Eight Great Prayer Warriors

by Daniel R. Vess

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In Clint Eastwood’s movie, Heartbreak Ridge, he tells of the liberation of the Caribbean island of Grenada by U.S. forces. In his movie he includes an actual event. Enemy machine guns pinned down navy SEALs assaulting the Governor-General’s mansion. Two American gun ships flew overhead, but the men on the ground were unable to communicate directly with them. As a result, one man actually placed a phone call from the mansion to Fort Bragg in North Carolina to request a fire mission. A few minutes later and a C-130 gun ship few over and silenced the enemy guns.

After the apostles Paul commands Christians to fight their spiritual enemies by putting on the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:10-17), he directs them to maintain communication with their Heavenly headquarters. “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints” (Eph. 6:18). Although the armor God is powerful, the Christian soldier is not to overlook the power of prayer. “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16).

Throughout the Bible are found men of prayer who utilized its power effectively. These prayer warriors of God were the ones God has often seen fit to do His great work. Joshua prayed that the sun and the moon stand still over the valley of Ajolon in order to give Israel victory over their enemies (Joshua 10). Samson, when he was blind, chained and mocked among the Philistines, prayed one last time and destroyed many of the enemies of Israel. Jonah, when he was in the belly of the great fish, prayed and was rescued by God from the belly of the great sea creature. He then went on and effectively preached to Nineveh. Now let us look at eight great prayer warriors.

➴ Abraham, The Praying Patriarch

Wherever Abraham traveled, he erected an altar and “called upon the name of God.” On one occasion he learned from God that He was about to destroy Sodom and the cities of the plain because of their great wickedness. Even though the cities were God’s enemies Abraham became their intercessor in prayer (Gen. 18:22-33). “Abraham came near and said, ‘Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?’” (Gen. 18:22b-25). God said He would spare the cities, but fifty righteous souls could not be found, not even ten. Notice, Abraham left off praying at ten righteous men before God stopped granting his request.

➴ Moses, The Praying Lawgiver

Moses as the great Lawgiver in that he went up on Mount Sinai and received the Law from God and gave it to the people. However, throughout his forty years of leadership, he prayed for God’s people. Moses even prayed at the request of Pharaoh to remove the plagues God brought upon Egypt. Four separate times Pharaoh asked him to “entreat the Lord” (Ex. 8:8,13). God responded by removing or stopping the plagues of frogs, flies, thunderings and hail, etc.

Moses turned God’s wrath from the Israelites after they sinned against God with the golden calf worship (Ex. 32:12-23).

In response to the rebellion of Korah, God wanted Moses to step aside so he could consume the people “in a moment” (Num. 16:21,45). Again Moses intercedes on behalf of the people.

When Aaron and Miriam complained about their brother, Moses, marrying a Ethiopian woman, she “became leprous, as white as snow.” “So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, ‘Please heal her, O God, I pray!’” God gave him his request (Num. 12:10-14).
The people murmured against God at Merah because the waters were bitter. Moses “cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet” (Ex. 15:25).

After Moses and Aaron sinned by not speaking to the rock to give the people water and thus robbing God of His due glory, God would not let Moses enter the Promise Land with the rest of the Israelites. This time God said “NO!” Moses saw the land from Mount Nebo and the great prayer warrior died there.

➴ Samuel, The Praying Judge

Samuel’s mother, Hannah, was barren. But she prayed and God blessed her with a male child. Samuel came into the world by prayer and was raised by a mother who really knew how to pray (1 Sam. 1.). Praying Samuel’s come form praying Hannahs. Throughout his long career as prophet and judge in Israel he would pray and great, powerful things would happen. God gave him victory over the Philistines as a result of his petition (1 Sam. 7:8). When the people rebelled against the Kingship of God and wanted a king like the nations around them, Samuel interceded for them (8:6-9). After King Saul rebelled in his disobedience to God Samuel prayed for him (1 Sam. 15:35). In fact, Samuel considered it a sin not to pray for Israel.

