|
Febuary 11, 2004
I've always known, throughout my Christian life, how important prayer is - to the individual, to the church, and to God. But this morning as I was reading a Daily Bread devotional, I was given something more to think about - the fact that our prayers affect the on-going spiritual battle between God's angels and the devil's angels - and that they are a powerful weapon in that war.
I'd never thought of that before. I knew the war was going on
but
hadn't realised I might have a part in it through my prayers. And I
suspect many, many Christians are unaware of the nature of that war, or
that by their prayers, or lack of prayer, they too are involved in it.
I believe some Christians don't even realise there is such a war; others
don't want to know. But know it or not, we are each one involved, on one
side or the other. When we pray for each other, in God's will, we are
taking sides and fighting in that war; when we pray for God's will in our
land or in our churches, when we pray for salvation for others - when our
motives are for God's Glory, we are fighting that war, and along with the
angels, we are part of God's army.
When we don't pray, or if our motives are wrong or selfish, we are part of
Satan's army, traitors to our Lord. James 4:3 says that when we pray and
do not receive, it is because we asked with wrong motives, for selfish
reasons - and verse 5 says that makes us friends with the world and
enemies of God. If we look at these verses closely, we will realise that
to be an enemy of God puts us on the side of Satan, and makes us to be
"fighting" on the wrong side of that great war between God and Satan.
I wonder - if even those of us who do pray often and who know some of the
truth of these things - how much have we realised how large a part God's
people - His church - play in that cosmic war going on around us? Do we
just think of our prayers as having power in the work we do together or in
individual lives
or
in things on earth? Or do we realise the truth that we are, by our
prayers, and in all we do and say for God's Glory, making ourselves allies
of the Angels, and joining with them in that battle against Satan and his
fallen angels (demons) - and increasing God's Glory on earth, in His
church, and in His people individually?
about the author
Esther Swyer was born in Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia. The eldest of eight children she married at twenty-one and promptly had six children. She became a Christian in October of 1958 at the age of twenty-five and was baptised in December of that year. She began teaching a Sunday School class of a dozen nine to ten year olds in 1961 or 1962 and has been teaching various age groups ever since.
Esther began teaching adults and leading Bible studies sometime in the seventies. She became involved in WMS in the late sixties and held various positions over the years, then in the early to mid-seventies she started serving on the Association Council. On top of all that she was involved for many years in ladies retreats serving as small groups director for around twenty years. Currently Esther is president of the WMS on the Association level, treasurer of her church, adult ladies class teacher, and is completing her third year as a church deacon.
Her first marriage ended after twenty-two years. She re-married thirteen years later in December 1988 and was widowed in June of 2000. She has eighteen grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Esther has just published a book about her spiritual journey.