(Some of this post references content from Let the Nations Be Glad by John Piper)
Something that I have been learning in the past year, and has been clearer now, is that life is war. When I came to understand this, I then understood what prayer is for. My prayer was weak when I denied this truth. I found that prayer is best described as a walkie-talkie in wartime as the mission of the church advances against the powers of darkness and unbelief in Jesus Christ. It wasn’t shocking when my prayer malfunctioned when I made it a one way radio to call in for more comforts in my life.
Instead, God The Father has given prayer to all of us to call on Him for everything we need as the Kingdom of Christ advances in the world. Every blessing that we receive from God in the Christian life is for the war. There is not a “warfare part” and a “non-warfare part”, but life is war – that’s not all it is, but it is always that.
“Fight the good fight of the faith…” -1 Timothy 6:12
Jesus said, “Strive to enter through the narrow door.” –Luke 13:24
“For this I toil, struggling with all His energy that He powerfully works within me.” –Colossians 1:29
“…Strive together with me in your prayers to God…” -Romans 15:30
Most people do not believe this in their heart; because there is a belief that we are in peacetime, not wartime. In wartime, newspapers portray how the troops are doing. Families are deeply concerned about their children, and so they write letters and pray heart-wrenching prayers for their safety. During wartime, we are aware, alert, and armed. When it comes to money, we spend more strategically rather than on a new couch at home. We all cut back, because the war effort affects everybody.
Few people think that we are in a war greater that World War II. More so, few see that Satan is a much worse enemy than any earthly adversary, and that the war is not limited to one area in the earth, but in every city and town in the world. Who contemplates that in this war against the powers of darkness you not only lose an eye, leg, or an earthly life – but you lose everything, even your own soul, and enter a hell of everlasting torment?
With that said, it might even have to take a war of sheer terrorism, to awake us to the more serious war that rages daily for the soul.
Until we feel the importance of this, we will not know what prayer is, and we will not pray as we ought. Earthly suffering is inevitable, but eternal suffering is avoidable. This is why is it so important for believers to share Jesus and His Gospel with the world so that the lost people might be saved from that everlasting torment.
“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” -2 Corinthians 10:3-5
This is not a belief that it’s our own power, but God’s power through the magnificence of His son Jesus Christ. So here are the connections with the weapons of our warfare and our prayer, clearly implying that PRAYER IS FOR WAR.
“Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication…” -Ephesians 6:14-18
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After our continued relationship with the Shoe Shine Boys, they are starting to feel this force of darkness raging for the soul, a need for true love that cannot be found in the world, but only in Jesus Christ, and that through Him there is salvation from this eternal suffering.
After playing a rough game of soccer one night at a nearby park, we all played hard against each other, and afterwards the Spirit was thick, and so we all prayed together. It wasn’t just some ordinary time of prayer, but it was heavy, and the Spirit of God was blowing. We have preached the Gospel to them a couple of times before, and during this moment of prayer, it felt like it was sticking within their hearts, and the purpose of prayer was made manifest – to call on God for everything we need in this life as His Kingdom advances.
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One other great moment that happened recently, was my brother Henry had his first soccer game on a new team, and he scored a goal! Henry loves soccer, and he really loves the opportunity to minister to those on his team. And it makes him feel loved when we, his brothers and sisters, are there as his biggest fans to cheer him on and encourage him. This was a very special day in our hearts as we grew closer as a missions team.
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” -John 15:12-13
