War. The word inherently brings up a lot of emotions in people. Some people have personal experiences on the battlefield; others have experienced war from home, waiting and hoping and praying their loved ones make it through. Some fight against it, believing it is never the answer. Others believe certain freedoms are worth fighting for and need to be fought for.
As a student of history and a teacher of history, I’ve had many conversations, lectures, teachings, and lesson plans about war.
But none of them prepared me for the war I have waged here on the Race.
It’s a war waged in the realm of prayer. I’ve experienced these last few months a greater depth in my prayer life and as a result I have a greater understanding of the power prayer has. As I’ve brought my hardships to the Lord, He has changed my heart and my attitude towards people and situations. Prayer has helped me to love people well, when nothing and no one else could convince me to step into the same room with that person. He has given me comfort when I was feeling anything but.
I’ve been blessed to war over people at home who are dear to me. For perhaps the first time in my life, I have experienced what a gift and true joy it is to pray deeply and consistently for someone. As Mark Batterson says in “The Circle Maker”, “It doesn’t matter how long or how loud you pray. It comes down to your answer to the question ‘is there any limit to my power?’ With God, it’s never an issue of ‘can He?’ but ‘will He?’ And while you don’t always know if He will, you know He can. And because you know He can, you can pray with holy confidence.” When I read this quote a couple days ago, I realized that I think this is what changed for me. In the process of going more consistently to the Father and seeing and feeling the difference it made, I began going to Him more and more, and because I had experienced His love and support, I was praying with holy confidence.
I encourage you to ask yourself if you are doing the same, and if you’re not sure whether you are, I challenge you to carve out time in your day to spend more time with him in prayer, in scripture, in worship. Just start simply— talk to Him, share the desires of your heart, tell him your troubles and listen for His replies. These responses may come in the form of a song, a friend’s advice, a pastor’s message, a vision, a Scripture passage. He speaks in so many ways, and speaks differently to each of us. But just as the Word says “you will seek Him and find Him when you seek Him with all your heart.” I love this promise— see this promise of Scripture as a challenge and you will see how joy-filled your life can become!
James 5:13-16— “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will RAISE HIM UP…. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”
