Prayer requests and the wisdom of a prayer warrior

Whenever I stop to ask God for something through prayer I am reminded of these words by Chester B. Emerson under the title: The Quest

I asked for bread!
Life led me to a plain,
And put a plough at hand,
And bade me toil until my bread I earned.

I asked for drink!
Life led me to a sand
As dry as tearless grief –
Forced me to find the springs of sympathy.

I asked for joy!
Life led me to a street,
And had me hear the cries
Of wayward souls who waited to be freed.

I asked for words!
Life led me to a wood,
Set me in solitude
Where speech is still and wisdom comes by prayer.

I asked for love!
Life led me to a hill,
And bound me to a cross
To bear and lift and to be hanged upon.

Over the years I have had prayer warriors in my churches. These individuals were unusual and their prayers always seemed to be answered. It wasn’t until I was sitting in one of their living rooms that I discovered the truth about prayer warriors.

They never ask anything for themselves – ever. Their prayers are always lifted up for the sake of others in need.

What the warrior shared was, “Why would I ask for anything since I already have everything? I have my Bible, a chair to sit in and read it, and a Savior who cares what I think. I have everything, so I just sit here and pray for others.”

A prayer warrior is unselfish in their prayers and spiritually directed in their intentions.

Maybe this is the truest meaning behind the scripture found in Matthew 22:37-39: “Jesus said, 'Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.' This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: 'Love others as well as you love yourself.'”

It is all about our focus. When our focus is outward – towards God and others – then we cannot see ourselves. Passion and compassion takes over.

The world and the church need more prayer warriors.

The other thing that I’ve discovered about prayer warriors is that they are not bothered by criticism – of the church or of themselves. Again, they know of what they believe and it matters not what others might say or think. Their relationship with Christ is rock-solid, they shall not be moved.

As one dear old soul shared, “When I hear negative comments I just bow my head and say, ‘Jesus you take care of that because I’m too busy talking to your daddy about the sick’ and then I just move on. Time is too precious to worry your head about all that stuff and get caught up with all that foolishness.”

Wise words from someone who has lived a long life … wisdom does come with age and spiritual maturity comes with practice … and lots of it!