Contend for prayer
I really like this phrase Tim Cameron used in his YouVersion devotional “10 Days Through The Prayers Of Jesus”: “contending for in my prayer life.”
Contend means to fight for something.
It’s interesting to see this in action. Peninnah taunted Hannah when she was approaching the tabernacle to worship God. Later in this same book, the Philistines got ready to attack when the Israelites were praying, fasting, and returning wholeheartedly to God. Were these incidences just a coincidence in timing? No way! The enemy of our souls know the strategic time to attack.
C.S. Lewis wrote, “While we are at prayer, but not while we are reading a novel or solving a crossword puzzle, any trifle is enough to distract us.” That’s why in Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters, where a seasoned demon is giving guidance to his young protege, Screwtape counsels Wormwood to remind his patient of all his other obligations whenever he starts getting serious about prayer.
So when we set aside a time to pray, the devil will bring taunts, adversaries, reminders of To-Do lists, and a million other distractions. We need to contend for our prayer time—allowing nothing to keep us from our time alone in God’s presence!
