“Prayer is the key to heaven” is a recurring theme in the Bible. However, it’s emphasized that faith is the essential companion to prayer, unlocking the door to heaven. There is an old song by that name that highlights the importance of genuine faith when speaking to the Master. Without faith, prayer is likened to a boat without an oar, unable to navigate the spiritual journey. In contrast, prayer with faith serves as a powerful means of connecting with the Divine. In essence, prayer provides the initial access, while faith enables the deeper understanding and surrender necessary to truly “unlock the door” to heaven. The most basic definition of prayer is “having a conversation with God.” Prayer is not meditation or passive reflection; it is direct address to God. It is the communication of the human soul with the Lord who created the soul. Prayer is the primary way for the believer in Jesus Christ to communicate his emotions and desires with God and to fellowship with God. In reading the Bible, we see that prayer is saturated within God’s Word. It impacts important events, interweaving with God’s sovereign plan in history. The Bible refers to the word prayer or expresses a prayer in 61 of its 66 books, making close to 1,100 distinct references to and about prayer. We are commanded to pray 84 times in the Old Testament. Throughout the ministry of Jesus prayer played a vital role. There are 18 references of Jesus going aside to pray to the Father. In Matthew alone there are 28 references to Jesus’ praying for others. Paul exhorts us to devote ourselves to prayer (Col. 4:2) and to pray without ceasing (I Thess. 5: 17). I believe that God is sounding the alarm to His people—to believers that we are in a spiritual battle both personally and as a nation—a battle between good and evil, and we are the prize. God is calling us to partner with Him in prayer as He sends His heavenly host to do battle against the forces of evil. The apostle Paul repeatedly used words and phrases of resistance: “be strong in the Lord,” “stand against the wiles,” “withstand in the evil day,” “having done all, to stand,” “stand therefore”. (Eph. 6:10-18)
Far too long we have been lulled by the enemy into complacency believing that if we don’t acknowledge we have an enemy, then we won’t ever have to engage with him in any way. Spoiler alert—the enemy has a plan for our life and our nation and so does God. Which plan do we want to succeed? The truth is that we are in the middle of a fierce battle. The war is never over until we go to be with the Lord. We are called to stand and fight the way God wants us to. These were the words of our former president after being shot by an assassin on Jul 13: “Fight, fight, fight!” In the war between God and His enemy, God wins. This is not like earthly wars where people hope and pray they win. In this war we have victory over the enemy, but we still have to fight each battle in order to see victory happen. Every battle is waged in prayer. Prayer is the actual battle! During World War II pictures were displayed everywhere that showed a man dressed in red, white, and blue trousers and tails pointing directly at you as you looked at the photo. Uncle Sam—meaning the United States—wanted men and women to fight in the military. There is a similar image we need to picture in our mind, and that is a picture of Jesus looking at us and pointing His finger toward us, saying, “Father God Wants You.” God wants us to fight in His army. Will we answer that call?
The question then is: “What do we do as we “stand?” God’s Word does not tell us to attack or to mount a massive charge against the devil. His W0rd tells us to stand on the truth of what Jesus has already accomplished putting on the full amor of God everyday according to Ephesians 6: 10-18. Standing firm means refusing to give in to the devil’s temptations, and refusing to give up on what God is seeking to do in us and through us and our nation. He has called us to be salt and light in a dark world by getting into a right relationship with God and helping others to get into a right relationship with Him. As the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia puts it, “Christian prayer in its full New Testament meaning is prayer addressed to God as Father, in the name of Christ as Mediator, and through the enabling grace of the indwelling Spirit.” Prayer is described in the Bible as seeking God’s favor (Ex. 32:11), pouring out one’s soul to the Lord (I Samuel 1:15), crying out to heaven (2 Chronicles 32: 20), drawing near to God (Psalm 63: 28), and kneeling before the Father (Ephesians 3: 14). Paul wrote, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4: 6-7). Worry about nothing; pray about everything. We must remember that no matter how hopeless a situation may appear to us, God gives us power in prayer to do something about it. We may be overwhelmed by it, but God is not. We may not see a way out, but God can. Because of Him, we can make a difference!
God is sounding the alarm to pray because the time is later than we think! We must not only do battle in prayer for our own lives as well as the lives of our family members, friends, and the people God put on our hearts, but we cannot stop there as if the rest of the world is not our problem. It is not only our problem to pray about, but we are mandated by the Lord to become the intercessors He is calling each one of us to be at such a time as this. God has ordained each of us to be alive for His purposes! God did not promise a life without trial or struggle. He did not promise we would have instant victory over every challenge, but He has told us that when we proclaim His truth, and live His way and pray, we can overcome these problems. Our spiritual warfare in prayer prepares the way for God to bring victory and He gets the glory!