➴ Elijah, The Praying Prophet

The prophet Elijah was a human just like the rest of us. First, in his war with Baal, the God of weather, he prayed that it not rain “and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit” (Js. 5:17,18). When he challenged the prophets of Baal to a duel or sorts, he used prayer to show to Israel who was the true God (1 Kings 18). In the challenge an altar was to be prepared and a bull sacrifice. Elijah let the prophets of Baal go first. They cried out and even cut themselves but Baal sent not fire from heaven to consume the sacrificed. First, Elijah mocked the prophets of Baal. Then the prophet of God prepare his sacrifice and even dug a ditch around the altar and soaked the whole thing in water. He prayed and God answered with fire from heaven. He took prayer to new limits. When the widow’s son died, Elijah prayed and God resurrected the boy to life ( 1 Kings 17:20-22).

➴ Hezekiah, The Praying King

King Hezekiah was a statesman, general, and religious reformer. He was righteous like David his forefather. However, the reigns of the kings of Judah going as far back as His great-grandfather, was wicked. When King Sennacherib threatened Judah with a large army, Hezekiah took the Assyrian king’s letter and prayed before God. That night God smote 185,000 Assyrian soldiers with death. They were killed by a prayer. Later, Isaiah was sent to tell the king it was God’s will that he not recover from his illness. Hezekiah didn’t run out to eat his last meal or go off to Disney Land. While still on his sick bed He turned his face to the wall and prayed. God gave him fifteen years for his prayer and protection for his enemies (2 Kings 20:11).

➴ Daniel, The Praying Statesman

The great and powerful king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, had a dream. He requested all the wise men in the empire to tell him the dream and interpret it so he would know they were telling the truth. No one could do this. Daniel prayed with his three friends (Dan. 2:17,18). God revealed the dream and its meaning. All the wise men were spared. Daniel was a true wise man who knew who to go to for help and the answer. Later, when Daniel was promoted to a high ranking position in the Medo-Persian Empire, he continued to pray three times a day. His enemies tricked the King into signing an anti-prayer law and Daniel was caught and thrown into the lions’ den. Daniel’s prayer put him in danger and his prayer of faith stopped the mouth of lions (Dan. 6:10). He even prayed for the end of the Babylonian captivity after the end of seventy years (Dan. 9:1-4).

➴ Nehemiah, The Praying Governor

From his brother Nehemiah learned about the sad condition of the walls of Jerusalem. He prayed persistently about this for about three mouths (Neh. 1:4,11). Then one day while serving King Artaxerxes as his cupbearer, Nehemiah was given an opportunity. “Then the king said to me, ‘What do you request?’ So I prayed to the God of heaven”. As a result, the king gave him his request and he was given the authority at governor of Judah to go rebuild the walls of Jerusalem (Neh. 2). While building the walls Nehemiah prayed every time there as a treat (4:4;4:8,9; 6:9). He had the people led in prayer before Gods’ Word with Ezra (8:5,6). He even appointed a leader of prayer in Jerusalem (11:17). When dealing with disobedient Jews he called upon God to remember him in his prayers on four occasions (13:14,22,29,31). The book of Nehemiah opens with his prayers and is closed by his prayers.

➴ Paul, The Praying Apostle

Paul was a devout pharisee and no doubt believed in prayer. When the Lord appeared to him on the road to Damascus, Paul asked of Him what he should do. While awaiting instructions in Damascus from Ananias, he prayed for three days. (Acts 9:11). Before he and Barnabas started their first missionary journey, they were part of a prayer meeting at Antioch (Acts 13:1-3). He prayed with the women by the river at Philippi (Acts 16:13). He prayed with Silas and the was freed from the prison stocks by an earthquake sent by God (Acts 16:25). He prayed with the Ephesian elders (Acts 20:36). He prayed for the father of Publius and the man was healed. Paul prayed continuously for the churches (2 Cor. 11:28). In his final letter to Timothy Paul’s words reflect prayer. “The Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Grace be with you. Amen” (2 Tim. 4:22).
Have you put on the whole armor of God? Are you going to fight the good fight? If so, do not forget to communicate with Headquarters by praying.

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