As we gather this morning we do so at a unique time in our lives.. a time in which our nation is preparing for war… perhaps a war that will unfold in a more drawn out manner… but still with a call to ‘readiness’ that is fitting of war. The National Guard has been called up. Reserves… possible draft.
Rightfully so… as Jesus, Paul, and the early church all understood that God sovereignly uses nations to exercise restraint on evil. And as citizens of a nation which has been attacked we rightfully can recognize that God has given governments the right to bear the sword, and the place of this nation to pursue and punish those responsible for such acts of aggression…destruction and suffering. Some here may even be called to actively participate in this endeavor.
> I believe God is also calling us all to recognize another dimension to the conflict with evil.
God’s call to His people involves a call to wartime readiness… a time of spiritual alertness and attention. … of being prepared.
It’s the sense of alertness which Jesus has called us to and which the Apostle Paul recognized…
1 Thes. 5:1-2, 4-6, 8-10, 16-18 [TEV]
There is no need to write you, friends, about the times and occasions when these things will happen. [2] For you yourselves know very well that the Day of the Lord will come as a thief comes at night…. [4] But you, friends, are not in the darkness, and the Day should not take you by surprise like a thief. [5] All of you are people who belong to the light, who belong to the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. [6] So then, we should not be sleeping like the others; we should be awake and sober.
[8] We must wear faith and love as a breastplate, and our hope of salvation as a helmet. [9] God did not choose us to suffer his anger, but to possess salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, [10] who died for us in order that we might live together with him, whether we are alive or dead when he comes.
[16] Be joyful always, [17] pray at all times, [18] be thankful in all circumstances. This is what God wants from you in your life in union with Christ Jesus.
Return of Christ… involving events of world turmoil … bringing about a final judgment which many will not be prepared for… but for which we are to remain awake and sober for.
At the forefront of this call > PRAY AT ALL TIMES.
Ephes. 6:10-12, 18 [NLT]
A final word: Be strong with the Lord’s mighty power. [11] Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil. [12] For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms… [18] Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere. [NLT]
Unveils the deeper conflict / war at hand… spiritual battle… begins with the call to stay connected to the Lord’s power…
At the forefront of this call > PRAY AT ALL TIMES.
Philip. 4:6-7 [NIV]
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
All of these words to the people of God call for readiness and lead to one common element…. Prayer…. Developing a prayer directed spirit.
> Prayer is the active, ongoing, redirecting of my spirit to the will and work of God.
Lets unpack this call to prayer… and what it means to develop a prayer-directed spirit.
1. Prayer is ACTIVE.
Often one of the challenges to prayer is that we perceive prayer as passive. We perceive of prayer as merely preparatory… pray before we eat… but then let’s eat. In the same way, we can pray before we get down to business, but then let’s get down to business.
While it’s true that prayer in no way substitutes for our practical participation… neither is it in any way passive and merely preparatory.
> These are calls to be alert and aggressive.
God sees the world as falling asleep in the darkness of our condition… asleep in the darkened reality of life apart from God.
In this way the enemy behind all evil is not human (flesh and blood), but spiritual.
The enemy is darkness… and the sleep that it brings.
> Prayer is the active work of staying awakened to the will and work of God.
We are people of the day… who live in the light of God… and must stay awake.
These words are written to those who have already awakened to the knowledge of God… because we can become ‘practical atheists’ in our expectations. That’s why the challenge is directed at our expectations.
· I Thess. – re Christ’s return – Don’t fall into apathy.
· Phil. – Don’t become anxious.
> Apathy and anxiety are two sides of the same coin… neither reflect the alertness God is calling us to.
2. Prayer is to become an ONGOING language of my spirit.
“Pray at all times.” – KJV-“pray without ceasing”
This call to unceasing prayer has always been an inspiring as well as challenging idea for people.
Most of us are just trying to find some small amount of time to pray each day.
Does this mean we should stop all normal activities… jobs, social activities, caring for kids?
No … the focus here is not so much on the activities we do but on how we do those activities. That is, it’s a call to become prayerful in the midst of all we do.
Illus – Like DSL which is always connected and running in the background
You might think. “I can’t prayer during a business meeting, my kids soccer game, while watching T.V.”
> These are the very times we need to pray.. to stay alert to the will and work of God.
