Shields up!
Prayer is such an integral part of life that God even tells us what we should wear as we pray. Not literally wear but spiritually wear. In Ephesians 6:10-18, Paul encourages us to “be strong in the Lord and his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so take you can stand against the devil’s schemes.” He goes on to describe the armor of a Roman soldier which was something Paul saw on a regular basis.
Years ago at a church retreat the speaker/pastor taught on the armor of God. He even at a replica of armor. One of the things he spoke about was praying on the armor. The idea of actually visualizing yourself putting on the armor – fastening the belt of truth around your waist, hoisting the breastplate of righteousness onto your shoulders so it covers your chest, tying the shoes on, placing the helmet on your head, lifting the shield on your fore arm and picking up your sword. It may sound a little weird or even silly but for me it causes me to focus on each part and it’s significance. The retreat speaker also encouraged us to pray the armor on those who weren’t able to pray on their own armor – children, grandchildren. Similarly to the way you put a snowsuit on a toddler as a layer of protection against the weather. I put many a snowsuit on through the years and after that retreat I prayed the armor on my daughters and various other children as a hedge of protection. So as you start this week remember “shields up!”
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For 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. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Wonderful DEVO on prayer! We have to have that armor on and ready!
What a great visual to put on the armor of God.