So, we’re going through a sermon series at our church called “Pray Hard.” One of my friends was going to call a cassette release of his that same title (this was back in the ’80s, kids, when bands would self-release songs (an EP or an album’s worth) and call it a “demo” and sell it through the mail. Someone talked him out of it and he went with “Wrestle For You” instead.
This sermon series is going through the “Lord’s Prayer,” where Jesus told His followers, “When you pray…”
It’s worth noting that He didn’t persuade us to pray. He understood it as a given — this is something we will do. The prayer itself, as has been expounded on many times, is like an outline. Yes, it can be used for a rote, memorized prayer that we say word-for-word; but we can also use it as a guide (kinda like how He implied when He said, “This is how you should pray…”
Our Father in heaven…
Right away we are told WHO we are praying to.
Hallowed be Your Name…
This is a statement that proclaims how good God’s Name is, how it is to be revered, and it declares that it should be made great (by our actions, our attitudes, etc). It’s also a form of praise. This is a good way to start off a short (or long) prayer time — with praise and worship. Simply telling God what you think of Him, how awesome He is, what attributes and character you appreciate about Him. There are a few places where God’s people address Him with creative names and labels, like Genesis 22:14, where Abraham calls a place “Jehovah Jireh,” which means, “The Lord provides.” There are other names and titles that you can search out. These can become a list we share in prayer, honoring God by telling Him how good He is. He is our redeemer. He is our strong tower of protection. He is a father of the fatherless. If you think about it for a little bit, there are lots and lots of things we could say about Him, which easily can get us on a roll of praise, where it becomes easy and effortless to pray in the sense that we’re into it, excited and engaged.
“Your kingdom come, Your will be done.”
This can be an emphasis on asking God’s kingdom, His rule and His principles to become “alive” in our life. It can also be a starting point for us to pray for others. Intercession is a neat topic.
Imagine if you were in trouble with the authorities and facing jeopardy… Now, if I happened to know the judge or authority and I went before this person on your behalf, this would be one example of interceding. It’s coming between two people. If I pled your case and convinced the authority to let you go, then it will have played a role in rescuing you from peril. Sometimes this is done on an international scale. When someone gets in trouble in another country, they can be in big trouble with that country’s laws and justice system. It can be a big deal for the home country to get involved, but if someone intercedes on that person’s behalf, sometimes the leaders of the two countries talk it out and will resolve the situation, setting you free.
I think of my own life. I was like a prodigal son for nine years (age 11 to age 20). My dad prayed for me faithfully every day for those nine years (and beyond). In the summer between my sophomore and junior years at college, I rekindled a friendship with a guy I had met a couple summers before at a job site. This guy had renewed his relationship with God and was praying that my own relationship with God would be restored. He interceded for me. He fasted and prayed for me. He even wept over the condition of my soul in prayer. It was cool that he loved me enough to do that. God must’ve heard those prayers (and others), because I became broken and realized my need for God and surrendered to Him. The next day when I told my dad about it, he showed me his prayer journal. He had been interceding for me, specifically asking God to bring a Christian friend into my life!
For some reason, I think God hears those kinds of prayers. Of course, sometimes we wish He would answer quicker than others. He decided to entrust His kingdom to us and He willingly limits Himself to work through the prayers of His people. Very mysterious and strange, yet wonderful.
A friend of mine wrote a song about intercession (you knew I’d get back to this), called “Wrestle For You.” With the songwriter’s blessing, I share the lyrics below:
Wrestle For You
I saw you standing there last night,
tears came down like rain
You haven’t seen the sun for days,
you feel cold pain.
I saw you broken there last night,
saw you try to pray
But the circumstance overtakes you
and darkness has its way
Cuz alone there’s no way
I will wrestle for you
wrestle for you
in the gap I stand
I will wrestle for you
You are the left hand of the body
and I am the right hand
And if you should get hurt or wounded
I will make your stand
For we wrestle not against a man
they have no final power
we need not worry about defense
we have a strong tower
in your weakest hour
I will wrestle for you
wrestle for you
in the gap I stand
I will wrestle for you
I will wrestle for you
wrestle for you
in the gap I stand
I will wrestle for you
You see one dark night
when I was in need
someone came and he wrestled for me
no greater love
has any man
than to take the blows for his friend
Wrestle for you
wrestle for you
in the gap I stand
I will wrestle for you
When you bleed I will interecede
I will wrestle for you
wrestle for you
in the gap I stand
I will wrestle for you
I will wrestle for you
I will wrestle for you
in the gap I stand
I will wrestle for you
Get down on my knees and I wrestle for you
Wrestle for you
In the gap I stand
I’m gonna wrestle for you
wrestle for you…
[ Words and music by Paul Q-Pek ]
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