Why Pray?

Because we are in a war. Because we need divine strength and intervention to fight. Because we need strategies and tactics to combat the enemy. Because prayer changes us, prayer moves the heavens, and prayer alters the course of the battle.

Without the weapon of prayer, we will lose the war. But with prayer, we will win the victory. And so, we must pray, and we must believe that our prayers work—that our prayers are effective.

Spiritual Warfare

In his teachings, the apostle Paul emphasized the importance of being a good soldier and engaging in spiritual warfare. He used powerful imagery to convey the challenges faced by leaders. Here are a few key statements made by Paul:

• “Fight the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12 ESV).

• “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:3–4 ESV).

• “Put on the whole armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:11–12 ESV).

• “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm” (Ephesians 6:13 ESV).

• “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might” (Ephesians 6:10 ESV).

  How do we “fight the good fight of faith”? How can we “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might”? First, we put on our armor—the breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of salvation, the belt of truth, the shoes of the gospel—and pick up our shield of faith and sword of the Spirit. Next, we pray. When we pray, we ask God for help. We pray for His will to be done in our lives just as His will is done in heaven. We ask Him for strength and wisdom. We ask for Him to act on our behalf. While others around us may say, “God’s going to do whatever He’s going to do. If His will is that we just endure and nothing changes, then what can we do?” We can pray—that’s what we can do because prayer changes things. It changes circumstances. It even moves God.

  In 2 Chronicles 7, God spoke to King Solomon in the night. He said, “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (v. 14 ESV). God was saying that He would do something in response to prayer from His people and their ceasing to do evil. He said He would “heal their land.” There are some things God wants to do that are conditional. He will do them if we do something in response to His instruction. If we will pray, He will hear, and He will act.

  Prayerful Resistance

  Looking back at the apostle Paul’s words in Ephesians 6:13, he mentioned being able to “withstand in the evil day.” Make no mistake about it, we are living in an evil day or age. The devil, rulers, authorities, cosmic powers, and spiritual forces of evil are at work in our world. These are the adversaries we are facing each day even though they may be unseen to us. Thankfully, Paul wrote to the Galatians that the Lord Jesus Christ “gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father”

(Galatians 1:4 ESV). We see, then, that God’s desire—His will—is not only to help us to keep standing and withstanding “in the evil day,” but He sent His Son to deliver or rescue us from the evil age!

It is critical for us to understand God’s will is to deliver us from evil. Otherwise, we could be like those who throw their arms up in the air in surrender and defeatism. No, we cannot afford to do that or think in those terms. There is something we can do. We have a part to do that can totally impact our world and the battle we’re facing. We can put on God’s armor. We can stand and fight like good soldiers equipped for battle. Furthermore, we can do what the apostle James instructed. It’s Spiritual Warfare 101: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (James 4:7–8 ESV). We can resist our adversary and draw near to God. We can do prayerful resistance to cause the adversary to retreat. It can also cause angelic hosts to battle the adversary for us.

Angelic Assistance

In Daniel 10, Daniel was fasting and praying for the people of Israel who were in exile in Babylon. He was repenting for the sin of his people, and on the twenty-first day of his fast, the angel Gabriel appeared to him and said, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words” (v. 12 ESV). Amazing! The angel came because of the words Daniel had prayed. But when we look at the next verse, we see that something delayed the angel’s arrival. Gabriel explained, “The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia, and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days” (Daniel 10:13– 14 ESV).

What happened here? From the very first day that Daniel began to fast and pray, an angel was sent to give him a message. Gabriel was sent to assist Daniel in understanding what would happen at the end of the age. But on his way to Daniel, Gabriel got into a spiritual conflict with the principalities and rulers that the apostle Paul wrote about to the Ephesians. Totally unaware of what was going on, Daniel continued to fast and pray, doing his part, while Gabriel—with help from the angel named Michael who has charge over Israel—had to face off with the evil principality of Persia. Finally, Gabriel was able to get to Daniel and reveal the message from heaven.

We must understand that, when we pray, our prayers our activating warfare in the heavens. Our spiritual warfare on earth, our spiritual resistance, is bringing about a response from God. It can result in angelic assistance and even breakthrough. Sometimes, breakthroughs happen in days, months, or even years, but they do happen. And battles may be won or lost based on whether we pray or not.

So, why pray? Because we are in a war. Because we need divine strength and intervention to fight. Because we need strategies and tactics to combat the enemy. Because prayer changes us, prayer moves the heavens, and prayer alters the course of the battle.

What should we do then? We should be armed in the Spirit, resist the adversary, and lead others to do the same. We should pray like good soldiers and keep on praying until we see the victory.