Careful what you pray for!

"... that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead." 2 Corinthians 1.7

It was a moment of inspiration, revelation even. It happened in one of the small groups in the Alpha Course we are currently doing as a church. We were discussing prayer in the context of 'Thy Kingdom Come', the international initiative which runs between Ascension and Pentecost, encouraging us to pray every day for the conversion of 5 non-/ not-yet believers whom we know. Given how it is so often through unforeseen tragedies that people discover the loving presence of God, the question arose: might our praying provoke such an ordeal, in order that God might gain their attention? Are we prepared for that?