Biblical Teaching on Prayer
Acts 20:36
When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed.
Pondering Point
Compelled by the Holy Spirit, Apostle Paul is preparing to depart from Miletus and head into physically dangerous territory – enemy territory. Before doing so, he shares some poignant thoughts with his Ephesians friends and then comes together with them in prayer. But this is no ordinary moment of prayer with friends. If you read Acts 20:17-38, you will see that Paul believes (rightly so it seems) that he will never see these dear friends again. That is powerful stuff.
There is a lesson about praying for our enemies here. As with other types of prayers, it is a good practice to pray with other people. Paul often called on his fellow brothers and sister in Christ to pray for him – and for those to whom he would be ministering. That meant enemy territory and enemy attacks. Proof of Paul’s enemy attacks can be found in 2 Corinthians 11:16-28. The current situation drove him to seek out the Ephesians elders for strength and prayer. Who would you call on to help prepare you for a God-driven journey into enemy territory? Who might call on you to do the same?
Prayer
Father God, thank You for the reminder not to handle life’s difficulties alone, but to lean onto and into each other for strength and prayer. Whatever enemies we face – be they human, demonic, or situational, let us do so with support from fellow disciples. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Three types of “enemy mode” identified by Christian author Jim Wilder:
Simple Enemy Mode: Relational circuits are dimmed or off due to fatigue or being hyper-focued on a task. People are treated like problems to solve or obstacles in your way, though you may not feel intensely angry.
Stupid Enemy Mode: Relational circuits go completely offline, leading you to hurt others without thinking about the consequences. You act impulsively out of frustration or survival, often feeling deep regret once your brain calms down.
Intelligent (Predatory) Enemy Mode: Relational circuits are fully off while higher cognitive functions are used maliciously. Your brain actively tracks the weaknesses of others to attack, control, or win for maximum advantage, completely abandoning love and safety.
Prayer Thoughts
Chapter 30
Death
The provinces of Aceh and North Sumatra, Indonesia were devastated by an earthquake measuring 8.9 on the Richter Scale and a tsunami (tidal wave) that struck the coastline shortly thereafter. Most of the survivors describe three huge walls of water or waves being at least fifty feet high. Experts say they were traveling at least 500 miles per hour. (December 2004)…
Life is short. Death is certain. Yet we know that God is stronger than every wave of sorrow in this life. He wants to help us through difficult times. There is hope for the future. He can take sorrow and tragedy and turn it into a positive future. Alice and I had an overwhelming conviction that God could use this event to unite people around the globe.
Our daily prayers are needed for divine guidance, hope, comfort, and renewal in the lives of those so deeply devastated by any horrific disaster. Many survivors have no knowledge or assurance of eternal salvation through faith in Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Pray that our proclamation of the Good News of Christ will touch lives that have been shattered by devastating events wherever in the world they come.
Got his book? Read pages 142-145 in Keep Me and Keep All, Smith.
Also check out Pastor Bob’s answer to Prayer Question #34 on page 278: “What are some prayer topics we can pray about?"