NIGHTMARE PRAYER
DAVID PERKINS, LEAD PASTOR RADIANT CHURCH, KANSAS CITY
Recently, in a sermon, I accidentally exclaimed, “I’m praying through five nightmares right now.” In the moment, it was a confession that I wished I could put back in my mouth. It felt a little too vulnerable. Yet, I said it, and it was true. In my prayer journal, I had numbered five challenging situations that I began to systematically bring before God. In my prayer journal, I called them my five nightmares.
I have found that personal pain is my ticket to authentic prayer. You see, It is my natural inclination to write or quote something trite and simplistic to God in prayer. Yet, I find that when I pray that way, over time I become distant from God. Why is that, you may ask? The answer is simple. I’m not being honest with God. In my lack of transparency, my prayer life slips into a mandatory spiritual assignment that I begrudgingly participate in. However, when I take the most painful things in my life to God and place them in His hand, I grow closer to Him.
I have a confession: I often possess disappointment in God when I face pain. I know that’s wrong. I know that Jesus told us we would face trouble. Paul tells us to endure suffering. James tells us to consider pure joy when we face trials, but I hate pain. I’m always tempted to be mad at God when I face pain. The only way for me to have affection for God instead of anger at God is to pray through my pain, to pray through my nightmares.
In Luke 22:42, Jesus brings His pain to His Father before He goes to the cross. He requests another way. He knows the impending pain in front of Him. Jesus prays, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel strengthened Him as He sweated drops of blood.
In my spiritual journey, I find myself saying to God, “not my will, but yours be done” over and over. How many times do I have to have circumstances turn out differently than I had hoped? How many times do I have to come back to God and submit my life to Him recognizing that He is God and I trust Him? It’s not occasional. It’s near daily. My wife, Renata, always says this to me, “this isn’t heaven yet.” In her words she is reminding me that we live in a fallen world. One day, all will be right. For now, we stay close to God and trust Him through the pain. One day, every tear will be wiped away. But, for now, the way to feel less pain is actually to draw close to God and trust Him in the pain. When I’m close to Him, I can believe that He is at work in the pain. When I’m close, I have confidence that He will bring me through the pain. However, when I’m far from Him in the pain, I’m angry at Him for creating a world where I experience this much pain.
Recently, I challenged Radiant Church to 21 days of prayer where we spent time with Jesus daily. However, I threw in a challenge to a digital detox and step away from entertainment on screens. During those days, I found that most of us numb our pain with distraction. We entertain ourselves with conversations, news, sports, shopping, shows and movies to a level that we avoid our pain. We distract ourselves so that we don’t face our pain. During that digital detox, I had more time to pray and found myself praying through my pain, my nightmares.
Today, some of those nightmares have turned into testimonies of God’s faithfulness. God was at work in nightmarish circumstances and today I can celebrate His goodness in what seemed like impossible pain only months ago. Of course, that’s easy to say on this side of the nightmare. However, your current nightmare may be your future victory story.
How can you pray through your nightmares? Here are a few steps.
Write down what’s causing you pain. Number them. Name them. Name each one so that you can quickly whisper it to God during your day. I like to shorten the challenging circumstance to just one word. That way, I can whisper it to God all day long. I’ll whisper it when I drive, clean, or even walk through the parking lot.
Whisper your prayer to God even if the nightmare is getting darker. I like to whisper out loud or write my prayers in a journal. If it’s just a thought in my mind, it’s easier to get lost with all my other thoughts.
Obey any ideas that come to your mind that align with Scripture. God may give you an idea that requires obedience. Often, it’s very difficult. It requires financial faith, enemy forgiveness, or sacrificial service. Yet, it’s often The Holy Spirit leading you.
Thank God for the incremental good that you see start to take place in the nightmarish situation. If the nightmare gets worse, lock in to pray for the long haul.
Believe God will use your prayers and obedience even if you can’t see change in your circumstance. Ask God to help you see with eternal eyes so that you can walk by faith through the pain.
In all honesty, I’m still walking through some nightmarish situations, but I’m not alone. God will strengthen me and lead me through these. He will for you too. Let’s not allow pain to keep us from God. Instead, let that pain be an opportunity to draw close and pray.
PRAYER
Today follow the above outline in your prayer time.
