Ephesians 6:18 - The battle unfought...?

"Through all prayer and petition praying in every opportunity in [the] Spirit, and unto this watching in all perseverance and petition about all the saints...’

-All suited up, armored up for glorious battle... and what do we do?  We fall on our knees, not to surrender, but rather to pray (or at least we should).  This is how we wage war against our determined foe, against the assembled forces of darkness.  Prayer is how God’s people fight, prayer is what provides the impetus for the forward progress of the light of the Good News into the dark recesses of hearts and nations.  Yes, prayer is how we prevail.  We stand our ground firmly on our knees.  Or even prone, flat on our faces, prostrate before our Supreme Commander and Gracious Provider, in supplication and submission and sincere utter dependence.  For this battle of battles is ultimately waged in the heavenlies, against the dark unseen spiritual forces who tremble not at flesh and blood and sinewy muscle, but rather fall back in the face of Christ and His Word and flee at the mention of His Name.  Through ALL prayer and petition praying at every opportunity, Paul says.  Elsewhere he says to pray without ceasing (1Thessalonians 5.17).  In other words, be constantly on the alert, watching with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, he says.  We have our brothers’ backs, and they have ours.  Or should.

-Sadly, calloused knees are scarcely a problem in our bloated western church.  Altho not a question of position, this.  Rather it is a question of perspective and neediness (or lack thereof).  Rather than daily waging war in the heavenlies from our prayer closet we are more apt to merely show up to a service once a week and get sidetracked by gnats, straining out things like sermon styles and carpet colors and song selection and music volume.  Ours is much planning and doing and not-a-little complaining, and not much of this ‘prayer and petition’ stuff, an exhausting cavalcade of meetings and building programs and mission statements and clever slogans and technology and social media, and prayer is a little-dab’ll-do-ya, a dainty morsel before the main course, or even just afterthought.  We devise our programs and outreaches and throw in a little dash of prayer for favor.  We show up in our fancy cars and sit in fancy auditoriums for a fancy service, a clever message and some modern worship.  We raise our hands and pay our tithe and need very little, expend very little in agonizing over and wrestling against the incalcuable spiritual needs all around us, and meanwhile the heavens stay closed.  But let us make no mistake - prayer is not preparation for work - it IS work, THE work.  Prayer is the battle, prayer is how the victory secured at Calvary is manifested in our world.  Flaming arrows and spiritual blindness are not overcome by any earthly means.  Failing here, we have yet to even begin to fight.  We (and I) have much to learn about the efficacy of prayer...