Tactical Prayer

Over the course of the past few months I have been teaching inmates the Armor of God in Ephesians six. Last week I came across this beautiful scripture, and some interesting facets about it provoked me to thought.

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and being watchful with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. Ephesians 6:18

First, I asked myself what are the main components to this verse? Obviously, there is an overall theme of prayer. But according to Paul, the writer to the saints in Ephesus, he says that we should ALWAYS be in prayer. What does that imply? Should we be mumbling prayers all day long without ceasing? Some may insist that it should be so; but for those of us who live in the real world operating corporeal flesh suits in a depraved society it actually holds the inference of having the constant attitude of prayer. I like to think of it like we are an electrical appliance-like a super computer, and God is the electricity. If we are not hooked up to the electricity we will not function as we were designed; we will be much like many people of the world-just taking up space with a dark screen. When we are hooked up, we won't need to search for that all-elusive electrical outlet; we won't need to ensure that the prongs are properly spaced; everything is already set and the power is just waiting for us to switch it on. When we are hooked up to the power source, ready for prayer, and pre-praying, that is when we will be most effective.

Someone is asking what is pre-prayer? I am glad you asked. In the above scripture and the passage to which it is derived, Paul, the author of 2/3 of our New Testament, is speaking of a combat situation, where men and women need the garments of battle to be victorious in a spiritual skirmish between the forces of light and darkness. Some have surmised that Paul was speaking in an allegory comparing the Christian struggle and the necessity of armor with that of a Roman soldier. Although this may be a decent assumption the Scriptures are silent as to Paul's intention in the type of soldier he may have had in mind. He could have envisaged the Romans, the Temple Guard or the Israelites under David; he may have imagined the Hittites, the Amorites, the Amalekites or any of a host of the other "ites" in antiquity (Bible times). One thing we know for sure is that he definitely had a some type of soldier in mind. With that understanding let's approach this scripture through the lens of a soldier-any soldier.

Can you see a military component to this verse? When I read, "being watchful in prayer" I imagined a military combatant positioned on the walls of a superior city pacing back and forth all night long watching with vigilance for any would-be intruders that would dare encroach upon his beloved city. In biblical times, if a soldier ever fell asleep or neglected his post he could have been severely punished-even unto death (Acts 16:27). Nevertheless, some soldiers did compromise their positions. Think about how that might correlate to a Christian's prayer life; I immediately think about Jesus' spiritual battle of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane just before He was to be crucified to atone for our sins (Luke 22:39-46). In the garden that fateful evening, there were two types of pray-ers-two types of spiritual soldiers: those who fell asleep at their posts (the disciples who neglected the duty of prayer by falling asleep) and obviously Jesus (the epitome of a spiritual warrior who battled in prayer all night long). Certainly, Jesus had a greater, much greater, revelation of what was to happen the next day and this propelled Him to pre-pray for the coming events. The disciples did not have the same sense of watchfulness that encompasses a preeminent soldier.

Jesus was pre-praying; He was praying with an offensive instead of defensive attitude. He knew what was ahead and so He decided to saturate the heavens with the fervency of prayer to afford a strategic "shock and awe" against the enemy. Had He not prayed in this manner we have no idea what the outcome would have been like. All we know is that those who forsook their duty in prayer also forsook the Lord Jesus Christ in the darkest hour (Mark 14:50). Jesus, the sinless Lamb of God, our ultimate Commander and Chief, battled all night long; He didn't want to go to the cross but He surrendered His will to the Father knowing what must take place for the benefit of humanity (Mark 14:36).

That leads me to define two different modes of prayer: offensive and defensive. In my own life, when I know I have to minister to cult members, or an atheist, I utilize wisdom by praying before the encounter and reading up on their beliefs and the weak points of their faith. Before I ever minister I pray that the Lord would use me as His mouthpiece, dipping my words in the anointing of the Holy Spirit, to be effective for His kingdom. This is taking an offensive attitude and always being watchful in prayer. Defensive prayer is waiting until a situation arises and then trying to rectify it by praying during the conflict, if you can actually get the words out.

Think back to the guard keeping watch on the wall of the city. What would happen if an opposing enemy would sneak up on the outer perimeter and attack the guard without warning? Who would have the element of surprise or the offensive momentum? Obviously the one who attacked first. This is the beauty of prayer. We have an advocate in Jesus Christ who will intercede on our behalf before any battle ever comes our way (Heb. 7:25/I Tim. 2:5). When the battle finally comes the enemy won't know what hit them because we already had that and every other situation that might arise covered under the offensive mode of prayer.

Keeping with the illustration of a soldier, prayer is the vital link from the private to the commander of the army. Without prayer we would not last long in this battle for right and wrong, light and darkness. Just like a soldier behind enemy lines, the communications to the commanding officers are absolutely vital. In the Navy SeALs (SEa, Air, Land), every soldier has an uplink to the commander of the squad. This allows each person to know the details of the skirmish, what is expected of them during every phase, and provides imperative support for reinforcements, supplies and food. But most importantly, and the utmost anticipated victory for any soldier, it provides the needed communication to GET BACK HOME. Ask any soldier and the ultimate goal is always to get home safe. With prayer, the constant relational conversation with the Commander (Jesus Christ), our final victory and removal from this battle-torn, bloodstained, moral-malady of an earth with be secured for eternity (2 Thes. 1:8; I Thes. 4:17). Don't wait for the invading enemy army to knock on your front door with flaming swords before you entreat the Lord in prayer. Develop your walk and talk today.