Knowing what prayer is, and what it’s not, motivates me to pray.
Jesus explained prayer as the intersection between at least four free agents:
“Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren” (Luke 22:31-32).
A convergence of four persons is on display here: Simon, Satan, God the Father, and Jesus. Satan is asking God for access to Simon (aka Peter), to destroy him. Jesus is countering Satan’s ask by praying for Peter. A spiritual war is underway over Peter’s soul. He is the target of satanic attack. But on the premise of his prayer for Peter, Jesus fully anticipates a significant effect to be had upon Peter. Peter will deny His Master, but he will return to Jesus.
When I have a clear mental image of what happens when the words of my prayers leave my lips or ascend from my heart, I cannot help but want to pray. It ceases to be a formal religious ritual and becomes a vital interaction between myself and all of the free will activity taking place around me.
Prayer is Not Pagan Magic
Blaise Pascal, the French mathematician and philosopher, said, “God instituted prayer in order to lend to His creatures the dignity of causality.”
Prayer is not pagan magic. God is not a heavenly vending machine. Rather, prayer is part of the science of free will. When I pray, I am leveraging the victory of Christ over the kingdom of darkness, taking back territory that rightfully belongs to Christ. Prayer is an intelligent and strategic exercise of my moral freedom on the battlefield of the great controversy between good and evil. Prayer is an act of war against the systems and structures of evil that compose the demonic empire.
During this present time of massive social upheaval in our nation and in our world, one of the most impactful things we can do to arrest the powers of evil and open access to the powers of good, is to pray out the realities we want our protest against racial injustice to produce.
What I’m Praying For
Today I am specifically praying for strategic conversations between myself and my white brothers and sisters who are operating in their opinions in a vacuum of knowledge and empathy. God help me to articulate the truth of the situation persuasively and open their hearts to feel your heart coming through my words.
What I’m Fasting From
Today I’ll be fasting from all solid foods, and keeping my energy level up with two green protein smoothies, one in the morning, and one in the late afternoon.
What I’m Doing and Encouraging You To Do
Today I will be reaching out to three specific white persons of influence in an effort to open the racial justice conversation with them and ask them to become vocal allies in the vital cause.
