“Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 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.” (Ephesians 6:10-18)

Our world is at war – I think we’re aware of that fact now more than ever. But I fear we’re looking at the wrong enemy. We are yelling at one another across the racial, political and socioeconomic fault lines of our society, when our true enemy is spiritual. The same enemy that convinced Adam and Eve to doubt their creator sows discord into our hearts. The same enemy that convinced the Jews to murder their Messiah now seeks to deaden our hearts towards our neighbor who looks or thinks or votes differently than us. And right now, it seems our enemy is winning.

It may feel overwhelming to battle an ancient enemy whom we cannot see. It’s easier to point at the rioting looters or the self-righteous bigot than it is to confront Satan and spiritual forces. But I’ve got good news: it’s not our job to vanquish them. That’s Jesus’ job, and He’s fully up to the task. Our job is simply to stand against the devil’s schemes. Read through the passage above one more time and pay attention to how many times Paul tells us to stand.

Thankfully, we’re not powerless in this fight. God has provided a number of defensive weapons to guard our hearts and minds from an enemy who attacks from the shadows, using lies and accusations, stoking fear and agitation. An interesting detail that is often overlooked when we discuss the armor of God is that each piece is primarily defensive, not offensive, in nature. Each piece protects us from the attacks of the enemy, from his underhanded schemes. Even the Sword of the Spirit (the word of God) is used primarily to defend ourselves against the temptations and manipulations of the enemy. That’s how Jesus used it when Satan tempted him, and it’s one of our strongest protections against his attacks.

In fact, the only truly offensive weapon Paul mentions in this whole list is prayer. If the rest of the armor is intended to help us stand our ground against an enemy who comes at us from every angle, then prayer is like the field phone by which we can call in air strikes against an enemy who is deeply entrenched. When we feel overwhelmed and lost within the fog of war, when the bullets are flying and we don’t know what to do, the most powerful and effective way to stand our ground is on our knees in prayer.

People often mistake prayer as a passive way of dealing with our troubles, but from a spiritual perspective, prayer is calling in the big guns. And we could sure use the help right now. That’s why I’m so grateful to those who surrounded City Hall on Wednesday to intercede on behalf of our city and our nation. I’m so grateful to those who begin their days in prayer. And I’m grateful that our God hears our cries for help. 

No, prayer isn’t passive. In this spiritual war we find ourselves embroiled in, it’s the most powerful way we have to take the fight to our spiritual enemy. So please don't stop praying. Our enemy won't stop attacking, so let's not give him a breather.