Decisive praying

"The way we pray will decide the way the universe goes," says Derek Prince.

A bold claim.  But I believe there is support for what he says.

Prince, author of Secrets of a Prayer Warrior, uses the example of the prophet Daniel whose steadfast praying brought about a memorable response from the angel Gabriel in Daniel 10.

Daniel was terrified by the mighty angel's appearance near the Tigris River in Babylon after the prophet had prayed and fasted for three weeks about a vision he had received about a great war.

Gabriel told Daniel he had left heaven with the explanation of the vision as soon as the prophet prayed.  But he had been delayed by the "Prince of Persia", a demon angel, for three weeks and was only able to get through because the archangel Michael came to assist him.

Gabriel then gave Daniel a summary of future history - the rise and fall of empires.

Prince says this story shows that Satan "seeks to control the empires of earth through its rulers in order to make its leaders and governments instruments of his will".

He adds: "We must pray for our governments in order to frustrate Satan and to bring our governments under heaven's control."

Prince notes we humans find it hard to believe that our prayers have world-shaking significance.  We feel insignificant, but God has given us important roles as prayer warriors.  The Bible says we will see our prayers answered if we pray according to God's will (1 John 5:14-15).

The apostle Paul says that the weapons he fights with are spiritual and "have divine power to demolish strongholds" (2 Corinthians 10:4).  The strongholds are spiritual strongholds under the control of Satan.

In Ephesians 6, Paul outlines the spiritual weapons available to all Christians in defending against attacks from Satan - and the offensive weapon of the word of God.  He concludes by urging believers to "pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests" (Ephesians 6:18).

An example of a powerful intercessor springs to my mind - Rees Howells.

Howells was a Welshman who played a large role as a young man in the Welsh revival of the early 1900s.  That revival changed the face of society in Wales - God's influence spread everywhere.

But Howells felt that God was directing him to intercede for people and the world around him rather than become the face of the revival.  He was an effective evangelist but intercessory prayer was his calling.

He and his wife became missionaries to Africa where he continued his ministry of intercession.  Then, a revival broke out in southern Africa in 1915-1920.

Later, he founded the Bible College of Wales with prayer as a major priority.  Throughout World War II, the Bible College students prayed intensely against Satan and satanic forces as Britain was under attack.  They believed their prayers were answered as Britain emerged intact.

There are other examples in the Bible and history of God working miracles as people intercede for their cities and their nations and for the people around them.

Jesus used the word of God - the scriptures - as a potent weapon in fending off Satan's attempts to tempt him in the confrontation in the wilderness just after Christ's baptism in the River Jordan (Matthew 4).

Jesus spoke the scriptures.  Jesus had memorized scriptures and declared them with his mouth.

Prince says we should remember that Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit as he rejected Satan's temptations.  Are we yielded to the Spirit's guidance as we face satanic attacks?

Other weapons are the name of the Lord and the blood that Christ shed on the cross on our behalf.  Praising God and testifying about Jesus' victory on the cross are ways of combatting Satan.

For many years, I ignored Satan and his work in our society.  But, like many Christians, I have become increasingly aware that the evil one is active in our country and in the larger world.

I am aware of the pitfalls of becoming obsessed with Satan.  He has been defeated by Christ on the cross.

I particularly like Guy Chevreau's approach in his book Spiritual Warfare Sideways: Keeping the Focus on Jesus.  Chevreau says that worshiping God is especially powerful in fighting evil.  Keeping the focus on God and praising him led to significant victories in the Bible.

The important thing for me is that I must be vigilant - "alert" as the apostle Paul says.

And I must be ready to put on the full armour of God as the apostle outlines in Ephesians 6.

I cannot disregard Satan's efforts to sideline the kingdom of God in our city and country.

Watchmen

Years ago, my wife  and I visited Nazareth and the guide pointed out a tower at a high point, declaring that was where the village's watchman stood in ancient times.

Watchmen were vital to the safety and security of towns in those days.  They were able to warn villagers of potential danger so they could be armed and ready for an attack.

The watchman role should be important, too, among us who are prayer warriors.

The apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 6:18: "Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion.  Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere."

And Peter says in 1 Peter 5:8: "Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil.  He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour."

Praying to protect our families, friends and fellow believers against Satan's schemes should be one aspect of the intercessor's role, says Dutch Sheets, author of Intercessory Prayer.  And some intercessors are especially equipped to be watchmen.

