One of the most difficult things a Warrior will have to learn is to be still. Being still (Psalm 46:10) is a daily practice of a Warrior heart, one uncommon to most men. Only in aggressively being still, pushing all the clamor and busyness aside can a man truly experience God.
Be still and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10)
When Jesus taught “prayer” to His disciples, He taught them more than just what to say. He taught them how to listen…
Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace. Matthew 6:6 (MSG)
This is what prayer then is…conversation where we are invited to see and listen. I confess, prayer for much of my life was submitting a list to God for Him to take care of for me. If we are still doing all the talking when we pray, we’re in a recital rather than a dialog. If you’re in a Large Story in which a great battle rages on, getting orders and direction seems to be of grave importance. The Warrior will see his prayer Life change, more a discussion…less monologue. Prayer becomes more; more our first impulse rather than our last resort. I love this encouragement from Oswald Chambers,
We tend to use prayer as a last resort, but God wants it to be our first line of defense. We pray when there's nothing else we can do, but God wants us to pray before we do anything at all.
A few years back, I was with a couple of dozen good men at a weekend retreat. Together we were exploring and discovering the truths of the Kingdom. A large part of one day was set aside to go whitewater rafting. Not my favorite thing but I was game for what the team had scheduled. We were briefed and loaded onto our boats, six man teams along with a guide and away we went. Our guide was a big man, in his early 60’s, burly and barking at us every chance he got...“You boys paddle like girls…whose turn is it to bounce overboard on this next stretch… you should probably know, a couple folks died a few years back at this next stretch of rapids.” When the day was over my mind was made up: “I hate whitewater rafting!”
Fast-forward a year…same retreat, same men and guess what, we’re white water rafting again. Not me! I ain’t going; I hate whitewater rafting! One of my close friends, Jeff, caught wind that I was staying back, and so he asked me what was up. I explained last year’s debacle and he smiled and said, "Come on, you don’t hate whitewater rafting; you hate being guided badly." My curiosity got the best of me, and I loaded onto the bus. We were briefed and split into teams again, and my friend Jeff proceeds to introduce us to our guide. She was as wide as she was tall with arms the girth of my legs. She called me “sweetheart” and called us “her boys”. We got boat and crew in the water and practiced moving our oars to her commands after which each time she yelled, “You boys are good!” After the first obstacle of danger was avoided, she yelled so loud, the whole river could hear, “I got the best crew on the river!” My friend Jeff was right; I didn’t hate whitewater rafting (granted I’m still not the first one in line) I hated being guided badly.
Oswald Chambers taught that to find the origin of a thought (its source) take it to its end. Play the thought out to its logical conclusion so you can see where it will land. Is it blessing, encouraging, validating, of worth or value? If it is Loving then it is from the Father. If it is accusation, guilt, shame or fear resulting in the invitation for you to judge, hide, criticize or diminish yourself or another, then it is not Love, and it is not for you. These unruly thoughts of the false self or the lures and temptations from the enemy of our heart need to be seen, captured and brought to Christ for handling. Take every thought captive and in order to do that, a Warrior lives curiously. My experience is that my false self moves quickly and so do the fallen angels of the kingdom of darkness. Patience is needed for far more than just waiting; it is necessary for a man to have in order for him to be cunning. Being cunning is knowing the difference between making a moment happen and letting a moment happen. As we walk with God we will find He is training us far more often to be ready, as opposed to making something happen. As I look back and see many moments in my life that I wish I could relive and do over again, I can’t think of any moments when I sensed God saying, “That was it; you missed it, that was the only shot I was going to give you to do the right thing…when will you learn?”
