Passionate About Praying
A few months ago, my husband (Joey Silva) led a leaders meeting where he talked about the importance of prayer. The meeting had me thinking more on the topic and some of the points he brought up. I love that God continues to show me more about why prayer is so vital because I don't ever want to get stuck making it merely a routine thing I do. I also don't want to neglect praying simply because I don't understand the gravity of it. I've witnessed that too often among Christians.
Many Christians undermine or altogether ignore the power of prayer by not praying. I see it all the time. I get asked to pray for people's situations, which is good, but often times what they want is for me to pray as opposed to us bringing the matter before God together. Prayer is fundamental to our walk. It isn't something we can simply entrust to someone else. It is what strengthens us, reminds us of God's sovereignty, and unifies us. We can't afford to not partake in and be passionate about it.
My husband pointed out that of all the things the disciples asked Jesus to teach them, they asked
Him to teach them to pray (see Luke 11:1). They didn't ask for Him to teach them to preach well, evangelize, or do miracles. They knew that the foundation for all of that was prayer. Before Jesus kicked off His ministry, He prayed
and fasted for 40 days. Even during His ministry He made sure to take time away from everyone to get alone with God and pray. If Jesus took so much time to pray, how much more necessary is it for us to set time aside to do so?
Our walk with God is a battle against Satan. We have to fight to stand firm in our faith and honor God with our lives. That isn't something to take lightly. No one just forgets that there's a war going on around them-that they're a part of a battle. In Ephesians 6:10-20, Paul talks about the importance of equipping ourselves with the armor of God so that we can "take [our] stand against the devil's schemes" (verse 11). After going through the different armor pieces, at the end of the section (in verses 18-20), he tells the Ephesians to pray. Prayer isn't a helpless tactic or a last ditch effort. It is the catalyst that drives you into the battle. It is characterized by strength. Too often we associate prayer with fear and weakness but it is actually a bold and powerful action.
Many believers are waiting to die and go to Heaven. Another percentage, however, is engaging in battle and fighting for others to live. If you're not praying, you're not fighting. My husband said, "The worse your prayer life, the more of a liability you are because you become an extra person and situation people have to pray and fight for." How would you feel if you found out there was a battle going on and your best warriors were held up fighting for a group of soldiers who were fully capable of fighting for (and winning the battle) themselves rather than spending their energy on fighting for those who cannot or who genuinely needed the help? Don't allow yourself to be another person holding back those who are on the front line of the battle.
Remember, it is not just your life people are fighting for, we are fighting for our brothers and sisters as well. There is a whole world of people that need us to pray. If you haven't matured enough to think beyond your own spiritual life, then you have some growing to do. People after God's heart don't just think of themselves. They are aware of God (Who is fighting for and alongside them) and of others in need of extra strength, encouragement, and support.
When we think we are fully capable of handling situations on our own, then our prayer life becomes feeble. We become limited to what we can handle rather than enlisting God's help for situations bigger than ourselves. As a result, we often don't have the strength to affect as many lives as we can. We could be interceding, battling for others, and making sure we come alongside them, yet because we are limited by our own laziness or pride, we have a smaller scale of influence. Prayer for many has become an obligatory thing we do just to appease God and check it off our to do list. There is no power in that type of prayer. You are just paying lip service, not actually engaging in battle. You're wearing the soldier's uniform but not doing the soldier's work.
Not only does prayer serve to strengthen us and help others but it also reminds us Whose hands hold the world. God is in charge of it all. He is why we fight and have the confidence to do so boldly. Nothing happens without Him allowing it (read through Job 1:6-22 and 2:1-10. Satan was only allowed to go so far when challenging Job's faith). The act of praying in itself isn't powerful. Prayer is only powerful because of the God we pray to.
Our walk with God is a battle against Satan. We have to fight to stand firm in our faith and honor God with our lives. That isn't something to take lightly. No one just forgets that there's a war going on around them-that they're a part of a battle. In Ephesians 6:10-20, Paul talks about the importance of equipping ourselves with the armor of God so that we can "take [our] stand against the devil's schemes" (verse 11). After going through the different armor pieces, at the end of the section (in verses 18-20), he tells the Ephesians to pray. Prayer isn't a helpless tactic or a last ditch effort. It is the catalyst that drives you into the battle. It is characterized by strength. Too often we associate prayer with fear and weakness but it is actually a bold and powerful action.
Many believers are waiting to die and go to Heaven. Another percentage, however, is engaging in battle and fighting for others to live. If you're not praying, you're not fighting. My husband said, "The worse your prayer life, the more of a liability you are because you become an extra person and situation people have to pray and fight for." How would you feel if you found out there was a battle going on and your best warriors were held up fighting for a group of soldiers who were fully capable of fighting for (and winning the battle) themselves rather than spending their energy on fighting for those who cannot or who genuinely needed the help? Don't allow yourself to be another person holding back those who are on the front line of the battle.
