Podcast Summary: "The Prayer That Changed My Life | An Interview with Francis Chan"

Podcast: Crazy Love Podcast
Date: September 29, 2025
Guest: Francis Chan
Host/Interviewer: John (Charisma Media)

Overview

This episode features a heartfelt conversation between best-selling author and pastor Francis Chan and interviewer John from Charisma Media. The main focus is Chan’s personal journey from insecurity and fear toward a life anchored in the unshakeable love of God—a journey further explored in his new book, Beloved. Together, they discuss how church culture, personal experience, and spiritual practices have shaped their understanding of God’s love, the challenge of living as “beloved,” and the role prayer played in transforming Chan’s heart.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. From "Trembling at the Word" to Resting in Love

[01:59] – [03:21] Francis Chan:

• Chan still affirms his early teaching—love for the Word is foundational. But now he recognizes “trembling at God's promises” is as vital as trembling at His commands.
• Quote: “If you look at Scripture, so much of what we should be trembling at is when He promises something... when He says, ‘I’ll be with you always,’ when He says that ‘I love you and want you to abide in my love.’ He wants us to believe that.” (02:55)

2. The Inner Disconnect and the Process of Becoming Secure in God’s Love

[03:59]–[07:25] Francis Chan:

• Chan shares his struggle as a pastor—feeling pressure to project confidence while privately dealing with insecurity about God’s love.
• The turning point: confession, communal prayer, and honesty in the church helped break through lingering fear and doubt.
• Quote: “I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s faith by going, ‘Hey, I have my doubts.’ And yet I had to be honest and go, you know, there is still some insecurity... I need the prayers of my church and the people.” (06:18)

3. The 50th Birthday Prayer – A Life-Changing Moment

[07:49] – [10:07] Francis Chan:

• Instead of a party for his 50th, Chan asked his church and family to pray for him to know, without doubt, that he is loved by God.
• He contrasts his 30th birthday (focused on obedience) with his 50th (focused on peace and rest in God’s love).
• Quote: “I just want to be at peace coming into His presence and realizing what was off was some of my actual faith and His love for me.” (07:49)

4. The Example of the Beloved Disciple (John)

[10:41] – [14:53] Francis Chan:

• Chan admits he overlooked John’s identity as the “beloved disciple,” preferring examples of accomplishment.
• He unpacks how John’s emphasis on being “beloved” is meant for every Christian, not just for him.
• Quote: “He’s not just saying, ‘I’m the beloved one.’ He’s reminding us all that we’re beloved and we have to have that reminder before, ‘Let us love one another.’” (13:08)
• Chan desires to “be like John”—grounded in God’s love more than his own achievements.

5. Spiritual Identity and the Church’s Struggle

[15:57] – [19:05] Francis Chan:

• Discusses how many Christian traditions emphasize sin and unworthiness, but often neglect the equally biblical truth that God delights in His people.
• Stresses the balance: rebuke the unruly but encourage the fainthearted (citing 1 Thessalonians).
• Quote: “We need to be people who... encourage the fainthearted and you rebuke the unruly. And so as a shepherd, as a pastor... you need to know, okay, when is it time to rebuke and when is it time to encourage?” (17:18)
• Warns against swinging the pendulum away from reverence toward an unbalanced “grace only” message.

6. Faith, the “Invisible,” and Meditation on the Word

[19:42] – [22:25] Francis Chan:

• True transformation comes from faith in the invisible—not just knowledge or outward experience.
• Focus should be on impartation by the Holy Spirit, not just eloquence or performance.
• Quote: “There are miraculous, invisible things that the scripture tells us to focus on... To dwell on the invisible, because everything that’s physical and visible is passing away, but it’s the invisible that’s eternal.” (21:11)
• Emphasizes that deep change is often imperceptible in the moment, but visible in the fruit over time.

