Prayer Warrior

The phrase ‘prayer warrior’ is an old one in my experience. In our Pentecostal tradition, women especially claimed the title, known for their willingness to engage in sustained prayer on behalf of others, for lives to be changed. It always strikes me as an incongruous connection of words – prayer and war – at first. Prayer is for me a time of quiet and peace, often a retreat to silence. War is noisy and violent. While it is true that prayerful contemplation is often a time of quiet, there is a time and place for earnest prayers that are loud, emotional, and engaged with God in the struggle against evil.

Now is such a time! Prayer warriors are needed who will go to prayer, earnestly, on behalf of this troubled world. We stand on the brink of global conflagration- rumblings of war in Asia, a war of attrition in Ukraine, and a boiling conflict in Israel that is ready to explode into a terrible, costly, and deadly wider war in the Middle East.  

 People who will truly pray, really engaging Heaven about these troubles are desperately needed. The Scripture calls us to prayer - "I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. As you make your requests, plead for God’s mercy upon them, and give thanks. Pray this way for kings and all others who are in authority, so that we can live in peace and quietness, in godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior." (1 Timothy 2:1-3, NLT)

Even after a half-century of prayer and walking with God I make no claim to fully understand the mystery of prayer. Surely an all-knowing God does not need us to inform Him of the troubles of our own lives or those of this world. Yet, He asks us to pray. A sovereign God does not need us to strategize for Him, telling how to act. Yet, He invites us to bring our requests before Him. The whole of Scripture shows us those who prayed – specifically, faithfully, sometimes angrily, sometimes prayers that make us wince as they ask for God’s judgment on their enemies!  But, the outstanding fact is that they prayed, believing that that they could move Heaven to act on earth and so should we.

Look at a prayer of King Jehoshaphat. "He prayed, “O Lord, God of our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven. You are ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you! O our God, did you not drive out those who lived in this land when your people arrived? And did you not give this land forever to the descendants of your friend Abraham? Your people settled here and built this Temple for you. They said, ‘Whenever we are faced with any calamity such as war, disease, or famine, we can come to stand in your presence before this Temple where your name is honored. We can cry out to you to save us, and you will hear us and rescue us.’ “  (2 Chronicles 20:6-10, NLT)

Paul prayed with specificity and urged us to do likewise. "Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you. And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not everyone has faith." (2 Thessalonians 3:1-2, NIV)

Jesus was so earnestly engaged in His Gethsamane prayer that He sweat drops of blood and was exhausted by the effort!

John, in the Revelation, prays a prayer to end all prayers - "He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus." (Revelation 22:20, NIV) When Christ comes to bring the Kingdom of God to earth, wars will cease, suffering will come to an end, and humanity will flourish. This is the wonderful promse of the Kingdom to come!

Meanwhile, we are called to pray! No faithful prayer is a wrong prayer. Of course, we can pray for things not in the will of God but He can say “No” as readily as any parent whose child asks for things that would not ultimatly be good for them.  Oh that we would pray – with faith, for a changed world. As Jesus taught – “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”

As our world trembles, let us pray for the mighty holy angels to do battle in the spiritual realm to defeat the demons of death and darkness. May our prayers not be wimpy or whispered, but offered in loud and expectant words. We are taught of an unseen world that surrounds us and influences us. "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12, NIV)  Let us also pray for those who are leading nations and armies, that their hearts and minds will be shaped by good, by God, the Holy Spirit, to seek peace and justice. Let’s pray like our lives depend on it, for indeed they do!

Here is my prayer for you today.  Receive the blessing with an Amen.  "For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light." (Colossians 1:9-12, NIV)

(Video of this blog at this link)

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The Lord's Prayer (It's Yours)

Father let your kingdom come (holy holy)

Father let your will be done

On Earth as in Heaven (let it be done)

Right here in my heart

 

Give us this day our daily bread

Forgive us forgive us

As we forgive the ones who sinned

Against us forgive them

And lead us not into temptation

But deliver us from the evil one

Let your kingdom come

 

It's yours it's yours

All yours all yours

The kingdom the power

The glory are yours

It's yours it's yours

All yours all yours

Forever and ever

The kingdom is yours

On Earth as in Heaven

Right here in my heart

 

Bryan Fowler | Jacob Sooter | Matt Maher

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