A Prayer Before Battle
For a long time, the country of my birth has been a fighting nation. Since the late nineteenth century, Canadian troops have gone to war in places like Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.
When we consider those who went to fight, it is noticeable that also many Christians have enlisted. War can be deadly, but these Christians surely went with the awareness of God’s protection. They knew that the Lord was with them in the theaters of war on land, in the air, and on the sea. As these troops went to battle, they went calling on God’s name.
During World War 2, a little booklet called A Prayer Book for Soldiers and Sailors was distributed among many English-speaking troops. In it we find this striking petition, entitled “A Morning Prayer”:
Into thy hands, O God, I commend myself this day. Let thy presence be with me even to its close, that at night I may again give thanks unto thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Grant, O Lord, that I may not be ashamed to confess the faith of Christ crucified, and manfully to fight under his banner against sin, the world, and the devil, and to continue Christ’s faithful soldier and servant unto my life’s end. Amen. Defend, O Lord, this thy Child with thy heavenly grace; that I may continue thine forever; and daily increase in thy Holy Spirit more and more, until I come unto thy everlasting kingdom. Amen.
These words are a powerful confession of reliance on the Lord. It’s easy to imagine a Christian soldier earnestly offering up such a prayer just before another mission or perilous day at the frontline.
Today, few of us wear the uniform of our nation or fight overseas against foreign armies. But we are still soldiers, fighting under the banner of Christ. This means that we too, need “a prayer book for soldiers,” and we too, need to ask for God’s daily help and care. This is precisely what Jesus teaches in the last petition of the Lord’s Prayer, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matt 6:13).
For there is a deadly enemy moving against us.
We cannot physically see him, but he is there. Paul describes our situation: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph 6:12).
As disciples of Christ, we have adversaries. And these are not foes who attack, engage in battle for a while and then lose interest. They are fanatical enemies, filled with a hatred of a marked intensity. They have a total dedication to our destruction, wanting to ruin our faith and capture our souls. For centuries Christians have identified an axis of evil that is stirring against the church, an unholy trinity: the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh.
If a nation is looking to launch an invasion or fend off an attack, she will typically look for allies. Because fighting a war demands many resources, you need others to join and support you. In our spiritual war, God is an ally who is both almighty and reliable. This is how David begins his war prayer in Psalm 35: “Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me!” (v. 1). This is a request that God will fight his battles, that he will take up David’s cause against his enemies—even that God will destroy those foes completely!
Most of us are peace-loving people, so we might be uncertain if this is really a proper thing to pray, asking God to fight for us. But this is how God has revealed himself, such as when the Lord showed his soldierly identity at the Red Sea and destroyed the mighty army of the Egyptians. Moses sang back then, “The LORD is a man of war; the LORD is his name. Pharaoh’s chariots and his host he cast into the sea, and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea” (Exod 15:3–4). The Lord is a man of war—a warrior, constantly defending and fighting for his people!
So we are right to pray with David, “Fight against those who fight against me.”
At the beginning of a new day, before Satan’s bullets and bombs start flying, before navigating the minefields of personal relationships and ethical conflicts, we should pray that our warrior God will uphold and strengthen us. This is how David pleads with God: “Take hold of shield and buckler and rise for my help! Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers!” (Ps 35:2–3). Notice that David actually portrays God as a fighter, a soldier decked out with armor, ready to fight!
It’s like the description of the Lord in Isaiah 59:17, “He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak.” Or think of Habakkuk 3:8–15, which speaks of God’s chariot of war, his bow and arrows, and his glittering spear—all being brought against his foes in order to crush and pierce.
Scripture shows God as equipped and prepared for a fight. Ask him to help, and he will! In our deep-seated struggles against the power of sin, against our own weakness and the pressures of this world, we can pray with David: “Fight against those who fight against me.” And God will fight.
This is the God who will give the courage to stand up against evil, even when it feels like we are standing all alone.
He will grant the wisdom to see through Satan’s deception, even when his lies are so convincing.
God will supply strength in the moment of temptation, even when everything inside us wants to succumb.
If we ask him to, he will fight for us on every front, taking hold of shield and buckler, drawing out the spear, and stopping those who pursue us. With his constant help, let us work at resisting the deadly deceits of the devil. Let us work at overcoming the world’s pressure to conform. Work at putting to death the stubborn desires of the sinful heart.
Do all this under Christ’s banner and in Christ’s power until his final victory!
