Prayer is something that is spoken about by many in the Christian Faith. But we as Christians are often flippant in how we address the topic. It is seen as just a ritual we do at meals or before large life events. But there is more to it than is often recognized by Christians and because of this it becomes less cared about by others. The phrase “Our thoughts and prayers are with the grieving” has become a universal statement to give the media but it so often rings hollow to our ears.
We have this because the image of prayer has been lost and what view we have of it has been limited from what it was meant to be. Cultural images seem to portray prayer as something to only belong in hospital rooms, churches, the kitchen table, before a family trip and a small child kneeling by their bed in the darkness as a candle flickers nearby. But it was meant to be more than these finite images.
It is supposed to be the church gathered together in the home of a person with united spirits interceding for that which concerns their heavy hearts. It is a teenager with a journal sitting in silence and listening for the response that shall be given to them. A mother with her hand on the shoulders of her sleeping child that they might see the way of the Lord and follow in its path. A husband and wife expressing the worries of life that are on their minds as they desire to provide and care for each other. And the final image I will give you is that of a concerned citizen begging the eyes of their leadership to be opened and see the right choices to make for the country to prosper and thrive.
In 1st Thessalonians Paul is finishing up his letter to the church in Thessolonica and as part of this he provides final instructions which includes to never stop praying. In Ephesians chapter 6 he finishes the segment of the full armor of God with a reminded that the church must pray for the gospel to be spread. Jesus time and again went away to be alone with God and that is the purpose of prayer. To have fellowship with Elohim Yahweh.
Elohim is hebrew and it means the mighty one that’s why it’s seen used to mean gods plural to define the false gods of the pagans. And Yahweh means the “I AM” that was used to identify Himself before Moses when he was at the burning bush recorded in Exodus. The understanding of these two descriptive names is important for praying effectively because when we truly know who He is it benefits out trust in God.
When I wrote Welcome to the Armory, which you can buy on Amazon at a later time, I researched the Greek words for each virtue that was listed by Paul. The word for Faith is Elpis but it is also used for hope in certain contexts. Hebrews 11 defines faith for us as the assurance of what we do not have. And being certain of someone or thing doing what is said to be done is the definition of trust. The more you know a person the more you trust them if their character is good. It is the same way with God who is the source of all goodness in existence. And that is why He can be trusted if we are willing to let Him test our trust to be strengthened by the experience.
Paul in Ephesians 6:12 points out that we don’t fight against flesh and blood but against principalities and forces of darkness in the spiritual realm. In the ancient days these were manifested in idols but in our current day and age the demons behind the false religions are propping ideologies. And they will marshal forces to prevent anyone from removing their power once they have it.
A christian has the power and authority to rebuke such forces but Jesus revealed something to us about demons when His disciples failed to cast one out of a young boy.
“And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.”
Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.
Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”
So Jesus said to them, “Because of your [e]unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”
Matthew 17:14-21 (NKJV)
Some demons and evil strongholds can only be removed from their power through dedicated prayer and fasting. That is because it brings us in humility before God and into a closer understanding of who He is. By acknowledging His strength and position of authority we remind ourselves that He can truly do all things we are merely asking for Him to grant it. James provides encouragement in his letter to the scattered tribes of Israel and to the church that if we submit to God and resist the devil he will flee. But the ability to resist and do so with strength is tied to our submission.
The Holy Spirit came and rested on the believers gathered together in the upper room while they were in a time of fasting and seeking God. The ancient church met on a daily basis to partake in fellowship and the teaching of God’s word. They would pray together and encourage one another constantly never allowing the other to feel they were alone. And let us not forget the wisdom Solomon shares in Eclessiates.
“Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”
Ecclesiastes 4:12 (NKJV)
Effective prayer in politics is done by recognizing subjects that you have some interest in and researching the Biblical perspective on it. Pray as you research that your eyes may be opened and see the truth that you might have otherwise willingly blinded yourself to. Then once you’ve found the answer pray for others to also receive this same revelation and act in accordance with it. In his Sermon on the Mount Christ brings up the point that we are to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, Matthew 5:43-45. This was in opposition to the idea that we were to hate our enemies. For when we pray for others that they might turn their lives around in accordance with God’s word we find ourselves changed to be filled with the love that God has for them as individual humans with a soul that needs to be saved from hell.
We can disagree with our leaders and there is no condemnation about disagreeing with leadership but we are not supposed to sin. It is the same as being angry and Paul commands us to not sin in our anger when he wrote to the church in Ephessus, Ephesians chapter 4 verse 26.
To help us we need to learn how to understand and communicate our feelings on the topic and do so during our time with God. He will enable us to see what we are missing and to keep praying for the benefit of others in power regardless of what position they hold or to what creed they adhere.
We Christians are to pray for those in authority for they have received that position by God’s decree. And they will one day stand before God to answer for everything they did not just with their own life but for the nation that they helped govern for the time they were in office. And if you dwell on this potential future you’ll certainly find it to be source of deep dread.