I have just spent the morning in the garden weeding, mowing, thinking and praying. I had a busy and varied weekend, spending Saturday at a Mind Body Soul Exhibition, and presiding at a Baptism and Communion Service on Sunday morning. There was much to celebrate and to give thanks for; and then on Sunday evening all of the wheels came off, little things that should not annoy me annoyed me and I lost my temper big time.
I don't think I am wrong in connecting these things, and while I dislike much of the "language" of spiritual warfare, and I certainly don't believe there are demons lurking behind every bush, I do believe that we are deluded if we forget that when we are engaged day after day, hour after hour, in spiritual and Spirit led activities then we are going to come across and potentially be open to spiritual evil...
I am not saying that the devil made me loose my temper, I managed that all on my own, but I was spiritually, mentally, and physically tired and it was the combination of those things that caused me to crack. I find that I need to develop a new language for prayer, not one that is constantly set up against things, but one that does acknowledge my own vulnerability and openness to evil and yet acknowledges the grey areas that cannot be defined and explained.
Some of the folk I talk to especially when it comes to dialogue and engagement with the New Spirituality arena fall into one of two "camps" they are either accepting of most if not all things as good and go leaping in without much thought, and there are those who see everything that is not explicitly Christian as evil and pray against "contamination". Others like me fall into a discerning, open and constantly questioning group, and yet I am concerned that we have not really talked about prayer when it comes to our own weaknesses, vulnerabilities and needs. We might spend the day as I did on Saturday praying with and for others but it is easy to forget to pray for ourselves, and sometimes for one another and so we are left feeling stretched and depleted.
Eugene Peterson puts it like this in The Message:
Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.(Ephesians 6: 13-18)
Those words " you are up against far more than you can handle on your own", spoke powerfully to me this morning; and the good thing is that I am not on my own, but I do need to avail myself of God's provision, and to be more aware of when I need filling with his love, power and strength again.
Come Holy Spirit....
