When it comes to the Christian arsenal, it is tempting to view prayer as a lesser weapon. Meaning we know it’s there and available but it’s not our first option. I mean why use the nerf gun of prayer when we have the bazooka of Christian hospitality? Hospitality is necessary, don’t misunderstand me, but we ought to view prayer as a powerful weapon. In Col 4:12 Paul describes prayer as “wrestling”, the word he uses here is associated with battle, war and agonizing effort. In other words, when you pray for your spouse, you aren’t merely sending good vibes, you are stepping into the arena and taking a flaming sword to the knees of powers and principalities. When you pray for your kids you aren’t merely diversifying your parenting portfolio, you are surrounding them with impenetrable walls. Like Jacob, when we pray we go to the mat with God Himself and fight for a blessing. With this in mind, to neglect your prayer life is nothing more than surrender. To neglect your prayer life is a refusal to engage the enemy and a failure to commune with God. It’s for this reason that it is important to prioritize prayer both personally and in our families. It’s been said that too much of a good thing is a bad thing, well not with prayer, the apostle tells us that we should “pray without ceasing.” So when someone tells you that they’ve been praying for you, instead of our reaction being akin to receiving socks for Christmas, our reaction should be one of deep gratitude. Instead of offering prayer only in dire circumstances, we should seek to offer prayers up for all people at all times knowing that the prayers of a righteous man availeth much.
Col 4:12 “Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. He is always wrestling for you in his prayers, so that you can stand mature and fully assured in everything God wills.“
Jeremiah Jasso – May 26, 2024