We must clear the channels to heaven if we want God to hear our prayers! According to Psalm 66:18, if we regard iniquity in our hearts, the Lord will not hear our prayers. This suggests that a heart filled with sin and wickedness is not a suitable vessel for receiving God’s attention or response. The Bible emphasizes the importance of a pure heart in prayer. If we harbor iniquity, our prayers may be ignored or go unanswered. Iniquity can take many forms, including selfishness, pride, envy, unforgiveness, anger and offense, fear, immorality, addictions and other sins. When we cherish these attitudes and behaviors in our hearts and lives, we create a barrier between ourselves and God’s presence and guidance. However, the same Psalm 66:18 also testifies to God’s willingness to hear and respond to prayers when we turn away from iniquity. The verse states, “But verily God hath heard me; He hath attended to the voice of my prayer.” This highlights the importance of repentance and a sincere desire to forsake sin. When we acknowledge and confess our iniquity, God is willing to listen and respond to our prayers.
We know that as believers we have access to the Father in the Name and by the Blood of Jesus who is praying for us before the Throne. However, Scripture reveals that prayer with faith or belief is the key to having our prayers answered. Let’s look at this passage where Jesus explains the prayer of faith and gives insight into it: “Then Jesus said to the disciples, ‘Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive yours sins too.” (Mark 11: 22-25) Our prayers must be according to the Word of God and spoken in faith; believed and received. The prayer may not be answered immediately but we are trusting and standing in faith in God’s Word and His truth. It is saying: “God’s Word says it; therefore, I believe it and am trusting in God to answer in His way and in His time according to His will, purpose and plan.” Release it into God’s hands! Jesus talked to His disciples repeatedly about prayer and gave them a model to follow. He told them to pray for God’s kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven; for their daily sustenance, for forgiveness, and for strength against temptation (Mt. 6: 9-13). He also told them that anything they asked for in His name, for God’s glory, would be done for them (John 14:11-14), and He assured them that God knows how to give good gifts to His children (Mt. 7:11).
Paul admonished the Ephesians to pray “in the Spirit.” The Holy Spirit is actually the most vital part of prayer! Jesus instructed His followers to wait on the power from on high after He ascended to heaven. His Spirit indwells each believer and empowers us to communicate with the Father in the Name of Jesus. “The Spirit helps us in our weakness.” (Rom. 8:26) So often we do not know how to pray, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us. The Holy Spirit prays for us in mercy we could never fathom. He speaks to us and through us to the Father with a connection we don’t possess. Who better to know what God’s will is for our lives than the third Person of the Trinity? The beautiful thing about prayer is we don’t do it alone. He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. (Romans 8: 26-27) God the Holy Spirit stands beside us as we approach the Throne of Grace. God will not condemn because of the work of Jesus Christ and the confirmation of the Holy Spirit.
We must always pray with unwavering faith that God not only will hear our prayers but also will answer them, in His timing, with His methods, and always for His glory and our eternal benefit. We can count on it! As we pray in the face of all the spiritual attacks that we face personally and as a nation, we must set our mind on the vastness of God’s power. We must see Him for the Mighty God He is! God created all things—the heavens and the earth. He moves mountains and calms seas. He has power over death. He gives us an eternal home in heaven. In the face of fear, He gives us boldness. Paul wrote to Timothy: “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Tim. 1:7) Dr. Charles Stanley’s words of wisdom give us hope and courage at such a time as this. “There are countless benefits to our prayers: Our understanding of the Word of God is in direct proportion to our prayers. Our holiness and righteousness are directly related to our prayers. Our fruitfulness and usefulness to God are directly related to our prayers. In the face of spiritual attack, let me remind you of these three specific benefits of prayer: greater discernment, greater awareness of sin that you need to confess, and greater energy and strength.” Paul’s final two words to the Ephesians about their prayer life were these: watch and persevere. Jesus said in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Watch and pray.” We must be alert to what is happening around us today! We are called to be alert in our prayers. We are to be wide awake about situations in which we find ourselves and of the people around us. To persevere in the faith means to live in a state of constant readiness to receive God’s answer and act on it! We are called to prayer today not only because it is the right thing to do but also because it is the most powerful thing we can do. We must pray with the full expectancy that God will use our prayers to change circumstances and to change lives. We must pray with the full expectancy that God will empower us to resist Satan’s attacks! God wins!