Elizabeth and Jim George

The Memorial Day holiday this year truly brings out the emotion and thankfulness that I feel for those who have served and are currently serving in our armed forces. My husband Jim served as an Army Reservist for 30 years and one of my sons-in-law is a career Navy nuclear submariner. Therefore, I have a peek into the world of what it means to be a soldier.

I also know that the men and women who serve you and me in this way have each answered a “call” to serve, protect, and defend their country. With a lot at stake and with tremendous sacrifices, they have raised a hand, signed on, stepped across a line, all in order to fight for us and for our country.

Well, my dear sister-in-Christ, God is asking you to answer His call and join His army of prayer “warriors.” No, He’s not asking us to give our phys­ical lives… but He is asking us to give our spiritual lives in the service of prayer in order to fight for and serve, protect, and defend our families, friends, churches, nations, and His people on the battle line of prayer.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God… and pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people (Ephesians 6:10-18).”

God is asking us to answer His call to pray. He is asking us to make a deep, serious, spiritual commitment to pray, to raise our hand, to sign on, to step across a line, to fight for Him and His causes… through prayer.

God speaks in His Word of your “sacrifice” of “service” (Romans 12:1). And just as a soldier does not allow anything to hinder his or her commitment to serve, neither can you. That means that world­liness, busyness, or laziness must all be dealt with. These deterrents to prayer must not be allowed to come between you and your “service” of prayer to God and for your loved ones and others.

Prayer is a high calling, for sure. And remem­ber, our greatest service will come with the great­est sacrifice. But oh, what a high calling it is! Now, what will your answer to God’s call to prayer be?

A Question to Consider: What is something that you can sacrifice this week in order to commit a special time of prayer? Perhaps, you can forgo an hour of extra sleep in the morning, a favorite television show, or the musical entertainment you usually listen to while commuting or exercising. Use this redeemed time as a consecrated time of prayer for those in our military and “for all the Lord’s people.”

If you want to learn more about prayer, you will find a helpful guide in my book, The Heart of a Woman Who Prays.

“Reaching forward to those things which are ahead…” Philippians 3:13

As Paul states in Philippians 3:13, purpose is paramount! I know I can’t do anything, including getting out of bed on time(!), without having a sense of God’s purpose for my life. Knowing my purpose— knowing that I am here to give my life in service to God and His people—is a driving motivator that keeps me keeping on in this race toward Christ-likeness called life.

I personally discovered God’s purpose for me—His call on my life—in a very special way when a woman handed me a small, flat package wrapped in muted pastels. The card read, “Thank you for your class on prayer,” and the package contained a leather-bound, silver-edged book that soon broadened my prayer life.

Unfortunately that tiny prayer volume is now out of print, but here’s what changed my life and polished up my purpose. Four questions were posed about our identity in Christ. Puzzled, I paused long enough to scratch my head and then went on. But the questions haunted me until one day I reluctantly tackled the questions—

Who am I?
Where did I come from?
Why am I here?
Where am I going?

The beautiful little book changed my prayers and my prayer life. But, dear friend, answering these four questions changed my life! Before I answered them, I was greatly influenced by other people’s ideas about what I should do with my life and what my Christian faith should look like.

As “movement” follower and a “program” participant, I allowed other people to determine my purpose. But, praise God, these four questions helped me recognize the pur­pose of my life and gave me life goals to focus on. Today I know…

Who I am—I am a Christian woman, wife, mother, and grandmother;
Where I came from—I was “in [Christ] before the foundation of the world” (Ephe­sians 1:4);
Why I am here—I am here to give my life in service to God, my family, and His people;
Where I am going—by God’s amazing grace and love, I am going to heaven!

Please take a few minutes to answer these four ques­tions for yourself. Your answers won’t be identical to mine. But they will help you grasp God’s great purpose for your life. They will give you a sense of direction as you set your goals and plan your activities.

You may be awed like I was by the realization that God has a specific purpose for you. For me, that realization has given me a better sense of mission (I am definitely more focused as a result of glimpsing God’s purpose for my life), a clearer understanding of my job assignment (I am to spend myself and be spent in service to Christ and His people), and an urgency as I go about my tasks (knowing that my time on earth is limited, I am frightfully aware of time wasted and time passing). I want to use my time and energy to achieve God’s purposes and, along the way, find rest and refreshment in Him. After all, it is He who ulti­mately makes things happen for the kingdom. I am just thankful that He has chosen to use me in the process!

A Prayer to Pray:
Lord, present to me a vision for what I am accomplishing as your child and servant. Pare away the unnecessary pursuits so that I can discern what is most important in Your eyes.

For more encouragement in answering these questions for yourself, read Loving God with All Your Mind.