We all experience difficult times in our Christian lives, but we must remember that behind every human opponent lies the invisible power of darkness. Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual powers that control them. For this reason, “we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish (demonic) strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4).
I once heard a preacher say that life is like a Punch and Judy show. When the puppet-villain puts in an appearance, we can take him out with a club, but what have we accomplished? The man behind the scene will simply place another puppet on the stage and begin to pull the strings once more. Far better to get behind the scenes and take out the puppeteer!
God has supplied us with the means to reach beyond the scene to the unseen realm of reality. His are not the schemes of human endeavour, but an infinitely more powerful strategy – namely prayer. This is the mechanism that puts the forces of God – a third force – on the field, a force for which the enemy has no counter-measures.
The main thing about prayer is to keep at it. Jesus said we “should always pray and not give up” (Luke 18:1). But praying is hard work at times! It can be much harder than waging war.
The Puritan, Matthew Henry wrote, “Our cause is more or less successful, as our friends are more or less strong in faith, and fervent in prayer. We should be glad of such help. We should not be shy of asking it of others.”
Martin Luther agreed: “No man should be alone when he opposes Satan…If the prayer of one doesn’t help, the prayer of another will.”
John.
