Suited for Battle
The Armor of God…most Christians have heard sermons on it,
have read the passage in Ephesians 6 describing it and some even wake up each
morning and put it on before getting out of bed. We are in a battle and it is
important that we are fully dressed and prepared for it.
On our last visit to see the grandkids, Will was a bit down
on himself. We didn’t quite know why, but he was verbally beating himself up. I
didn’t like what I heard and tried to talk through it with him, but was still
bothered by it after he had gone to sleep.
I have always loved to watch a child sleep; they look so
innocent and peaceful. As I observed Will that evening, I felt compelled to kneel
beside his bed and pray for him. As I covered him in prayer I visualized the
battle going on in his head, so I prayed for his head to be covered with the
helmet of salvation—that his mind would be protected with the knowledge that he
was a child of God, that he had been saved and was holy and righteous in the
sight of God.
I realized that his heart needed some protection too, so I
placed the breastplate of righteousness over him in prayer, so that he would
realize that it was not his actions that made him good in the eyes of God, but
it was the righteousness of Jesus that covered him.
His feet also needed protection; they needed to be covered
in readiness so that when the time comes he can tell others of the peace that
knowing God can bring to your life.
Knowing that it was Satan who was hurling lies at Will to
make him question and doubt his behavior, I asked God to protect him with the
shield of faith to guard and surround him so that the lies of Satan could not
penetrate his life and harm him.
And lastly I prayed that God would implant His word deeply in
Will’s heart and mind so that he will know it well enough to be able to use it
when he needs it as his weapon.
Will slept soundly that night and woke the next morning as
his normal happy self. Was it because of the prayer? Maybe, maybe not.
The prayer had been as much for me as for Will. I needed to
protect that precious child and the only way that I knew how was to give him to
a loving Father who alone could protect him.
Praying scripture is always appropriate, especially when we
don’t know what to say. So the next time you need to know what to pray for a
specific situation open your Bible and let God show you. When you don’t know
how to pray for a friend in need, God’s Word can guide you. And even if you don’t
seem to have any problems or concerns today, open the pages of Scripture,
because tomorrow you may need to know how to pray.
Ephesians 6:18 And pray in the Spirit on
all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be
alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
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