January 23, 2024
Prayers – The Silent Invasive Enemy
Prayers Inspired by Scripture
Biblical prayers come in a variety pack scattered across sixty-six compositions. They fit many occasions and express an assortment of emotions. But rarely do modern public prayers exhibit the passion or echo the comprehensive sentiments displayed in biblical scripture.
Today’s public prayers tend to share general thoughts, consist of near-repetitive content, focus on human needs, and avoid emotion. They are deemed necessary for opening a Bible class or punctuating a church service. And praying for the sick is an expectation in either event. This series, titled “Prayers Inspired by Scripture,” aims at broadening the public prayer experience through capturing the spirit of spiritual discipline as reflected in the Bible.
The prayers are being developed in the style of Hebrew poetry, although without the literary genius found in biblical compositions. While the language of the prayers that follow appears as public entreaties, the prayers can be adjusted easily to fit individual devotional thoughts.
The prayers intend to reflect proper notions without intending to be exegetical exercises on specific texts. Indeed, the sources are not all properly “prayers” by definition. They do promise to display the heart and soul of biblical theology.
Users of these prayers are responsible for making their own applications and are cautioned against identifying a direct or exclusive connection between biblical passages and modern circumstances. The application is one of principle, not direct fulfilled prophesy. May you, the reader, find a gold mine in both the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures and employ those nuggets in your own prayer life.
The Silent Invasive Enemy
A prayer that acknowledges Satan’s deception and Christ’s victory
Dear Lord,
creator of things small and great,
caretaker of the universe,
master of all knowledge.
Behold, the great enemy has invaded.
With silence he enters,
vigilant not to disturb,
careful not to alarm.
As invasive as the python
and poisonous as the cobra,
Satan quietly slips upon his prey.
He patiently waits for the time to strike.
Being unaware of the enemy’s presence
and oblivious to imminent danger,
those who are vulnerable deny Satan’s potential threat;
they disregard previous warnings.
Obsessed with a quest for personal freedom,
the careless think they can escape the adversary’s entanglement.
But the adversary induces only bondage,
a captivity mankind cannot escape.
He peddles a false sense of security.
He plants misapprehension.
He offers delusionary and empty promises.
He leads one to think of personal freedom as a godly gift.
He employs deceit to overpower opponents.
Those who buy Satan’s lie are a proud people who advocate peace.
But they know not the meaning of peace.
The voice of the enemy is not disguised to those of faith.
They recognize the enemy and take action to avoid harm.
The enemy’s followers boast of their might and invincible posture.
They are oblivious to the precedents laid before them.
Corruption will lead to their ruin because they
participate in Satan’s evil schemes,
or bless those who engage in godless behavior.
They bring into the daylight what previously they practiced in private.
Thus, they are all guilty.
Churches may rally around the unremorseful deviant.
Individuals may dismiss the call to repent.
But their pride is a curse.
Their arrogance is beyond recall.
Their future is certain Judgment.
Oh, Lord, have mercy
on those who aspire to righteousness,
on those who claim the victory already won by your Son, the Christ
through whom this prayer is offered.
Commentary: Christians should be alert to Satan’s constant effort to crush a believer’s faith. As part of their worldview, they know that spiritual warfare is a reality. But each Christian has a special relationship with God and to one another. Prayer is a means of reinforcing that relationship. And, indeed, Christians can pray with assurance. In prayer, the believers acknowledge their dependency upon God and claim Christ’s victory over Satan.
A Prayer for the Sick
To you, our Maker and Lord,
To you who formed us,
We worship you as our Father.
We offer thanksgiving.
We lift our voices in praise.
Your abundant love overflows,
Your mercy extends to all.
We do not serve you for trappings,
Nor can we be sustained by morsels.
Our individual requests seem trivial,
but to the fragile creatures we are,
death seems like an unscalable mountain
and an uninvited guest.
Help us to avoid becoming pagan,
Using you as a personal puppet.
In such a case, we ask for what we cannot supply
and give no attention to your Holiness.
Our prayers need not be long.
Who are we seeking to impress?
Is God hard of hearing?
Has he closed his ears to our requests?
Surely not, if we come in faith
and are willing to accept his will.
We ask now that you drive away our sicknesses
and we pray for better days;
Days filled with thanksgiving.
Raise us to honor you
as we make our request through your Son, our redeemer.
Mac Lynn
Chancellor
Prayers Inspired by Scripture: Issue 1