Warrior

“Lord, I have heard of your fame;
I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord.
Repeat them in our day,
in our time make them known;
in wrath remember mercy.” - Habakkuk 3:2 NIV

I must admit, I’m not a very good prayer. Don’t get me wrong, I pray and I pray throughout the day as things come to mind or lay heavy on my heart. But I’m no prayer warrior.

Now, I know some prayer warriors. When they pray, they seem to enter the heavenly realms and take on the darkness and the evil. They battle the enemy on a daily basis in their full armor. They pray and things change. It’s like they pray and lay down the request at the feet of the Lord. They pray and they hear from God.

I know it’s like that when we pray. God hears. Demons shutter. Hope’s restored. And, things can change.

Yet, somehow it seems different when a prayer warrior prays. It’s almost as if we expect the earth to tremble and the heavens to open up. You can tell that they have a relationship with Jesus. For them, He is more than Lord. More than Savior, but friend and confidant. They tell Him everything. They share with Him their heart and their heart’s desire. They praise Him for who He is and what He has done. They worship Him. They spend time at the foot of the cross. Sometimes silently taking in His presence. Not saying a word but listening, hoping, resting in Him. Sometime sharing their requests, their pain, their sorrow, their joy, their day to day life.

And when someone asks a prayer warrior to pray for them, they pray right then.

I once had a friend who was that way. Ross was a youth pastor at the time and now is a pastor of a rather large plant church in the Dallas area. If you asked hIm for prayer, he would pray. Right then and there.

The first time he did that for me, I had asked Him for prayer about something I was dealing with and he stopped and put his hand on my shoulder and started praying.

My heart about jumped from my chest and my face became red with embarrassment.

“Dude, I didn’t mean right now.” was the thought running through my mind.

And as soon as I thought that thought, Ross said, “I could say that I’ll pray for you but I might forget. I could write it down, but I might misplace the card. This way I know I prayed for you”

And my heart went back to normal speed replaced by a lump in my throat... grateful for the prayer and almost overcome with emotion from my shallowness.

Prayer warriors pray.

That’s how they become prayer warriors. They pray. They carve out time in their day to pray. It may be scheduled. It may be an every morning thing. Whatever and whenever, they pray. And their conversation with God becomes easier and more natural. Initially, it’s not easy, but as they continue day by day, moment by moment it becomes easier.

It’s like when you meet someone new. Initially, the conversation is a little strained. You talk about the weather. You talk about news or sports. But as the friendship develops conversations become more open and honest. Then deeper and more personal. Soon, the walls are down and the friends share most anything. They share and listen in and beyond the emotion.

Today’s passage in Habakkuk is the beginning of a prayer to God. The prayer is open and honest, as if they have been talking with each other for many years… as a prayer warrior would be talking with the Lord.

Keep the Faith... Carpe Diem