We have been considering the place that prayer plays in the spiritual warfare that all true believers are automatically enlisted to fight. We have seen that this conflict is real, and that although the forces ranged against us are immensely powerful, we can play an effective part in the battle because God has supplied us with armor to wear - armor that is kept powerful and effective only through God's grace, supplied in answer to prayer.
If we choose not to pray, we saw last time, it is like laying down our weapons in the midst of the battle - and the enemy will not be taking prisoners. But it is also like becoming mere spectators in a struggle that we are supposed to fight. It is as though we have little interest to participate in our Savior's war. Rather, we step out of the battle zone and take our seats in the stadium to see what happens. Or else we step away to the concession stands of this world to satisfy our own appetites, leaving brothers and sisters to struggle on without us.
If a soldier were to do this in a conflict in this world, he would face court-martial for desertion!
What we sometimes fail to understand as believers is that we are the means God has chosen to use for the advancement of His purposes. He could, of course, wrap up the war in an instant, fully and finally but He has chosen rather to use it in His purposes to glorify Himself and to refine His people. Each of us is equipped to play a particular part in the fight - gifted to work alongside our brothers and sisters in the warfare, each supplying some essential ingredient to the performance of the whole army. If we decide to desert the field and watch from the sidelines or else go and occupy ourselves with other things, it is not just that the army is now short of one body from the ranks - it is far worse than that. The army is lacking the only person gifted and equipped as we are to play our particular role in the battle. No-one else, stepping in to fill our shoes, will be able to do so as effectively as we can. The whole army is weakened by our decision not to fight.
So let's examine ourselves carefully today and make sure that we have not migrated to the grandstands in the spiritual warfare but are present whenever and wherever called upon to fight the good fight. One place where the struggle is particularly intense is at the prayer meeting - so come this week and add your gifts and your prayers to help win the Lord's battle!
