Going into battle...

Paul ends his exhortation to don the full armor of God with this: "...praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. (Ephesians 6:18-20)

Girded for war, the Christian soldier has one more bit of preparation before he steps onto the battle field. Perhaps, the most overlooked resource the Christian soldier possesses is the power of prayer. I know, in my life, I don't take everything to my Abba Father in prayer. Why is that? I think in my case, it comes from a fear of intimacy. Understand, please, that God wants the most intimate kind of relationship with us that we can ever conceive or experience...anywhere, at any time. Twice this week, I have encountered pastors who referred to Genesis 4:1, "Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived..." This statement is one we often blow past without considering its import.

Often, we see the word "knew" in this passage as simply a euphemism for "had sexual intercourse with." The Hebrew word translated here as "knew" has a much broader meaning:

1. Yada - to know

   1. (Qal)
      1. to know 1a
   2. to know, learn to know 1a
   3. to perceive 1a
   4. to perceive and see, find out and discern 1a
   5. to discriminate, distinguish 1a
   6. to know by experience 1a
   7. to recognise, admit, acknowledge, confess 1a
   8. to consider
      1. to know, be acquainted with
      2. to know (a person carnally)
      3. to know how, be skilful in
      4. to have knowledge, be wise
   9. (Niphal)
      1. to be made known, be or become known, be revealed
      2. to make oneself known
      3. to be perceived
      4. to be instructed
   10. (Piel) to cause to know
   11. (Poal) to cause to know
   12. (Pual)
       1. to be known
       2. known, one known, acquaintance (participle)
   13. (Hiphil) to make known, declare
   14. (Hophal) to be made known
   15. (Hithpael) to make oneself known, reveal oneself

If we look at the highlighted meanings that are ascribed to this word, we see that this is a two way kind of "knowing." Not only does it indicate a deep knowledge of the other person, as described in words like, "learn to know," "perceive and see," "find out and discern," "distinguish," and "experience;" it also may mean "to make oneself known, reveal oneself." This is the kind of relationship God wants with you. One in which you know and are known by God. Of course, God already knows everything about you, but He wants to reveal Himself to you, as well.

How does God reveal himself to us? There are at least three ways. 1) Creation, 2) Scripture, and 3) Prayer. Let us contemplate the third of these, prayer. When we pray, God is not so much interested in the words we use. After all, He already knows what we need. (Matthew 6:8) What He wants is the fellowship, the closeness, the personal interaction. It is common, nowadays, for prayers to resemble a laundry list more than a conversation. We get on our knees and trot out our wish list, as if we were presenting it to a kind of cosmic Santa Claus. But what God wants is to hear from us about the things that matter to us. Are we hurting from some trauma; are we overjoyed by some blessing; are we wrestling intellectually with some passage of scripture; are we struggling emotionally with a family member who is mired in sin; are we grateful that the first robin of spring showed up in the yard today?

As we pray in the quietness of our "closet" or private space, God wants us to listen for His still, small voice. Part of prayer is listening with our hearts. Many is the time that God has spoken to my heart, when I have been patient enough to kneel quietly and listen.

The prayer that Paul covets in the passage above from Ephesians 6 is intercessory prayer, for the saints and for himself. Paul wrote this letter from prison, where he was incarcerated because of his zeal for spreading the gospel. Notice that he does not pray to be released from prison, but rather for opportunities and the boldness to continue preaching the gospel within the prison! That is a soldier undaunted. Paul is not down in the mouth. He calls himself "an ambassador in chains." He is less interested in his circumstances than he is in spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. Christian soldier, it is precisely because he has on the full armor of God that he is able to continue to engage the enemy, even as a prisoner of war.

So, pray for the saints. Pray especially fervently for the leadership of the church. An army is always interested in taking out its opponent's generals, thus leaving the troops without direction. If your pastor is preaching the Bible, you can bet he is a prime target for Satan's attacks. Pray for him; pray for his family; pray for the elders. Beseech God to protect them and to raise them up to lead us against the powers of darkness that rule the world.

We have all seen the ignominious demise of a preacher who was overtaken by sin. Often it is because he has been too effective in going to battle against the enemy. Satan doesn't like that, and will try everything in his power to take out an effective servant of the Lord. That pastor is not to be scorned, but to be nurtured back to spiritual health. Ministered to by his congregation and given an opportunity to grow strong again and re-enter the fray. Soldiers are a band of brothers, united by their common enemy and their love for one another. Let us, the church, stop shooting our wounded and begin carrying them to safety and helping them to heal and get back into the battle. "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35)

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