Sometimes the shortest prayers are the most powerful.  Sometimes our prayers don’t give God much margin to surprise us.

Think about it.  You are on your way to Walmart — it’s September, students are back in town — and you pray, “God please help me find a parking spot.”  Even if he does, honestly does that really blow you away?  Or how about “God if you want me to study, please help me find my book (in the next 45 seconds).”  If he answers that one, you might be more disappointed than surprised.  Lately, you might be praying, “God, please no more rain.”  But again, does the sunny day after that prayer, immediately create a sense of awe and wonder in your heart?  Okay, well maybe that one doesn’t work, sun does fill me with a bit of awe right now, but you get the idea.

I’m not saying that we can’t take the little prayers to God.  We can.  He hears them all.  But I’m just wondering if our faith couldn’t, shouldn’t occasionally have a bit more of an edge to it.  What would it look like if our faith were just a bit more raw?  What if we didn’t put parking space boundaries on our prayers? What if we just prayed, “God surprise me.”

Now… don’t miss the fact that when you pray “God surprise me.”  God might hear you saying, “God interrupt my life.”  God might hear you saying, “God you have permission to dig into areas of my heart that I’ve tried to keep hidden, even from myself.”  God might hear you saying, “Please invite me to dive into something that will overwhelm me, without you.”  God Surprise Me isn’t really a safe prayer.  He might take you at your word.

That’s what I’m praying for the Calvary movement; that’s what I’m praying for our communities, that’s what I’m praying for Calvary on Campus; that’s what I’m praying for myself and those I love.  God surprise me.

I sat outside Eisenhower Auditorium last night and prayed that prayer.  I’ll be there again tonight.  On Sunday all of Calvary’s gatherings will be meeting there, inviting our friends to join us.  I’m asking God to surprise us.  Not all that safe, but it’s what our hearts are longing to experience.

You should come.  Eisenhower Auditorium.  10:30am Sunday September 25.  Who knows.  Maybe God will surprise you.