Doves On Distant Oaks

The Power of Prayer

The National Day of Prayer is observed the first Thursday in May in the United States. So, it's appropriate to consider prayer the very centerpiece of our spiritual existence. Without prayer, there would be no communication with God and because of that, no power we could call upon, no praise we could give, no victory we could claim. Without prayer, our faith would be toothless.

Most of the time, we think of prayer in a nurturing role, placing it in a supportive position. At one church I attended, members of the congregation would gather together one evening a week for visitation in the community. Most of the members would go out and knock on doors, while a few would sequester themselves in a room to pray for them.

While that kind of praying is important, we should not limit prayer to just a supportive role. Prayer is an active pursuit, and there is no reason it cannot be carried into the street and to every door. Prayer is not a reserve unit providing logistic and operational support. It is front line stuff.

Many churches have what they call prayer warriors. Did you ever stop to think what a warrior is? It's a person specializing in combat, sometimes recognized as a separate warrior class. Are we acting as true warriors with our prayers, intent on going into combat with them? Because the truth is, we are at war … neck deep in it. We can't run from it, we can't pretend it doesn't exist, and we can't hide from it because it will eventually discover us and rain down hard on us.

We need only to turn on the news or open a newspaper to see this war. We complain about it, voice our opinions, and may even write letters to the editor. But how often do we closet ourselves, or assemble in groups and pray consistently and earnestly for change. We are good about praying for healing for our members, and ourselves, but do we truly understand the power we can draw upon to affect change.

Part of the problem is we don't have a firm grasp on who our enemy is. It's not what we actually see, because it's a proxy war waged by invisible sources. No, it's not those with a different lifestyle, ideology, or culture. Its not North versus South or East versus West. It's not a political war, a geographic war, or even a religious war. Sometimes, it takes on the appearance of all those things, but in truth, we are not battling men, we are battling Satan and his own personal gang of warriors. The only way to win against them is through prayer: active, bold, consistent, and sometimes even loud.

We need to call upon the power of God, through the blood of Jesus Christ, to defeat this powerful and invisible enemy and not get distracted by appearances. It's time to trade in our little .22 caliber support pistol we've been using for an attack howitzer that will bring real change in the world. After all, Jesus did not come to simply heal people, but to save them.

What is all of this power for? So we can live in a better world? Hardly. We need go no further than the second line of Christ's pastoral prayer in John 17—his prayer just before he went to the cross. It's to Glorify God.

After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.

– John 17:1-2

Keywords: Prayer, Power

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