Do you find your life too busy to pray? I understand the challenge. This has been the busiest year of my life. That’s what’s made me sense the need for developing the dynamic of ongoing prayer… as well as scheduling times of extended prayer. I need to stay alert in all circumstances.
> I’m learning the value of praying through the news… as I read emails with needs, in various interactions with people, and playing with my kids.
As we learn to pray at all times…. Pray in all circumstances and into those circumstances we will be sowing into them.
It’s not something many of us will develop overnight… but we can begin to develop… to progress…. We’ll discover there is a sea of possibility in God’s presence.
Three things we’ll find as we begin praying through more of life’s activity:
1. Perspective – Like Jesus, through prayer we can discover “what the Father is doing…”
2. Patience
2 Peter 3:8-9, 15
“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. [9] The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. … [15] Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation…”
3. Peace
3. Prayer involves REDIRECTING MY SPIRIT
Notice Paul describes the call to prayer as the alternative to being anxious… to worrying. This can tell us a lot about what prayer involves.
Worry is the natural state of spirit apart from the reality of God. Prayer is redirecting my spirit towards God… towards the will and work of God that’s at hand. Life is full of needs and concerns. Apart from God it’s only natural that we will feel anxious.
> There is a natural connection here with the call to pray with “thanksgiving” = recognition of what we have. (Note: Not called to give thanks ‘for’ everything, but ‘in’ everything. )
> Stopping to give thanks lifts me out of the ‘forsaken perspective’ that so naturally leaves me anxious… lifts me from the darkness of a life apart from God.
Stopping to give thanks is the first step in redirecting my spirit towards the will and work of God.
When we pray with thanksgiving, we are able to see a glass half full rather than half empty, we see not only problems but can consider the potential of God.
Redirecting our spirits from worry to the will and work of God… will often involve redirecting our sense of control.
In whatever we’re doing or engaging in life, we likely have some sense of how much control we have over it.
The fact is we have been given a great level of responsibility in life. You’re not a control freak to take practical steps towards getting some lunch today… nor so many responsibilities in life.
But in each and every case we can cross beyond our God-given limitations. That is where worry comes in. We become anxious… begin to over-analyze… trying to gain a level of control over something we don’t have. That’s where we do well to recognize what really is active and what’s passive? Worry is essentially the result of trying to be active when we can’t… worry and over-analysis is paralyzing and passive. Praying is the fitting active response.
In prayer we can connect to the will and work of God…
“Prayer is surrender - surrender to the will of God and cooperation with that will. If I throw out a boat-hook from the boat and catch hold of the shore and pull, do I pull the shore to me, or do I pull myself to the shore? Prayer is not pulling God to my will, but the aligning of my will to the will of God.”
-From Henrietta Mears and How She Did It, by E.M. Baldwin, p. 148
As our world prepares for war… God is calling us to a wartime ‘readiness’… calling us to attention…calling us to develop prayer-directed spirits.
CLOSING ILLUS-
IN GULF WAR THE GROUND OFFENSIVE WAS SUCCESSFUL DUE TO
AERIAL ATTACK THAT PRECEDED IT
On February 24, 1991, a lightning ground offensive was launched by the U.S. and allied forces in the Persian Gulf War. Its effectiveness shattered the defending Iraqi forces. Within days the world’s fourth largest army was crushed, tens of thousands of prisoners of war were taken and the conflict was ended. What explains this stunning defeat? For over a month a relentless air campaign had targeted the defending forces. Its strategic penetration had broken the defenders’ infrastructure and dissolved their power. These events speak a powerful truth about prayer to Christians today, as we seek to take our communities and world with the good news of Christ. We have weapons with "divine power to demolish strongholds" (2 Corinthians 10:4), as "we struggle... not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12) Concerted personal and corporate prayer is our air offensive. An effective air campaign comes first. When it is waged and air dominance established, the ground campaign becomes effective and decisive.
-Submitted by Jim Egli, Flanagan Mennonite Church, Flanagan, Illinois+
Samuel Chadwick said, "The one concern of the devil is to keep saints from prayer. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray."
Communion – Reminded that God is with us in Christ.
Christ’s death and sacrifice… calls us to come in His name.
Now present in us and among us … and what is Christ doing? > Interceding… in constant prayer … active & ongoing… for the will and work of God.
“If you could hear Christ praying for you in the next room, you wouldn’t be afraid of a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for you.” -Lloyd J. Ogilvie, "Praying With Power"
