This past weekend, my wife and I went on a date to see the new Kendrick Brothers movie, War Room. I happen to be a big fan of the work that the Kendrick Brothers are doing in elevating the quality of Christian Film while always maintaining a powerful message that is certain to challenge one in their faith. War Room was no exception. The point of the movie was simple: prayer must be a central aspect of the believer’s life and they must learn how to utilize this gift in order to live a victorious, overcoming life. Upon leaving the theatre, I was forced to consider my own prayer life and confront the realization that I am failing miserably in this area of my life. Sure, it was a fictitious story where things turned out for the characters involved and perhaps many would see it as having a fairy tale ending that seldom ever happens in “real life;” but, I was left pondering an even more important question: Is this what real life is supposed to be for the Christian?
I think that too often, the perspective we have of our faith
is that in “real life,” things seldom ever turn out the way we want and there
are very few fairy tale endings where we get the desired or even better outcome
than expected. We relinquish ourselves to accepting that this is what life
holds because we live in a fallen world. And to make matters more complicated,
it seems that trials and suffering have become the status quo of living if
you’re a follower of Jesus. For many, Christian jargon phrases such as victorious
living, being more than a conqueror, freedom in Christ, and the
abundant life seem more like unrealistic concepts than they do practicalities
for daily living. Sure we have the security of knowing we are going to heaven
one day, but in the meantime, it seems as if this whole serving Jesus thing
produces more pain than happiness and more turmoil than it does peace. Is this
really the way that the Christian life was meant to be?
The Bible tells us that suffering is a necessary part of or
growing in our relationship with Christ. James 1:2-4 reminds that we should “consider
it pure joy whenever you face trials...” so that as we persevere
through them, we may be “mature and complete, not lacking anything.” Suffering
also connects the believer in a deeper way to Christ. As Paul wrote in
Philippians, “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe
in him, but also to suffer for him” (Philippians 1:29) and “ I
want know Christ---yes, to know the power of his resurrection AND PARTIPATION
IN HIS SUFFERINGS…” (Philippians 3:10). But is this the only way we
grow in our faith? Is the Christian life one only to be one of pain and
drudgery while we remain here on the earth?
In getting back to War
Room, one of the characters, Miss Clara is portrayed as a fiery prayer
warrior who in essence, lives and breathes the Word of God. From what the
audience can gather, she has dedicated her life to teaching other women the
ministry of intercession. From her perspective, we fail to have victory in our
lives because we fail to apprehend the riches discovered in the Word of God and
prayer. In watching her character, you are left with the impression that prayer
is something that one does throughout the day, communing with God at every
possible opportunity, and speaking the Word of God in all of life’s
situations----but is this a realistic picture of how it should be or just an
exaggerated picture of the Christian life via Hollywood?
Central to answering this question lies in what we believe
about the Word of God. When Paul makes statements such as “PRAY CONTINUALLY and give thanks
in all circumstances” (1
Thessalonians 5:17-18), “ALWAYS GIVE YOURSELF FULLY to the work of
the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58),
“…PRAY
in the Spirit ON ALL OCCASSIONS with all kinds of prayers and requests….ALWAYS
KEEP ON PRAYING for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18), and “Do
not be anxious about anything but IN EVERYTHING BY PRAYER and PETITION, with
thanksgiving present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6), did he mean those things literally or
figuratively? In our Western mindset, we will certainly argue that Paul in no
way envisioned Christians who would primarily spend their day praying and
spouting off God’s Word as much as they could. After all, that would be
fanatical and unrealistic in the “real world.” What would people think about us
if we spend the majority of our time speaking truth from Scripture, praising
the Name of Jesus throughout the day, and being bold enough to pray in every
opportunity when it was warranted? Instead, we have come to believe that we
must maintain a conservative and reserved attitude when it comes to dealing
with matters of our faith. Sure, we read our bibles. Sure, we do our devotions
with prayer lists included. But to be consumed about the things of God and to
live with an unrestrained passion in demonstrating that in daily living, well
that is another story!
Guess what? I am here to burst your bubble. WE ARE TO LIVE
THAT KIND OF LIFE! WE ARE TO BE THOSE KIND OF CHRISTIANS! Jesus told his disciples,
“I
confer on you a kingdom just as my Father conferred upon me” (Luke 22:29). We have been assigned as
stewards and covenant partakers of the reality of the kingdom of God. Jesus
also told us that he came that we may “have life and have it to the full” (John 10:10). In other words, our lives
should reflect all that Jesus has done for us, in us, and has given to us. We
have been given the fullness of life. As Paul tells us, even when the hardships
and suffering comes our way in this life, “…we are MORE THAN conquerors
through him who loved us” (Romans 8:28). The unfortunate thing,
however, is that we seldom live as if this is true. Which brings me back to my
original thought: what would life be like if we actually began living the way
that the Bible speaks of the Christian life---especially in the areas of prayer
and appropriating God’s Word?
If anything, War Room,
presents a challenge to us. It shows us the importance and necessity of having
a prayer life. But if you consider the deeper significance of what the means, I
believe that we can conclude that we are missing the greater point. Life is
about prayer! Life is about the Word of God richly dwelling in us! Life is
about Jesus and following His example in living! Anything else we put our hands
to, occupy our time with, and pursue while we are here on earth is not life,
nor is it living---it is merely existing. Do we wonder why life appears to be a
constant struggle of simply making it through another day? Do we wonder why we
can’t overcome our issues and we find ourselves wrapped up in crisis after
crisis? Do we wonder why our problems seem endless and it feels like there is
no light in the midst of our darkness? The answer is simple: because we have
yet to access the life awaiting for us in Jesus. And until we are ready to relinquish
our mere existing in this world in favor of pursuing the only true life offered
to us, we will never move beyond the common struggles of humanity to embrace a glorious,
victorious life offered to all who are willing to live boldly, radically, and
completely for Jesus Christ.
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