In the movie "War Room", Miss Clara asks Elizabeth Jordan a penetrating question when Elizabeth admits she and her husband fight a lot: Do you pray about it?
Her question has stirred my thoughts in the last few days.
My wife and I pray for our children as we have ever since they were born. We also pray regularly for our grandchildren.
We pray for their problems as well as their successes - their everyday issues and their spiritual lives. We thank God for them.
But are there things we are missing - just as Elizabeth Jordan overlooked her battles with her husband?
Are there other ways God would like us to pray for our loved ones?
In Miss Clara's mind, Elizabeth Jordan needed to fight for her husband in prayer. Miss Clara knew that in the apostle Paul's words in Ephesians 6, we need to put on the full armour of God to fight "the strategies of the devil".
Paul said our battle is not against flesh-and-blood enemies but "against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places".
That tells me that the evil one is actively attacking us and our children and grandchildren. On the surface, the issues we are facing may seem obvious - and sometimes hopeless. Yet there may be things we cannot see.
However, God knows. And he has equipped us with the power of prayer - prayers of blessing and praise, prayers of protection.
We know that the devil hates it when we praise God and what he is doing in our lives. We know that blessing others can be powerful.
I love the apostle Paul's prayer in Ephesians 3:14-21. In a sense, it is a blessing he prays over the Ephesian believers.
In his prayer, Paul asks that:
It is a prayer of spiritual protection and growth for our loved ones in whatever situation they face.
Her question has stirred my thoughts in the last few days.
My wife and I pray for our children as we have ever since they were born. We also pray regularly for our grandchildren.
We pray for their problems as well as their successes - their everyday issues and their spiritual lives. We thank God for them.
But are there things we are missing - just as Elizabeth Jordan overlooked her battles with her husband?
Are there other ways God would like us to pray for our loved ones?
In Miss Clara's mind, Elizabeth Jordan needed to fight for her husband in prayer. Miss Clara knew that in the apostle Paul's words in Ephesians 6, we need to put on the full armour of God to fight "the strategies of the devil".
Paul said our battle is not against flesh-and-blood enemies but "against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places".
That tells me that the evil one is actively attacking us and our children and grandchildren. On the surface, the issues we are facing may seem obvious - and sometimes hopeless. Yet there may be things we cannot see.
However, God knows. And he has equipped us with the power of prayer - prayers of blessing and praise, prayers of protection.
We know that the devil hates it when we praise God and what he is doing in our lives. We know that blessing others can be powerful.
I love the apostle Paul's prayer in Ephesians 3:14-21. In a sense, it is a blessing he prays over the Ephesian believers.
In his prayer, Paul asks that:
- God empower us with inner strength through the Holy Spirit;
- We will deepen our trust in God;
- Our roots will grow down into the love of God;
- We will have the power to understand how great God's love is;
- We will experience the love of Christ; and
- We will be made complete with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
It is a prayer of spiritual protection and growth for our loved ones in whatever situation they face.
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