Courageous Prayer

John Knox lived in turbulent times. Born in 1514 near Haddington, Scotland, he was a priest before being called to the Protestant ministry. When Mary Tudor, a Roman Catholic, became queen of England in 1553, Knox fled to Switzerland. When he returned to Scotland in 1559, Knox became an outspoken critic of Mary’s regime. Their conflict came to a head in a dramatic encounter in September 1560.

It has been said that Mary once admitted that she feared “the prayers of John Knox more than all the assembled armies of Europe.” Why such fear? Because she knew that, unlike the prayers of other people, his prayers were powerful, and really made a difference. He was bold because he was confident in his relationship with God. About Knox, one English politician said, “He put more life in us than 500 trumpets blustering in our ears.”

Knox is known to have prayed, “O Lord, give me Scotland, or I die!” He consistently repeated this audacious prayer. As a result, mighty spiritual things happened. Knox knew that nothing was impossible for those who pray, stating confidently that “a man with God is always in the majority.”

Today, God hasn’t changed. He looks for men and women with the kind of boldness that characterized the prayer life of John Knox. This is a boldness willing to take on kings and kingdoms, even to assault the gates of hell.

In your life, determine to be a person of faith. Believe God boldly, and pray with confidence and faith. Know for certain that, with Him, nothing is impossible!