Pray Church, Pray

Acts 12, "After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. "Quick, get up!" he said, and the chains fell off Peter's wrists."

I got a call this morning from a dear friend who is going through some attacks by Satan. I am also going through some attacks of my own, my MS is acting up. This comes at an opportune time for both of us, for we are getting ready to go into battle. We are getting ready to bring the Abstinence Only program to High School and Junior High kids. Satan hits us where we are the weakest. My weakness is in my health. I have been doing very well for about one year, but in this year I have not kept up what I knew I needed to in order to stay well. So where does the enemy strike, where I have let my defenses down. Where does he strike my friend, where she is the weakest. This past few weeks we have both been under Spiritual attack. Only, we did not realize exactly what was happening until we talked about it with each other. This is not a physical battle, this is spiritual warfare. We are behind the bars and the chains are upon our wrists. How was the battle won? "So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him." We will be set free we just need to trust and wait patiently for Him to bring us to the other side.

In the book "The Grand Weaver", Ravi talks about Moses and the doubts that he faced. Moses had seen the burning bush and heard the audible voice of God! He had seen His mighty miracles, yet before he led the people into the desert he still doubted and asked God if it was really His will for him to do this. He wanted proof, before he walked out. Peter was in prison facing death. The night before he could have been killed, he was rescued by God. But here's the point, he still had to do his waiting in prison. While he was waiting the church was praying for him. They did not know how he would be set free, but they were praying earnestly for God to rescue him. This life is really not about the physical, what is happening right now. It is all really Spiritual Warfare. I have a title to put on mine, MS, but it is really a spiritual fight. Satan attacks me where I am the weakest, that is my physical body. Your weakest point may be food, jealousy, envy, your marriage, pornography, drugs, alcohol. Whatever it is, the point is that it is really not about this physical hardship. It is all about your spiritual relationship with God. Satan is attacking me, to cause me to doubt. If I doubt God, then I become weak and can no longer work for my Lord. If I doubt God, then I will not be able to do what He has called me to do. If I doubt, then I will not walk out in faith.

Faith is trust, while we have unanswered questions. Faith is trusting and obeying, while we struggle with doubt. Peter was in a spiritual battle, but he was not alone. He was the one suffering, but he was not fighting by himself. Did you notice one line that was crucial? "...but the church was earnestly praying to God for him." He had the church praying for him. That is where the battle was being won. When you pray for others; when you pray for me; when I pray for you, I will not be praying about the physical, but the spiritual battle that is being fought. Pray that the trials we go through, will not cause us to succumb to our doubt. Pray that as we are standing at the edge of the dessert, we will be able to walk in faith knowing it is God who is leading us. Pray that we will see, this is really not about what happens in our bodies. This is about arming ourselves for the true fight, and putting on the armor of God. He has already won the war, we just have to fight this battle in faith.