5 truths about praying specific prayers.

I used to be afraid to pray specific prayers. I thought it meant putting God in a box. Or that I would miss what God was doing or really wanted for my life because I was too focused on one specific thing. I suppose those things could be true, but for me, it’s mostly about the fear of it.

And then one day, I hit a point where I realized the way I was praying about a certain situation wasn’t working out. I was being too wishy-washy. Tossed by the wind, if you will. I needed to either go all the way in and get specific or get out.

So I went all the way in. I got terrifyingly specific, and honestly a little aggressive with it. I fully expected God to slow my roll. Instead, I learned these five things.

ONE. Jesus wants you to know what you want — and ask for it.

In Mark 10, a blind man named Bartimaeus calls out to Jesus, and Jesus asks him, “What do you want me to do for you?”

It’s not a trick question. Jesus knows what this man wants, but He wants Bartimaeus to know. Can he name it? Can he say it out loud? Sometimes, the practice for me is simply answering this question with something honest, and not “whatever You want.”

Other times, I have no idea what to ask for. But the same is still true — Jesus wants me to know. So the practice then becomes asking God how I can pray into a certain situation. What do You want me to agree with?

He never fails to answer.

TWO. you can’t surrender what you’re unwilling to admit you want.

You have to admit to God what it is that you want. You have to name it. Spell it out. Put it all out there. Not because that’s how you’ll get what you want, but because you can’t put something at the feet of Jesus if you don’t know what that thing is or you’re unwilling to admit that it’s even there. And if you don’t give it to Jesus, He can’t do anything with it.

So call it out. Surrender it.

And then, if you’re anything like me, you’re going to need to repeat that second part and put it at Jesus’ feet again and again. Sometimes at five-minute intervals.

THREE. specificity fosters intimacy.

Being specific with what you want is pretty vulnerable. It’s true with anything you ask for. There’s always the chance that the answer is no, and that’s risky. Which means, when you take it to God, you’re likely not going to just shout it to Him from across the throne room. Metaphorically speaking. No — you’re going to climb on His lap, whisper it in His ear, and then look to Him to see what He does with that wild and specific request.

And that type of intimacy? That’s what He’s longing for — and what you really need.

FOUR. you’ll recognize the answer when you know exactly what you’re asking.

The question I’ve started to ask when people tell me what they’re praying for is how they’ll know if God does it. Most people have a hard time answering this question because what they’re asking for is so big or broad that they can’t identify what a yes might look like.

I’m not trying to be pushy, but I expect God to answer. And I want to know how we’ll recognize it when He does.

Sometimes the answer is obvious, like if we’re asking for healing and then doctors do more scans and can’t find the tumor anymore. Other times, we’re asking for something like confirmation, but we don’t outline the terms — like Gideon did in Judges 6:36–38.

Gideon said to God, “If you are truly going to use me to rescue Israel as you promised, prove it to me in this way. I will put a wool fleece on the threshing floor tonight. If the fleece is wet with dew in the morning but the ground is dry, then I will know that you are going to help me rescue Israel as you promised.” And that is just what happened. When Gideon got up early the next morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung out a whole bowlful of water.

More often than not, we stop at “I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor tonight.” And then when it’s drenched in the morning, we don’t know that it’s confirmation.

I’ve noticed that the more specific I pray, the more I see the hand of God moving — and the more I’m able to point to it, call it out for those around me, and testify to His nearness and His faithfulness.

FIVE. being specific is like putting your foot on the gas when God’s hand is on the steering wheel.

I find that often times, we might see something up ahead, but we never get there — or are redirected somewhere else — because our foot is on the break. We’re waiting for God to tell us where we’re going or how we’ll get there.

We wait for God to be more specific when I think faith and trust in Him means we get specific with Him. We have an idea, a desire, or something we believe He said — and we go after it.

I used to be afraid of praying too specifically because, What if this is the wrong thing to zero in on? But the truth is, I can’t mess up God’s plans. If anything, my willingness to push my foot into the gas gives God the opportunity to shape me, refine me, draw me closer to Him, and sharpen my focus on what He wants me to be paying attention to.

We end up in a better place — more aligned with the will of God — when we’re willing to give it a little gas.