Opposition = Warfare?

Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.” But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens.” And Pharaoh said, “Behold, the people of the land are now many, and you make them rest from their burdens!” The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen, “You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as in the past; let them go and gather straw for themselves. But the number of bricks that they made in the past you shall impose on them, you shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God.’ Let heavier work be laid on the men that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words.” (Exodus 5:3–9)

The past couple of weeks have been difficult. Monday, I felt good. Yesterday I aced my driver’s medical, but by supper, I could not stop coughing. In the middle of the night, cough medication kicked in so some sleep helped, but I feel yucky this morning and wonder if this virus is ever going away.

Reading the above passage reminds me to consider spiritual warfare. Not all illness is a slam from the dark enemies of God, but the way this came on and the effect it has had on my prayer life has me hearing the devil cheering. I’ve not been praying. Not only that, any efforts to pray seem to increase my sense of helplessness. I struggle to focus on talking to God.

Not that there isn’t anything to pray about. The news headlines invite prayer. Events in the lives of other Christians invite prayer. But as soon as anything comes to mind, it seems more weight is added to this illness and the focus to pray turns into “I need to sleep” or some other distraction. For this, God gives me another “therefore” passage:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 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. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. (Ephesians 6:10–13)

Before the virus hit, I had been praying and seeing startling answers. People’s lives were changing, including my own. Then, for about two weeks, all interest in prayer vanished. Is a virus one of the enemy’s ways to lay on a heavier load to keep God’s people from the sacrifice of prayer? Seems this is so.  

Even as these thoughts tell me to not to let anything keep me from talking with God, I still don’t ‘feel’ like praying — and I can hear the Holy Spirit say, ‘do it anyway’ knowing that I need the Him to obey God and to be enabled to fight the lies of the enemy.

Jesus, prayer is hard work, not like slavery to sin but living for selfish comfort often seems much easier than it does to take prayer seriously. I need You to fill me and help me get out of this listless and unfocused mindset that only wants to sleep.