May 24, 2022
How often I’ve listened to people praying “against” illness, a moral or political issue, or some tragedy that shows up on the news. We’ve all done it, but I wonder if it’s the right approach. I can’t recall Jesus praying against anything; he prayed, and taught us to pray that his Father’s kingdom come and his will be done, not that Satan’s kingdom be destroyed. If the former happens, the latter will follow. Instead of focusing on the kingdom that is coming, we focus on the one already here and passing away.
When we pray against something, the focus of our prayers is the situation, not the Savior. We fixate upon the problem and wonder why it never seems to resolve. It’s unlikely you’ll hit a target you don’t aim at. Our prayers may be more accurate in our aim than we realize—we aim at the problem, and that’s where we end up. If we aimed our prayers at the solution, ie., to the Father in the name of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit, maybe we would see more of what we desire.
Daniel 7:27-28a—“Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most Hight. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. This is the end of the matter.”
If all we do is look around us, the kingdoms of this world assume in our minds an importance they don’t deserve. It’s only when we aim our prayers at the future we, and Jesus, envisioned, that our prayers can assume their full import and effect. So I’m not praying against the problems of this world. I’m praying for the kingdom of God, for health, integrity, and the power and holiness of the Holy Spirit to sweep across this land.
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