Christian Living

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Prayer has always been an integral part of the Christian life style. Prayer is simply communication between man and God. The direction of that endeavor is determined by the motivation of the mind and spirit. Prayers take the form of interceding in the lives of others as well as promoting one’s own agenda. The majority of Believers’ prayers are keyed to achieving deliverance from difficult situations. They are all centered on receiving a response that will bring relief or restoration.

There is one area of directed prayer that many Believers miss, and that is the area of praying for those who already have a secure foundation and are established in their Faith. We take for granted that there is no need to pray for those who seemingly have no problems in their lives. What we are doing is leaving them vulnerable to “sneak attacks” from the enemy. Satan waits patiently as Christians walk in the confidence of their committed lives. He knows that if there is a lull in their spiritual walk, they will be vulnerable to deception and redirection.

Paul recognized the importance of praying not only for the struggling saints, but also for those well advanced on their spiritual journey. When Paul heard of the “love in the Spirit” of those in Colosse, he prayed that they might “… be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” (Colossians 1:9) He knew their faith in Jesus and their love for all the saints and, realizing the road they would travel, prayed for their continual spiritual growth. In fact, many of his letters were inundated with that kind of “forward prayer.”

I wonder how many saints pray for those of spiritual maturity. I wonder how many pray for their pastor and family, as well as other spiritual leaders. We must never take for granted that just because someone is of a spiritual stature, they are immune from the plethora of spiritual and fleshly attacks. I am convinced that many of the pastors who have fallen strayed due to a lack of prayers directed to God on their behalf. I am convinced that many Believers, who were once strong in the Lord, fell away due to no prayers being offered on their behalf. I am convinced that strong marriages have ended in divorce due to the lack of prayers when things were going well.

During the so called influenza season, many healthy people are urged to take flu shots to help ward off infectious diseases. During the Believers growth and maturity, should we not surround one another with prayer? When Satan tempted Jesus in the Battle of the Wilderness, Jesus defended Himself with the Word of God. When the battle was over the Bible says that Satan left Him for a season. (Luke 4:13) I believe it is the same way today. We start out on our spiritual journey which leads us into a life of victory and maturity, but it does not stop there. We never reach our goal until we “fall asleep” and awake in His presence. Until that reality, we are vulnerable to Satan’s attacks. The problem is we fail to understand this and leave our brothers and sisters susceptible to temptations they never thought possible.

When we pray, let us understand that it is not always for deliverance, but it is also for prevention. We must not let our brothers and sisters go into uncharted waters without being prepared. Let us surround them with a “life-jacket” of our prayers.

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