Struggling Together in Prayer
I was in the restroom touching up my makeup before speaking to several hundred women. When I looked in the mirror, thoughts began swirling in my mind. What am I doing here? What do I possibly have to say to these women that could make any difference in their lives? I am not capable of walking to that podium tonight.
While I was mulling over the lies of the enemy telling me I wasn’t good enough, my cell phone rang.
“Hi Sharon. This is Mary. Where are you?”
“Actually, I’m standing in the restroom getting ready speak to a group of women and I forgot to turn my cell phone off!”
“I want you to know God interrupted me while I was cooking dinner and told me to pray for you,” Mary continued. “Not only that, He told me to call you and tell you I was praying.”
I was imagining Mary standing in her kitchen with spaghetti sauce simmering on the stove and stopping mid-stir. There might have been a little conversation with God that went something like this:
God: Call Sharon and pray for her.
Mary: Could you just wait a minute God? The sauce is almost done.
God: Call Sharon and pray for her.
Mary: OK, OK, I’ll do it now.
There was great power in Mary’s instant obedience. If she had waited, I would not have known that she was praying. Not only did God prompt her to pray at that moment, He wanted her to tell me she was doing so. Why? God knew that there was power in her prayer, and He wanted me to know that I was not going into battle alone.
He had called Mary to “struggle with me,” to “strive together in battle,” to lock arms with me and march into victory.
I am so glad God gave us friends who will struggle with us in prayer. Paul wrote, “Dear brothers and sisters, I urge you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to join in my struggle by praying to God for me” (Romans 15:30 NLT).
The New Testament was originally written in Greek and sometimes looking at the original definitions of the words can give us great insight. The Greek word Paul uses for struggle in Romans 15:30 is sunagonizomai, which means “to struggle in company of, i.e., to be a partner (assistant), strive together with.”
Prayer for another person is not simply a nice platitude or a pat on the back. I’ll be honest, when I’m having a difficult time and someone says, “I’m thinking about you” or “I’m sending positive thoughts your way,” I don’t feel encouraged. I don’t need happy thoughts sent my way. I need prayers sent God’s way!
When we tell someone that we will pray for them we are agreeing to put on the armor and head to the front lines of battle on their behalf. We are locking our shields and making our appeals with other warriors on someone else’s behalf.
Many ancient shields had brackets attached to the sides. These brackets were a type of latch that soldiers used to lock shields during battle. When the shields were locked together, the soldiers moved as one force, forming a barricade against the enemy.
Alone, the shield was a small defense. Together they formed a human wall. Do you see the significance? When we lock arms in prayer with others, we are locking our shields together and forming a powerfully strong fortress of defense.
I’d like to pray for you right now!
Heavenly Father, I thank you for my friend reading this devotion today. I pray that You will give her the strength she needs for the battle she faces. Fill her with Your Holy Spirit. Give her the power and provision to take her stand against the schemes of the enemy. Open her eyes to see that You are surrounding the trouble that is surrounding her. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Let’s link shields and pray for each other today. Leave a comment and tell one of your greatest prayer needs. You don’t need to give a lot of details. God knows them all. It might be a just name. Then spend some time praying for your sisters.
Digging Deeper
Sometimes it’s hard to know what to pray. When you can’t find the words, look to God’s Word. When you pray the Word of God, you pray the will of God. I have several prayer resources created just for you to help you pray Scripture over the ones you love. Praying for Your Child and Praying for Your Husband books, plus laminated prayer cards that fit snuggly in your Bible. Take a look. It might be just the help you need to become the prayer warrior you’ve always wanted to be.
