Another View of Prayer

“And I will rescue you from both your own people and the Gentiles. Yes, I am sending you to the Gentiles to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people who are set apart by faith in Me.” (Acts 26:17-18 NLT)

Even though Satan is a defeated foe he’s still far more powerful than we are, unless and until we rely fully on the Holy Spirit’s protection. John Piper wrote: “You cannot know what prayer is for, until you know that life is war.”

Have you ever wondered why prayer is sometimes so hard? And you may be thinking: “It’s not hard, you just speak with God like you do anyone else.” And that’s mostly correct, but the mechanics of prayer and the purpose of prayer are sometimes at odds. How so? Too often our prayers are a quick: “Father, bless my day!” or “Forgive me for being so abrasive with my co-worker.” And there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s just not enough.

Wars have casualties. Unfortunately, many pay with their life who didn’t need to die, largely because they didn’t listen to their Commanding Officer or didn’t carry their instructions out as ordered. Prayer is an open line to heaven through which we receive our orders on an ongoing basis. When we’re under satanic attack we may not have time to get on our knees and seek God’s guidance.

Prayer isn’t simply a casual conversation with God about what I should do to help my little toe that I stubbed, it’s a crucial communication dealing with life and death decisions. And no, I’m not being melodramatic. There are people in our spheres of influence who will miss heaven if we’re not seriously storming heaven on their behalf.

I think of the movie Hacksaw Ridge that told the story of Desmond Doss who wouldn’t carry a weapon, but wanted to serve as a medic to help those who were wounded. It’s a wonderful, inspiring movie about what he went through to hold to his Christian convictions. I remember the scene when he’d stayed behind after all the other soldiers had retreated to safety, committed to saving as many wounded as he possibly could from certain death.

“Lord, give me one more!” was his cry to His heavenly Father after each one he lowered down a steep wall to safety. It’s estimated that he was able to rescue 75 men, including a couple of Japanese soldiers, all the while dealing with raw and bleeding hands from the heavy rope he had to use to lower each one. That’s the cry of my heart for my lost family members, friends, and neighbors.

There’s too much at stake to get lazy about prayer. Prayer is the only means of seeing lost people come to Jesus. It’s not the only thing, but it’s got to be first. Remember we pray, then God works. John Piper had it right when he wrote: “Prayer is a war-time walkie-talkie, not a domestic intercom for ringing up the butler to change the thermostat. It is a war-time walkie-talkie to call in firepower because the enemy is greater than we are. If you try to turn this into a domestic intercom to bring another pillow, it malfunctions, and you wonder why. It’s not made to be an intercom. It’s made to be a war-time walkie-talkie.”

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