Remember, it is not just your life people are fighting for, we are fighting for our brothers and sisters as well. There is a whole world of people that need us to pray. If you haven't matured enough to think beyond your own spiritual life, then you have some growing to do. People after God's heart don't just think of themselves. They are aware of God (Who is fighting for and alongside them) and of others in need of extra strength, encouragement, and support.
When we think we are fully capable of handling situations on our own, then our prayer life becomes feeble. We become limited to what we can handle rather than enlisting God's help for situations bigger than ourselves. As a result, we often don't have the strength to affect as many lives as we can. We could be interceding, battling for others, and making sure we come alongside them, yet because we are limited by our own laziness or pride, we have a smaller scale of influence. Prayer for many has become an obligatory thing we do just to appease God and check it off our to do list. There is no power in that type of prayer. You are just paying lip service, not actually engaging in battle. You're wearing the soldier's uniform but not doing the soldier's work.
Not only does prayer serve to strengthen us and help others but it also reminds us Whose hands hold the world. God is in charge of it all. He is why we fight and have the confidence to do so boldly. Nothing happens without Him allowing it (read through Job 1:6-22 and 2:1-10. Satan was only allowed to go so far when challenging Job's faith). The act of praying in itself isn't powerful. Prayer is only powerful because of the God we pray to.
In Acts 19:11-16 we see this truth displayed. Verse 11 says, "God did extraordinary miracles through Paul..." Some Jews saw this and went around trying to drive out evil spirits by saying, "In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out" (verse 13). Seven sons of Sceva went around saying this and the Bible says in verse 15, "One day the evil spirit answered them, 'Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?'"
When we pray out of obligation rather than passion or to sincerely seek God, we aren't keeping Who God is in mind. We're just speaking powerful and bold words without there being any strength behind them. Something beautiful about genuine prayer is that when we are God's, He has our back. He puts His seal on us so that even the devil and demons know who (and Whose) we are.
God has full control over what goes on in the world. With a whisper He can calm storms and with the slightest touch He can heal any disease or hurt. Prayer reminds us of the greatness and majesty of the God we serve. We gain a sense of His limitlessness. It also gives us a sense of pride because it reminds us of our heavenly lineage. We know that we are God's because we are more attuned to His sovereignty and hand in our lives. Prayer allows us to see more fully how He works on our behalf because we recognize His presence. It's like knowing someone has been around because they have a specific scent to them. When you smell it you just know they were there. That's how it is when you are constantly in prayer (and reading the Bible). You know God intimately enough to perceive the clues that He was present somewhere. That's a bond that isn't easily broken.
My knowledge of Who God is and the fact that I am God's has also reminded me of the fact that others belong to Him as well. They are His creation and are, therefore, my brothers and sisters. I find unity with them in prayer. One of the schemes the devil uses to destroy the Church is to cause dissension. My husband pointed out that it's hard to have issues with someone you're constantly interceding for. God begins to reveal new perspectives about their attitudes and struggles. He'll remind you that they're growing or He'll bring more clarity on what may be behind certain behaviors or actions. Plus, prayer makes it easier to trust that person because you begin to have confidence that He is working in and speaking to them. He gives you His heart for that person as you pray for him or her. You begin to treat them with His love and grace because He'll show you how imperfect you are, yet how much He loves you in spite of it.
My knowledge of Who God is and the fact that I am God's has also reminded me of the fact that others belong to Him as well. They are His creation and are, therefore, my brothers and sisters. I find unity with them in prayer. One of the schemes the devil uses to destroy the Church is to cause dissension. My husband pointed out that it's hard to have issues with someone you're constantly interceding for. God begins to reveal new perspectives about their attitudes and struggles. He'll remind you that they're growing or He'll bring more clarity on what may be behind certain behaviors or actions. Plus, prayer makes it easier to trust that person because you begin to have confidence that He is working in and speaking to them. He gives you His heart for that person as you pray for him or her. You begin to treat them with His love and grace because He'll show you how imperfect you are, yet how much He loves you in spite of it.
We cannot be the kind of Christians and Church God has called us to be without a healthy and powerful prayer life. It gives us the perspective we should have in carrying on with our daily walk so that we can continue to battle strongly. It will remind us of the powerful, awe inspiring, and sovereign God we serve. It will also help us to act as the body of Christ (see 1 Corinthians 12:12-26) by unifying us and helping us to be better brothers or sisters to other believers. The more we allow God to show and teach us about prayer, the more we will see its importance and become passionate about praying. We'll begin to look more like Jesus and honor God with our faith and the way we live it out.
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