7. Trusting the Invisible—Letting Go of Control

[24:19] – [29:03] Francis Chan:

• Chan shares his struggle with the “pressure to say something profound,” preferring to trust in the power of prayer over performance.
• Challenges listeners to believe in impartation and the power of simple faith-filled prayer, not just persuasive words.
• Quote: “I really felt God was impressing on me that I need to believe less in my speech and more in my prayer.” (25:57)
• Talks about resisting the cultural demand for “spectacle” in ministry and instead seeking God’s actual presence.

8. Overcoming Barriers to Receiving God’s Love

[30:28] – [37:26] Francis Chan:

• Honest discussion about how doubt in God’s love persists even when logically, biblically, and experientially refuted.
• Public scrutiny and constant criticism in the present digital age make it harder to trust in God’s unconditional acceptance.
• Quote: “You’re so used to that, that you can start to look at God that way... But we’re so not used to people being for you, especially in the church. The church is the worst place for that.” (35:25)
• Chan calls for churches and believers to embody the love and encouragement of God, so others can more readily accept their belovedness.

9. Advice to His Younger Self: Never Graduate from God’s Love

[39:05] – [43:29] Francis Chan:

• Reflecting on re-reading Crazy Love after 15 years, Chan realizes he’s now more rooted in God’s love and would advise young Christians not to move on from that truth.
• The “deep truths” of theology should not displace the foundational experience of God’s love.
• Quote: “Don’t lose sight of relationship... Don’t lose sight of just enjoying Him and growing in that enjoyment.” (41:29)

10. Childlike Faith and the Power of “Jesus Loves Me”

[44:39] – [46:30] Francis Chan:

• Chan and John reflect on the children’s song “Jesus Loves Me”—simple, yet containing the profound essence of the gospel.
• Chan desires increasing childlike faith as he grows older.

11. Prayer for Identity as Beloved

[46:51] – [49:01] Francis Chan (prayer):

• Invokes God’s help to break through demonic barriers to receiving divine love.
• Prays specifically for listeners to have “the eyes of their hearts enlightened,” to be strengthened in the inner being, and to abide in God’s love.
• Quote: “We want your bride, your church, just to know that they’re living loved God, despite how others have treated us. Lord, you are not man that you would lie. You promise this love. Break through that darkness. Open our eyes, all of us.” (47:32)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On trembling at God's promises:
  “So much of what we should be trembling at is when He promises something...when He says, ‘I love you and want you to abide in my love.’ He wants us to believe that.” (02:55, Francis Chan)

• On overcoming insecurity:
  “I don’t want to have any doubts of his love for me...I just want to be at peace coming into His presence and realizing what was off was some of my actual faith and His love for me.” (07:49, Francis Chan)

• On practical spiritual advice:
  “Don’t lose sight of relationship...Don’t lose sight of just enjoying Him and growing in that enjoyment.” (41:29, Francis Chan)

• On church hurt and divine love:
  “You’re so used to that, that you can start to look at God that way...But we’re so not used to people being for you, especially in the church.” (35:25, Francis Chan)

• On the importance of a childlike heart:
  “The older I get, I do want to become more like a child and just take these truths and go, yes, Jesus loves me.” (44:39, Francis Chan)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:59] Trembling at God’s promises and commands
• [03:59] Struggling privately with doubt as a pastor
• [07:49] The transformative 50th birthday prayer
• [10:41] Rediscovering the “beloved disciple” identity
• [15:57] Balancing reverence and love in church teaching
• [19:42] Faith and impartation—moving from head to heart
• [24:19] Letting go of performance for prayerful impartation
• [30:28] God’s desire for us to know His love
• [35:21] How cultural criticism shapes our view of God
• [39:05] Advice to a younger self: continually grow in knowing God’s love
• [44:00] The simple power of “Jesus Loves Me”
• [46:51] Closing prayer for assurance in being beloved

Conclusion

Francis Chan’s journey reveals that “being loved” is not an elementary, optional aspect of faith, but its core. Through candid anecdotes, practical wisdom, and deeply felt prayer, he encourages listeners to resist both religious performance and cultural pressures—and to rest in God’s unchanging delight in His children. For Chan, the prayer that changed his life was a vulnerable plea: for God to anchor his identity as beloved—not just as a point of doctrine, but as a reality lived out every day.