Prayer is not preparation for the real work that leaders do. It is the real work. Prayer gives us access to God and to every help that we need to live the Christian life and to minister where God has placed us. For, as Paul said under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “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).

Prayer Is Our Lifeline on the Battlefront

Paul teaches us in Ephesians 6:10–20 that our lives will be characterized by war—not war against earthly powers and armies but war against “the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, [and] against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (v. 12). The devil and all who do his bidding, Paul says, are seeking to thwart the Lord’s work in the world by destroying his people, leading us astray, and rendering us ineffective.

But the Lord has not left us alone in our struggle. He has given everything we need to take our stand and fight. He has given us the “belt of truth,” the “breastplate of righteousness,” the “readiness” that comes from the “gospel of peace,” the “shield of faith,” the “helmet of salvation,” and the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (vv. 14–17). What is more, he has also given us access to him in prayer. That is why Paul encourages us to give ourselves to “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication” (v. 18). He knows that we are at war, and because we are, we need to be able to call in to our commanding General for help at every moment.

John Piper has helpfully referred to prayer as “a war- time walkie-talkie” that connects us to our commanding General and enables us to “call in firepower for conflict with a mortal enemy.”8 In speaking this way, Piper reminds us that we are not alone in our fight. It’s not that God has given us everything we need to make our stand and then left us to fend for ourselves. God has given us every- thing we need, and he has also given us ongoing access to himself. We have access to his limitless supplies of wisdom, power, and grace. We have access to all that he is, in and of himself, whenever and wherever we may need it. And that is a tremendous blessing!

Prayer is necessary precisely because you and I are at war. God has given us prayer so that we can survive. It is our lifeline that connects us to him. When we realize that, we will be more motivated to give ourselves to prayer and, specifically, to kingdom-focused prayer. Praying for God’s kingdom to come and his will to be done on earth as it is in heaven (see Matt. 6:10) is not simply an optional luxury when we are at war. It is an absolute necessity. It is life itself.

Given the importance of prayer as a lifeline to secure the help of our commanding General in our fight against Satan and his armies, it should be no surprise that the apostles give pride of place to the role of prayer in their exercise of leadership. They see that their primary responsibility is to “devote [themselves] to prayer and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4). Note the order—first prayer, then the ministry of the Word. Since the apostles were also elders in the church (see 1 Peter 5:1), what they say about the place of prayer in their own ministries applies to all those who serve as elders. In fact, I would apply it to every follower of Jesus, because we are all called to some kind of ministry, whether that takes place within our group of friends, our family, our workplace or community, or our church.

If everything we have said about the nature of the Christian life and the role of prayer in it is true, then it makes sense that those who take up the mantle of leadership would give first place to prayer. The degree to which we don’t is the degree to which we misunderstand what prayer is and why we should be doing it. Prayer is not preparation for the real work that leaders do. It is the real work. Prayer gives us access to God and to every help that we need to live the Christian life and to minister where God has placed us. For, as Paul said under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “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).

This is an excerpt from the chapter, “Prayer is Necessary” from Guy M. Richard’s book, “Persistent Prayer,” part of the Blessings of the Faith series. Pick up a copy of, “Persistent Prayer” for more gospel encouragement and practical tools for growing in prayer. Used with permission.