Death Prayer: 1. What is a Death Prayer?

This sounds a rather sinister title for the new series and when I very first heard of the “death prayer” I thought, wow, that’s a bit extreme; but in reality it is an essential part of growth in your Christian walk.

In John 12: 24-25 it says,

'Most assuredly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.'

Jesus is basically saying that as we live a Christian life we have to surrender and lay aside our desires and submit to God’s will and purpose for our lives. It's as we die to self and do God’s will not our own that we mature as Christians and live a life more pleasing to God.

In Revelation Chapter 12 it talks about Christians who overcome evil and dying to self was one of the things that they did which caused them to be honoured by God for how they had lived their lives.

'And they overcame him (satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony and they did not love their lives to the death. Revelation 12: 11

There is great power and merit in praying prayers that surrender our lives, desires and wants for God to take complete control of our lives, imbed His desires into our hearts and cause us to want the same things He wants. The next two parts to this series will look at two people in the Bible who prayed death prayers and what the consequences were in their lives but also on others.

Sara Jukes

2004-11-22