Oma the Prayer Warrior

Throughout her long lifetime, Oma served in many different ways in her roles as a Christian, wife, mother, church member, pastor’s wife, employee and friend. To say the least, it would be an understatement to describe her as a busy person. Even after Opa went to be with the Lord and she no longer needed to care for him, she still found ways to occupy her days fully. However, slowly but surely her various activities dropped off, due to increasing weakness, inability or just simply a growing disinterest. However, there was one activity which she carried through to the very end: prayer. She prayed for every member of our clan. She prayed for her church. She prayed for missionaries. She prayed about crises and special times.

Knowing that Oma was given to prayer, it was a special moment when I came across a paper she wrote before she was married. While no date or occasion is indicated, I assume it was written for one of her classes at the St. Paul Bible Institute. The importance to her of what she writes here is evidenced in at least two ways: 1) she kept this paper [and not many others that she wrote] for more than 80 years, and 2) she practiced what she “preached” here—to which her children and grandchildren have borne witness.

So I am privileged to share with you some background to Oma as one who was devoted to prayer, with joy that she now sees the face of Him to whom she prayed for so many years. Again, it is presented as she typed it up.

Luke 18:1

From the very beginning of our lives, every one of us has been dependent on others. How often we have asked for advice or help when we found ourselves in some predicament or circumstance in which we realized our own helplessness. Often the ones we appealed to, and the ones we go to this very day, have been our parents. Since we go to our earthly parents in the natural realm, should we not appeal to our Heavenly Father in the things which pertain to our spiritual welfare? In the Letter which He has given us, we find these words: “Ask, and it shall be given you”; “And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive”; “Whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in My Name, He shall give it you”; “If we ask anything according to His will He heareth us”.

What wonderful promises! But notice, every one of them states something that must be done before the promise will be fulfilled. “Ask, and it shall be given you.” If we meet the condition we shall have the promise.

The Word furthermore tells us that “Men ought always to pray and not to faint”. Just what is meant by this word ‘Pray’. Linguists tell us that in the original this word is ‘to ask’. How simple this seems at first thought! And truly it is. Yet the philosophers of our day agree that it is a hard task which has been given to man to perform.

Prayer is not only a repetition of eloquently worded phrase—Christ Himself says, “When ye pray, use not vain repetitions as the heathen do.” In prayer we fight “against principalities and powers of the air” and blast the very gates of heaven with our requests. True prayer requires a sacrifice of time, strength, and a concentration of mind and thought on the need at hand. There must be a definite desire to have the need met and a living faith that the request will be answered in God’s own way and time. Adoniram Judson once said, “I have never prayed sincerely and earnestly for anything but it came at some time—no matter at how distant a day, somehow, in some shape, probably the last I would have devised, it came.”

Our prayers may take the form of petition for some need of our own, or they may be intercession for the needs of others—but the same things hold true for either form.

As to the great things accomplished by prayer, Jeremy Taylor says, “The prayers of holy men appease God’s wrath, drive away temptations, resist and overcome the devil, procure the ministry of angels. Prayer cures sickness and obtains pardon: it arrests the sun in its course and stays the wheels of the chariot of the moon; it stops the mouths of lions; it pleases God and supplies our need.”

This verse does not read, “Man may pray”, “Man can pray”, or “Man is asked to pray”, but “Man ought to pray”. He ought to pray because in himself he is entirely helpless. John 15:4 reads, “Without Me ye can do nothing”, and how true this is! Man is as helpless in the sight of God as a little babe is in our eyes. He cannot save himself, nor keep himself after he has been redeemed; nor can he in himself fulfill the law of God.

The very fact that God says we ought to pray should be enough to convince us of that fact.

Who is to do this praying? Man, the creation of God’s own hands, made in His image and likeness. Those who have fallen from the place which God gave them in the beginning and who can now enter into His presence only through the shed blood of Christ.

“Men ought always to pray”. This leaves no place for slackness nor slip-shodness. But, someone might say, “Sometimes I just don’t feel like praying”. Here is what Hildersam advises: “When thou feelest thyself most indisposed to prayer, yield not to it, but strive and endeavor to pray even when thou thinkest thou canst not pray.” Often it is at times like this that the greatest victories of life are to be won.

Philip Henry says, “Let prayer be the key of the morning and the bolt at night”.

David claimed, “Evening, morning and at noon will I pray, and cry aloud.”

Of course, we cannot always pray audibly, but we can and should always be in communion with our Savior. Neither does this mean that there must be a continual stream of requests on our lips—it may also be a communion with God through which He reveals His will to us and which strengthens us for the task which we are to perform.

Thus, if man will pray always, as we are here commanded to do, the logical conclusion is that he shall “not faint” in this warfare which the saints are waging. He will be in constant contact with the One Who alone can supply the necessities of His children.