Thoughts on Prayer

Dear Reader,

I have been given the opportunity to take the Perspectives on the World Christian Movement course that is being held here at the place I work. What a blessing! In one short month, God has opened my eyes and heart to amazing revelations about his purpose and mission here on earth. One of the recent topics we studied is the concept of strategic prayer.

Do you believe that if you prayed purposefully, God could topple a terrorist regime in the Middle East? Or defeat and disband the concept of pluralism or the hopelessness of the caste system? Do you believe God could convert a convicted murder, corrupt politician or a stubborn, unbelieving family member? When you pray, do you actually believe something miraculous could happen?

I confess, I did not! My thought on prayer was that it was a wonderful way to draw closer to God, but it wouldn’t be effective enough to change things so big and evil as those mentioned above. It was my duty and privilege as a Christian to pray; and I knew it could change my personal habits – but idolatry in India, human sex trafficking in Thailand, or lukewarm Christianity in America? I didn’t realize that members of the Body of Christ – in the past and currently – are persevering in prayer over evil like that.

David Wells, in his article Prayer: Rebelling against the Status Quo, defines this type of prayer as “the absolute and undying refusal to accept as normal what is completely abnormal.” He goes on to say that “accepting the status quo or ‘life as it is’ contains a hidden, unrecognized assumption that God’s power to change the world, to overcome Evil with Good, will not be actualized.” This is a typical Satan move – deceiving Christians into thinking that prayer has no affect on the physical or supernatural world around them.

I’m saying, “No more!” to this false thinking from Satan! I have faith that God will act against evil and bind the Evil One – and prayer is our weapon in this resistance.

If you are reading this, then you may already understand the power of prayer. You may understand the mystery of petitionary and strategic prayer. So, I will leave you with the words of Jesus from Luke 18:1, “At all times, we should pray and not lose heart.”

~Sara