Seriously, Be Careful What You Pray For!

Mar 20 2015 Seriously, Be Careful What You Pray For!

My seventeen-year-old Noah came home from youth group a few months ago and said, “I want to go to Ethiopia.”

I replied, “Wow! Well, maybe someday.” That’s the typical mom answer, but in my head, I thought—it’s not going to happen, but it’s cool that he thinks he wants to go.

The Ethiopia mission team from our church had presented stories of their trip to the high school kids that night. After hearing their stories, Noah felt inspired and called to visit Africa with the group on their next trip. He was adamant with me as we discussed it, yet in my head, I was still thinking it was not going to happen.

Fast-forward to today: Noah is flying on an Ethiopian airline as I type this blog. 

I’ve prayed for a few years now that Noah and his brothers will do radical things for God in their lifetimes. It sounds brave of me.

Noah is a sometimes “all about me” seventeen-year-old who deals with the highs and lows of adolescence. He enjoys serving (feeding the homeless, Sunday School helper, Mexico house-building, and coaching). Nothing is too radical. Wonderful but not radical.

Did I believe God would call this typical teenager out of his comfort zone this way? Did I think God would call me out of my mom comfort zone this way? I don’t know.

In Ethiopia, the team will be visiting villages bringing the love of God, courageously, radically warning the villagers about the reality and dangers of sex trafficking. Many of these families have already given their daughters over to traffickers, believing their girls were leaving to get an education and learn a valuable vocation. Heart-wrenching. Radical. Amazing.

Amazing God. I marvel that God chose this man-boy of mine for this task. I prayed for this (sorta, generally), yet I’m still surprised and, quite frankly, somewhat scared for Noah. I’m not feeling as brave as I prayed.

Noah has a sometimes fearful, imperfect mother. But down deep, my heart desires to honor God and be brave for Him more than anything else in this life.

Sometimes, God uses radical circumstances  (like sending a kid to Africa) to sharpen our spiritual mettle.

Sometimes, we pray radical prayers, and God answers. As a result, we are given new opportunities to trust Him. I have learned that when God leads my heart to pray big-girl, courageous prayers, He gives me big-girl bravery in the face of His answers.

Do you pray brave and radical prayers? Is the Lord leading you to do so?

May the Lord bless your courageous prayers, growing your spiritual mettle as He allows those prayers to come to fruition.

And friends, seriously, be careful what you pray for because we serve an AMAZING, RADICAL God who answers prayers while giving us opportunities to be brave.

“This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”  1 John 5:14