Numbers 6:24-26
24 The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
25 The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
26 The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
Have you ever had someone tell you never pray for patience? And in saying this they talking about how the bible says tribulation brings patience? And who wants more tribulation, right?
Well this is partly a joke and partly an admission that one wishes to avoid God’s dealings and just stay the way we are. That is we like it in our comfort zones and we want nothing to disturb us there. God however is going to put us through tribulations anyway, to produce patience whether we like it or not, so why are we making it harder than it has to be?
Blessings
The blessing quoted above is becoming a popular saying these days, and is well suited for those who love their comfort zone.
Now compare that to a really dangerous prayer, one you best not pray unless you are totally serious with God. It goes like this:
Lord, judge me, strictly,
and correct me severely,
so I may serve you perfectly.
Did you say ouch?
Well we’re going to build on this idea and offer some scriptural prayers of blessing. These will be based on our own end time prophetic vision; dangerous radical prayers. We will include scripture references with each one, ones that form the basis of each prayer.
In a previous article of mine, The Stumbling Block, I spoke of how the bible has over 40 some verses that detail promises to those who will follow Jesus. They are promises of persecution, suffering and martyrdom. We will lay out some dangerous radical prayers that fall under each of these headings. But first let’s start with something relatively tame; and then give some of a more generic nature. Here goes!
May you never walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful. But let your delight be in the law of the LORD; in which you meditate day and night. And may you be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bring forth fruit in his season; whose leaf does not wither; and whatsoever he does shall prosper. [Psalms 1:1-3]
May you trust in the Lord with all your heart and not depend on your own ability or understanding. May you acknowledge him in everything you do, letting him direct you in all things. May you not be wise in your own eyes, but fear the Lord and depart from evil. [Proverbs 3:5-7]
Now one not so tame:
May you be willing in the day of His power. [Psalms 110:3]
Willing to do what? What ever the Lord will command!
[John 2:5]
May you be conformed to the image of Christ. [Romans 8:29]
May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: That the eyes of your understanding will be enlightened; so that you may know the hope of his calling, and the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, [Ephesians 1:17-19]
May God grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God. [Ephesians 3:16-19]
May you be poor in spirit, mournful and meek. May you hunger and thirst after the kingdom of God, and it’s righteousness. May you always be a peacemaker, merciful, and pure in heart. [Matthew 5:3-9, Matthew 6:33]
May you be hidden in Him in the day of his anger. [Zephaniah 2:3]
May you mature and grow up into the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God. May you come unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: That you will thereafter not be as a child, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; so that you may put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. [Ephesians 4: 13-15; 23-24]
May you be clothed with righteousness. Psalms [132:9, 16]
May you put away childish things as you mature. [1 Corinthians 13:11]
May you behold how pleasant it is to dwell in unity and receive the blessing of life for evermore. [Psalms 133:1-3]
May you be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might, putting on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. [Ephesians 6:10-13]
May the Spirit fall upon you and make you into another person. [1 Samuel 10:6-7]
Persecution
May you be persecuted for righteousness' sake. May men hate, revile, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for Jesus’ sake knowing that he who endures to the end shall be saved. [Matthew 5:3-11 Mark 13:13].
May you be troubled on every side, yet not distressed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; [2 Corinthians 4:8-9]
May you count it all joy when you fall into various temptations knowing that the trying of your faith works patience. Let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. [James 1:2-4]
May you consider the things of this world as trash and waste for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus. And may you know him, the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; [Philippians 3:8-10]
Suffering
May you be a chosen vessel unto the Lord, refined, but not with silver; rather chosen in the furnace of affliction. May he show you what great things to suffer for his name's sake. Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for you in the flesh, arm yourself likewise with the same mind: for he that has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.
And may you never terrified by your adversaries: which is to them a proof of destruction, but to you of salvation. For to you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; [Isaiah 48:10, Acts 9:15-16, 1 Peter 4:1-2, Philippians 1:28-29]
May you learn perfection through the things you will have to suffer. [Hebrews 5:8]
As you suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of your soul to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator. [1 Peter 4:17-19]
May the Lord demonstrate his great love for you by chastisement. And may you never despise the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when you are rebuked. For whoever the Lord loves he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives. If you endure chastening, God deals with you as a son for your profit, that you might be a partaker of his holiness, and afterward receive the peaceable fruit of righteousness. [Hebrews 12:5-7:10-11 Revelation 3:19 Proverbs 3:11-12]
May he work patience in you by many tribulations. And may you glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation works patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope will make you unashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in your heart by the Holy Ghost which is given unto you. [Romans 5:3-5]
Rejoice, inasmuch as you are a partaker of Christ's sufferings; so that, when his glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, then may you be happy; for the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. [1 Peter 4:13-14]
May his strength be made perfect in your weakness May his grace be all you need in any situation. May you take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake. For when you are weak, then you are strong, because his grace is sufficient and his strength is made perfect in your weakness. [2 Corinthians 12:9-10]
May you reap in joy after sowing in sorrow. Psalms 126:5-6
May you have suffering turn to Joy as when a woman is delivered of child. John 16:20-21]
May the Rock fall upon you and grind you to powder, and may that powder then be mixed with water from the river of life, forming a marvelously pliable clay. May the master potter then take this clay and fashion a vessel fit for His use. [Luke 20:17-18, Isaiah 64:8, Romans 9:20-23, 2 Timothy 2:20-21]
Martyrdom
May you be given grace, by the mercies of God, to present your body a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And to not be conformed to this world: but to be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. [Romans 12:1-2]
May you be ready to be offered up after you have run your race! That you will know when the time of your departure is at hand; having fought a good fight, finished your course, and kept the faith: [2 Timothy 4:6-7]
May you have boldness in the day of judgment. May the perfect love of the father be shed abroad into your heart by the Holy Spirit. So that as perfect love casts out all fear, you may walk through the valley of the Shadow of death fearing no evil. [Romans 5:5, 1 John 4:16-18, Psalms 23:4]
May you be always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest. For those who live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in your mortal flesh. Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise you up also by Jesus. Though your outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For your light affliction, which is but for a moment, works for you a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; as you look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. [2 Corinthians 4:6-18]
As you endure tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword may you be more than a conqueror through him that loved you. For neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate you from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. [Romans 8:35-39]
May you be able to say with Job Though He slay me, yet I will trust him! [Job 13:15]
May the Lord be your God for ever and ever: and be your guide even unto death. [Psalms 48:14]
May your death be precious in the sight of the LORD. [Psalms 116:15]
May you come to sit with him in his throne as he is seated with his father. Amen. [Revelation 3:21]