I ask: Lord, do what You have to do for salvation to take place. If need be, use each of us, however necessary, to save this lost soul. This feels as though I’m inviting hurt or loss to come and disturb our lives, as if I am offering myself up and giving permission for God to do what He must with me, regardless. Not that He needs permission. And though we don’t always realize it, isn’t this what we’re offering when we pray “whatever it takes”? Because “whatever it takes” is never a simple thing, it never touches just one person. “Whatever it takes”, at its core, is making yourself available to suffering. It is a form of self-sacrifice…”Whatever it takes” isn’t just a scary prayer because it forces us to release an individual into the Lord’s hands, but because it forces us to put ourselves there, too.