Thurlow Switzer: Prayer as Spiritual Warfare

Prayer as Spiritual Warfare
Thurlow Switzer

Prayer is critical to the life of victory and essential to a life of holiness. Prayer is spending time with God and drawing near to Him. Prayer is allowing ourselves to be experientially rooted in Christ, abiding in the vine (John 15:1-3). Prayer is the intimate place in which a believer communes with God and nurture his or her soul.

The palmist clearly understood the power and necessity of prayer. Allow the words of scripture to speak for themselves.

“The Lord has heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer” (Psalm 6:9).

”Hear a just cause, O LORD, attend to my cry; give ear to my prayer which is not from deceitful lips. Let my vindication come from your presence; let your eyes look on the things that are upright.” (Psalm 17:1, 2).

“The Lord will command his loving kindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me—a prayer to the God of my life” (Psalm 42:8).

“Save me, O God, by your name, and vindicate me by your strength. Hear my prayer; O God; give ear to the words of my mouth. Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is with those who uphold my life” (Psalm 54:1-2,4).

“Give ear to my prayer, O God, and do not hide yourself from my supplication. Attend to me and hear me. I am restless in my complaint, and moan noisily, because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked” (Psalm 55:1-2).

“Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer. From of the end of the earth I will cry to you, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy. I will trust in the shelter of your wings” (Psalm 61:1-3).

“But certainly God has heard me; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me!” (Psalm 66:19-20).

“But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord, in the acceptable time; O God, in the multitude of your mercy, hear me in the truth of your salvation” (Psalm 69:13).

“Bow down your ear, O Lord, hear me; for I am poor and needy. Preserve my life, for I am holy; you are my God; save your servant who trusts in you! Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I cry to you all daylong. Rejoice the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul” (Psalm 86:1-4).

“O Lord, God of my salvation, I have cried out day and night before you. Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry, for my soul is full of troubles. Lord, I have called daily upon you; I have stretched out my hands to you” (Psalm 88:1-3, 9).

“Lord, I cry out to you; make haste to me! Give ear to my voice when I cry out to you. Let my prayer be set before you as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice” (Ps 141:1-2).

“I cry out to the Lord with my voice; with my voice to the Lord I make my supplication. I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare before Him my trouble. I cried out to you, O Lord; I said, ‘you are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.’ Attend to my cry!” (Psalm 141:1-2, 5-6).

“Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications! In your faithfulness answer me, and in you’re your righteousness. I muse on the work of your hands. I spread out my hands to you, my soul longs for you like a thirsty land” (Psalm 143:1, 5-6).

We need to embrace new seasons of prayer. Spend time with God and allow your heart to be nurtured, deepened and strengthened in the presence of God your heavenly father. Let us seek God as a faith-believing saints of God and see his work, wonder and grace expressed in our lives.