i dare you to pray
"No one had the courage to ask Him any more questions." —Mark 12:34
It takes courage to speak to the Lord on a deep level. It takes courage to pray. For instance, do you have the courage to pray: "Jesus, may I know how to share in Your sufferings by being formed into the pattern of Your death" (see Phil 3:10)? How about praying to be purified and refined, to have your purgatory now rather than later? Do you have the courage to ask the Lord not only to use you, but to use you up? It takes courage to pray these two extra letters, "up." Did you ever pray for God to make you holy no matter what it takes? When you give God a blank check, who knows what He will write in? It takes great courage to pray the "Our Father," especially if you know what you're saying, and mean it. The traditional preface to the "Our Father" is: "We dare to say 'Our Father.' "
It's important for us to have the courage to pray "daring" prayers. This indicates we know that the Lord loves us and that we trust Him. True love of God means courageous conversations with Him and daring prayers to Him.
Prayer: Father, give me the courage to communicate with and trust in You.
Promise: "If we are unfaithful He will still remain faithful, for He cannot deny Himself." —2 Tm 2:13
Praise: St. Boniface initially failed as a missionary, but later resigned as abbot to try again, and was instrumental in establishing several dioceses.
Reference: (To have the courage to pray "daring" prayers, read the Bible every day. We have several tape series to help you. Overview of the Bible is six audio tapes starting with AV 10A-1 or three video tapes starting with V-10A. 15-minute Bible Teaching - New Testament is forty audio tapes starting with #700. An Introduction to each Book of the Bible is 32 audio tapes starting with AV 21-1 or 17 video tapes starting with V-21.)
Rescript: †Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, January 4, 2008
The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.