Sheets notes that biblical watchmen were tasked with keeping an eye out for animals and thieves who might make off with the village's crops along with giving an early warning of invaders.  They watched the surrounding countryside constantly from a high tower or high walls.

So, what should we watch for?

Sheets says that one thing we should watch for is false messengers.  Biblical watchmen could tell whether the messenger belonged to them from the way he ran towards them.  If he was not familiar, they might be wary about his message.

"Seasoned watchmen are often alerted by the Holy Spirit, before they even have any concrete evidence, that certain 'messengers' are not to be trusted."

He acknowledges we can make human mistakes, but, through experience, he has learned to trust the misgivings of certain "watchmen" because they are usually right.

Certainly, false prophesies and doctrines have sprung up in the church over the centuries.  False messengers can be very divisive.

Sheets says there is a difference between being preoccupied with Satan and being aware of him and his efforts to subvert believers.  "Be infatuated with and in awe of Jesus - be aware of the enemy."

A shepherd guarding his sheep at night is another feature of being a watchman.  The shepherd is watching for marauders and, at the same time, prepared to defend his flock from attack (Psalm 23:4).

There is a strong need for people to pray for God's protection against satanic attack.  Pastors, in particular, are a major target for the Devil because they play such an important part in leading churches.

Sheets says that there is still another way to look at watchmen in the Bible.  The word for watching in the Old Testament also suggests "laying siege" as in laying siege to a city.  This is used as an army seeks to keep supplies from flowing into a besieged city.

The author writes: "God is giving us the ability - by his Spirit - to discern the enemy's plans, strengths, weaknesses and points of entry - to cut him off and take nations, cities and individuals through prayer."

This may take weeks, months or even years of intercession and that can be discouraging for many of us.  But it is an important aspect of intercession.

He tells the story of Theresa Mulligan and her friend who prayer-walked a neighbourhood for a long time and stopped before every house, asking God to save the occupants.  Soon, stories drifted in about people giving their lives to Christ - a colonel's wife, a teenager, a college student and others.  Even after moving away from the neighbourhood, she continued hearing stories of people coming to the Lord.

This can be broadened to cities and nations - disputing the ground that Satan is claiming.

This kind of prayer has not been a strong point in my life.

But I have been sensing more and more that it is important to "watch and pray".

I need to be alert.

Your will, not mine

Do you ask God to carry out his will in your life when you pray?  If so, do you really mean it?

For various reasons, I sometimes forget - or avoid - asking for God's will to be done.

Why?  Because I  have my own ideas as to how God should answer my request.  Or, because I'm afraid God won't answer my request the way I want.

That is wrong thinking.

For example, it assumes that what I want is more important than what God wants.  When I think that way, I am out of tune with Jesus.

When Jesus outlined for his disciples the model prayer, he said in Matthew 6:9-13 that we should pray to the Father:  "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

We are here to help advance the kingdom of God.  And, in order for the kingdom to advance, God's will must be carried out.

For some people, the idea of submitting to God's will in a situation is akin to giving up.

Catherine Marshall says in her book Adventures in Prayer that she had been in bed for months with a serious lung infection in 1943 when bitterly and reluctantly she told God that he could do what he wished.  In the hours that followed she felt Christ's presence in her room as never before and she recovered.

She calls this "the prayer of relinquishment".  Her prayer had been ungracious, but God loved her and wanted her to surrender to him.  When she did, he met her need.

Of course, we can't expect that the results of our prayers will always turn out the way we wish.

In a sense, a good case in point is Jesus' prayers to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before he died.

Sweating drops of blood in agony of spirit, Jesus prayed: "Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me.  Yet I want your will to be done, not mine." (Luke 22:39-44)

Jesus knew he was about to die on the cross for all the sins of humanity from the beginning to the end of time.  And he knew he was about to be cut off for a moment from the beloved Father as he suffered the consequences of mankind's sin.

Knowing this, he still obeyed the Father's will.

And, of course, he won the greatest victory in history - the defeat of Satan on the cross.

We are promised that "all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose". (Romans 8:28)

We know that our ultimate destination is an eternity with Jesus where we will be rewarded for our commitment to the Lord.  In the meantime, we may suffer but our suffering will not be worthless.  God will use it for his purposes - and his purposes are good.

For instance, I remember reading about a young Russian woman who was beaten to death by the Soviet secret police for worshiping God.  One of her tormentors was so impressed by her steadfast faith to the end that he began thinking about God - and ultimately became a believer.

That is something few of us will face.

But we can be sure God will work our our difficult situation according to his plan - and his plan is always good.

And the result is good for us, too.