Prayer is both a gift of grace that comes from God and it is a determined response on our part. Prayer involves effort. Every person of faith has learned in one way or another that prayer is a battle. Who or what is the battle against? We can find the answer to this question in the Prayer Book on page 302. The battle is fought against:
- Satan and all the spiritual forces of wickedness that rebel against God...
- The evil powers of this world that corrupt and destroy man...
- And ourselves, our fallen nature and all our sinful desires that draw us away from God.
Prayer is first about putting our complete trust in God; in His grace and love. This surrender is something we learn to do over the course of life. We pray as we live, because we really
live as we pray. Praying and living go hand-in-hand. The spiritual battles that we fight in order to grow deeper in grace and trust is fought on the battlefield we call prayer.
