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Amongst the Christians in my context, the title of prayer warrior doesn’t belong to everyone. Only a specific few have this title. This honor. Those I minister among treat it as though it’s a special gift. Thus you’ll hear them applauding so and so, ‘he is a great prayer warrior for the Lord.’ The title is usually the possession of those who arrive early for church. They pray for the church program ahead, and the people attending. They’re also often known to pray late into the night. Sometimes through it. But while these are good disciplines, I doubt they’re special gifts of the especially spiritual.

Nowhere in the Bible do we read about some believer being applauded or afforded this special title. Instead, God instructs all believers to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:16-17). No one has a “special anointing” of the Holy Spirit that sets them apart from others in the area of prayer. Rather, every Christian should be a prayer warrior. This is the truth of the matter.

To demonstrate that, below we’ll consider what the Bible teaches about prayer in the life of believers.

Prayer and Communion With God
In Mathew 6:5-8, Jesus warns believers against using prayer to appear religious before others. Praying in order to be seen is, in his words, usually hypocritical (Matthew 6:5). But worse than that, he continues, if you pray for a human audience and praise that’s the only reward you’ll get. Sure, by praying impressively for the crowds you’ll receive attention, just not God’s. On the other hand, a quiet prayer directed to God rather than passers-by, will reap spiritual blessings (Matthew 6:6).

Following this warning, Jesus instructs us in how to pray. And the first line of that familiar prayer tells us a lot. “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name” (Matthew 6:9). Here prayer is about at least two things. The first is God’s glory (cf. Matthew 6:5, 7). The second is communion with our heavenly Father. Through prayer we prioritize God’s fame and fellowship with him. We speak with him, longing for his name to be made great.

Like any relationship, the believer’s relationship with God demands communication. He must speak to us. And we must speak to him. Therefore all believers are expected to pray. So we ought to make a conscious decision to pray, setting time aside both privately and with others to speak to our God (Matthew 14:23; Ephesians 6:18). Through prayer we can express our gratitude to God; ask him for guidance; and find comfort.

Devotion to Prayer Is How We Grow
In his teaching on prayer in the Sermon on the Mount, note that Jesus doesn’t say ‘if you prayer’ but “when you pray” (Matthew 6:5). That is, prayer isn’t optional. It’s not some kind of add-on to the Christian life (Colossians 4:2). We saw this already, above. But do we really need to make a concerted effort? Is it even right to speak about prayer as a discipline?

Born-again Christians pursue godliness. This much is said in countless ways throughout the Bible. We put off sin and put on righteousness. But one of the fundamental ways we do it is simply by prioritizing prayer. Committing or disciplining ourselves, to “continue steadfastly in prayer” is in itself a means to greater godliness. For devotion demands sacrifice. By devoting ourselves to prayer we practice putting the Lord and his people before ourselves, while also being obedient to him.

Our devotion to God through prayer produces good results; it:

Develops a richer relationship with God
Provides understanding of God’s character, as we experience communion with the God who is love (1 John 4:8)
Strengthens us to avoid temptation (Matthew 26:41).

Pray Selflessly
In Ephesians 6:18, Paul writes, “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on pray for all the Lord’s people.” In some senes, prayer isn’t about us at all. Or it shouldn’t be. We’ve already seen that it’s about God’s fame, but it should also be concerned with his people. This is a mark of Paul’s prayers. “Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved” (Romans 10:1).

Prayer ought to be unselfish. Selfless. No believer who is strong in the faith stands alone. Others stand behind them, praying for them. Praying for each other in spiritual challenges is how we overcome. We all need to be covered in prayer. This isn’t only a biblical mandate to pray, but an act of compassion and love. “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16).

“When You Pray”
Being a prayer warrior means taking prayer seriously, learning from God how to pray and what it is. Prayer isn’t the prized possession of a few. It’s something each of us has the privilege of enjoying through our communion with God. So devote yourself to it, especially praying for others.

The Gospel Coalition. Anyone Can Be a Prayer Warrior. November 27, 2024. Thembelani Maqajana.

https://africa.thegospelcoalition.org/article/anyone-can-be-a-prayer-warrior/