need. God’s burdens become bearable when his perspective and faith come with them. [17:52]
• 3. Ask God to show his glory Moses asks for more than help or direction: he asks to see God himself. God’s glory wakes up distracted hearts and turns prayer from a religious function into a living encounter. Christ’s coming from glory shows that God is willing and determined to make himself known. [27:52]
• 4. Glory changes prayers in painful moments Jesus faces the cross honestly, with a troubled soul, but chooses the Father’s glory over immediate rescue. “Glorify your name” does not deny pain; it puts pain inside a bigger purpose. God’s worth gives courage for decisions that would otherwise seem impossible. [32:57]
• 5. Cleansed people become sent people Isaiah sees his sin clearly only after seeing the holiness of God, and God answers with cleansing rather than rejection. Christ’s glory meets people at their worst and takes guilt away. Those who know such mercy can look at broken people without superiority or despair and say, “Here I am, send me.”
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [02:27] - Learning Prayer by Imitation
• [07:59] - Dangerous Prayer: Search Me
• [11:09] - Break My Heart for What Breaks Yours
• [13:24] - Jesus’ Compassion and the Harvest
• [19:42] - Great Sorrow and Earnest Prayer
• [20:27] - Dangerous Prayer: Show Me Your Glory
• [24:49] - Moses Encounters God’s Glory
• [30:49] - Glory Leads to Dangerous Prayers
• [36:20] - Isaiah Sees, Is Cleansed, and Is Sent
• [42:30] - A Fresh Picture of Christ’s Glory

Bible Reading

Psalm 139:23-24
“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” [07:59] [08:13]

Matthew 9:35-38
“And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’” [13:24]

Exodus 33:15-20
“And he said to him, ‘If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?’ And the LORD said to Moses, ‘This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.’ He said, ‘Please show me your glory.’ And he said, ‘I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name “The LORD.” And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,’ he said, ‘you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.’” [20:27] [24:49]

John 12:27-28
“‘Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? “Father, save me from this hour”? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.’ Then a voice came from heaven: ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.’” [32:57]

Isaiah 6:1-8
“In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!’ And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: ‘Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!’ Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.’ And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here I am! Send me.’” [36:20] [41:13]

Observation questions

1. In Psalm 139, what does David ask God to do, and what does he ask God to lead him into?
2. What does Jesus see in the crowds in Matthew 9, and what does he tell his disciples to do in response? [17:52]
3. In Exodus 33, what does Moses say must go with Israel before they move forward, and what does he ask for after God promises his presence?
4. What is the order of events in Isaiah 6—from Isaiah seeing God’s holiness, to receiving cleansing, to responding to God’s question? [41:13]

Interpretation questions

1. Why is “Search me” different from constantly searching oneself for faults? What does it mean that God points out what is damaging to relationship with him, while also giving grace for change? [10:10]
2. Jesus is deeply moved by people who are harassed and helpless, yet he calls them a “plentiful harvest.” How do sorrow and hope belong together in Christ’s compassion? [18:02]
3. Moses asks not merely for help or direction, but to see God’s glory. What does God’s answer reveal about his character—especially his goodness, mercy, and compassion? [25:29]
4. Isaiah’s guilt is taken away before he says, “Here I am! Send me.” Why does receiving God’s cleansing make a person more ready to serve broken people without superiority or despair? [40:57]

Application questions

1. Is there an area of life where you have been stuck in self-criticism, shame, or anxious self-analysis? What might it look like this week to pray simply, “Search me, God,” and allow him to show you one thing with kindness? [09:16]
2. What situation, person, or need has been difficult for you to look at because it feels too overwhelming? How could you ask Jesus to give you both his compassion and his hope for that situation? [16:46]
3. Jesus calls his followers to pray earnestly for labourers. Who are the people or places in your area that need someone to carry the good news, practical care, and hope of Christ? Could the group begin praying specifically for labourers there? [19:14]
4. When prayer has felt functional—something done quickly to get through the day—what usually lies behind that? What would it look like to make room to ask, “Lord, show me your glory,” rather than only bringing a list of needs? [28:53]
5. Is there a hard decision, fear, or painful season where your first instinct is mainly, “Father, save me from this hour”? How might “Father, glorify your name” change the way you see that situation, without pretending that it is easy? [32:57]
6. Where do you feel disqualified from being used by God because of your weakness, failure, or sense of being “a mess too”? How does Christ’s willingness to draw near, cleanse, and forgive shape a different response? [40:22]
7. Who is one person—perhaps in your family, workplace, neighbourhood, or friendship circle—for whom you could begin praying, “Here I am, send me”? What small, loving step might God be inviting you to take? [41:34]