Sunday, January 23, 2022

The Weapon of Prayer



Battles. We wage so many spiritual battles. Life is not for the faint of heart, for sure.


I was thinking recently about something I was taking to the Lord in prayer. Something that weighed heavily on my heart. It grieved me. And I thought, “Oh, but if more of us were grieved - how many more things would we fight for? How many more would we take to the Lord in prayer?”


There have been many “things” and “people” over the years that have weighed heavily on my heart. Things that just won’t leave me. Not for a second. 


I pray, but with these situations, I have prayed heavily. Heartily. Daily. Moment by moment. For somehow, I recognized the life or death balance that was going to be decided. And I wasn’t about to give satan victory.


So many times, we pray privately over things and people. Which prayer is NEVER bad. And we certainly don’t want to gossip about people or betray trust or relationships. But there are times (probably more times than we’d admit or acknowledge) when we need to invite others into our fight and into our prayers. 


I’m not sure why we keep things so quiet. Maybe it’s because we’re ashamed or don’t want someone else to be ashamed. But maybe - just maybe - we need to go public a little more often as we battle for someone’s soul.


Oh, how the earth may tremble as we cry out God’s name in earnest for someone we love!


I think we need more of that.


So, this time, I did that. I waged war with satan. I invited others in my prayers. Into my heart. Into my grief. 


“Where two or three are gathered together in my name….”


More of our prayers need to be waged in earnest. In yelling for intervention. In longing. In grief. 


We’ve grown too apathetic. To blasé. Too calm about our prayer life and in our fight for those we love.


Let’s run into those moments with our shields on, our armor up, and a backbone ready to fight.