“Boldly” Boldly

Although I could not tell you exactly what sermon he was preaching, I can remember very clearly what happened during one of Pastor’s messages. Pastor was attempting to emphasize his point by getting us to repeat him with confident intensity. He said, “Say, ‘BOLDLY’ boldly.” Being the obedient congregation that we are, most of us said, “boldly boldly.” He hung and shook his head. He said, “No, say ‘BOLDLY’…boldly.” Maybe half caught on, but many still repeated, “boldly boldly.” Sorry, Pastor!

The beginning of Matthew 5, called “The Beatitudes,” lists different people who will receive blessings. Verse 5 says, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” This word meek doesn’t mean what you may typically think of…timid or docile…instead, it describes someone who doesn’t engage in confrontation, someone who exercises patience in the face of adversity. So, even though there is a time and place for Matthew 5:5 meekness, we’re living in the days where, in one area of our lives, we can’t afford any form of meekness…and that’s prayer.

In a book I’m reading, Fervent, by Priscilla Shirer, there’s a line that captured my attention from the beginning. “We simply don’t have the luxury of playing nice with prayer.” Playing nice…that made such an impact on me. Our prayers can become baseless, faithless, and useless when they are passively lacking any gusto, if we’re not addressing our needs and those of others with fervency. When your battle is with Satan and his army of thieves, standard-issue tactics and prayer will NOT defeat the enemy.

Fervent is defined as “passionate intensity.” Pastor has often said how he sees us at ball parks or concerts, getting loud and radical. So why can’t we get loud and radical about God and our prayers to the only One who can answer them? Why can’t we raise our voice and demand the promises of God to manifest in our situations? Why can’t we stomp our feet and tell Satan where to go and how to get there?

We can follow the Word and remain meek in our aggression, in our attitude towards others, but we must come “boldly, boldly” to the throne of God when we want, and NEED, answers to our prayers.