This Means War (Chapter 10) (Tuesday in the fourth week of Lent)

PAUSE
As I enter prayer now, I pause to be still; to breathe slowly to recenter my scattered senses upon the presence of God.

(pause)
I pray Psalm 25: 1-2, repeating the words slowly, several times: “In you, Lord my God, I put my trust. I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame.”

REFLECT
Bible: 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. (Eph 6: 12-13)

Book passage: Sometimes, submission to God involves meek acceptance of suffering, but at other times we should get angry about our unanswered prayers and fight! Why? Because Christians do not believe that all suffering is God’s will. We know that the terrors and tragedies screaming from today’s newspapers cannot possibly reflect the heart of a loving Father at work in His world. Instead, we believe something so surprising that it would be almost impossible to accept if it wasn’t so blatantly true: we believe that the almighty God does not always get His way on earth – even though He is the almighty God! Jesus taught us to pray to the Father, “Your kingdom come, your will be done,” precisely because it isn’t a foregone conclusion. (p. 136)

ASK
Ask myself: Do I ever misdirect my anger against “flesh and blood,” or even against God Himself, when I should instead be harnessing it in spiritual warfare against “the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms”?

Ask the Lord: Recognizing the spiritual battle raging around me today, I put on the helmet of salvation to guard my thinking; the breastplate of righteousness to guard my heart; the shield of faith to deflect enemy attacks; the belt of truth to guard my sexuality; the shoes of the gospel to make myself ready; and I take up the sword of the Spirit to fight the enemy with the sharpness of God’s Word.

YIELD
A prayer of the eighteenth century soldier, explorer, and monk, Charles de Foucauld:

Father, I abandon myself into Your hands; do with me what You will. Whatever You may do, I thank You: I am ready for all, I accept all. Let only Your will be done in me, and in all Your creatures – I wish no more than this, 0 Lord.
Amen