Are Our Prayers Too Small?
A billionaire thinks bigger because he has a billion dollars. We have the King of the Universe—so why would we pray so small? (Plus the audacious prayer Bob prays.)
Church leader Kris Vallotton once shared about how much he likes it when a billionaire comes to speak to his staff. “The billionaire thinks in an entirely different way,” with a bigger sense of possibility and can-do spirit.
And, granted, the man has a billion dollars to play with, so perhaps that makes sense.
Except … we have the King of the Universe on our side. He’s not just a billionaire, but a God of infinite resources.
As his followers, we have access to him.
So why would we be stuck in small thinking?
Well, this is lovely to think about in terms of business and practical life things.
But how might this play out in prayer?
I had no concept of how restricted I was in my requests until an early conversation I had with Bob Perry about books and writing.
He said, “For almost 40 years, I have been praying that my books—the physical objects, the books themselves—would impart a blessing to those who read it. As people walk by my books on the shelf, I want a blessing to leap on them, sort of like Peter’s shadow in the book of Acts, or how people would pick up Paul’s sweat rags and go and lay them on the sick.”
WHAT?!
Who thinks to pray like this?!
It’s one thing to take a cloth. People have been using relics for a long time.
But a shadow is not even a corporeal, tangible thing. It is ephemeral. And yet people tried to get Peter’s shadow to fall on them.
Like the billionaire with his bigger sense of possibility, Bob Perry prays bigger, different prayers. He takes the scripture and isn’t hesitant to say, “I want this in my own life. I want this in a context that makes sense to me. I want the Spirit of God to be moving in such power in the things that I do, and the tasks set before me, that my life makes a difference in the kingdom. Amen and amen.”
It has been my privilege to absorb all I can from Bob over the last year.
And one of my favorite things about the kingdom of God is that, when God gives us a gift, we get to give out of our overflow.
Lord God, you said to Abraham in Genesis 12:2-3, “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
Lord, this is such a beautiful promise. Thank you that you fill us, and then permit us to bless others out of the fullness you give.
Grace to you and peace from God our father and King Jesus the Lord,
Amy Joy
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