What If All We Did Was Pray?
September 8, 2010 by Matthew Gillogly
I’ve often wondered what would of happened in the 1940′s if when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor if our only response was to pray.
It’s safe to say we’d be speaking Japanese on the West Coast.
What about the boys who landed on Normandy. When they hit the beaches, all they did was pray.
Or if during the Battle of the Bulge, our troops, instead of fighting back, decided to pray.
I don’t doubt the soldiers did pray, but they also took action. They conquered. I think, while they were firing their gun, they were praying at the same time.
There is a scene in the beginning of Saving Private Ryan that sums this up fairly well.
During the opening scene, the directors cut back and forth between two soldiers. One is forward on the beach, with a 
sniper rifle and he is reciting verses while he is zeroing in on the Germans. His intent is to kill, so his platoon can advance and accomplish their mission.
As the directors cut back, they show a solider on the beach in Normandy. He is on his belly, waves splashing over him, his rifle on his back, he is face down in the sand. His rosary is in his hands and he’s praying the rosary over and over again.
Cut back to the sniper and you see him killing his target.
Every time I see that scene, I think it’s the perfect montage of what it means to be a warrior in the field of battle. One guy is scared so he stops and prays, the other is scared and he prays and takes action. Accomplishing his goal of killing the enemy.
What if all the soldiers stopped and prayed on the beaches that day? Well Europe would be speaking German and Hitler would have been able to accomplish his final solution of killing more Jews.
I am not suggesting one solider is better than the other. That is not my point.
My point is we have become over focused on prayer. We in America have become soft. We are wimpy Christians. We pray, but we don’t act. We wait for the voice of God and wonder why our country, schools, neighborhoods and families are going to hell in a hand basket.
I’ll tell you why. No one wants to get into the battle. They all wanna be safe or sit around and pray.
Phewy.
I have an idea. Let’s pray and conquer. Let’s stop being the guy on the beach saying the rosary and start being like the sniper, praying while we conquer.
Matt
PS. I found this montage of the sniper scenes from Saving Private Ryan. Please be warned this video is very graphic, but it makes my point. Please do not watch if you think you’ll be offended, but if you want to see how to pray and conquer, enjoy.
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Wow. Wow. I totally agree. My young son said to me last week ” Mom, the Bible says man shall not live by bread alone. Right? I said yes and we agreed that even if we speak of the Bread of life, God expects us to go out and work the Word. It is not enough to have bread alone. We would choke and become dehydrated (from a simple understanding of digesting bread) we need some moisture. We need action.
This is true while we as Christians do not promote violence defending justice through prayer and action even combat as in WW II is sometimes necessary. We must as a kingdom people come to realize that passivity in prayer with out works or action is not faith. It is a form of godliness but denying the power of the living God with in every born again believer. We are not to be presumptuous but seek God in all things. But in this seeking we are not to be like Gideon caught hiding in a wine press fro fear of loosing his provision to the enemy. God is going to do what he is going to do but it will be through you and me he is not going to come down and do it himself. He sent himself to live in us by Holy Spirit to take the Kingdom of God in power and demonstration to all spheres of society. Great article Matt blessing
Richard
I agree with the article. Hope that readers will not take it out of context and think that violence is the answer if while praying. I always think and believe that for every miracle that Jesus Christ performed on earth required action by on the part of someone. The blessing did not just fall. Someone prayed, requested, but someone also always had to do something. Go wash yourself, Get up and walk, etc. etc.
What you really need to think about is keeping in step with the Spirit.
We can run ahead of God. We can miss His opportunity to preform miracles.
On the other hand, you’ve got it right.
We can mistake inaction for piety and indecision with holiness.
Have you ever noticed in Luke Jesus tells the disciples to buy a sword and then 11 verses later, he gets upset when they use it? Those verses should bother all of us.
Since our battle isn’t against flesh and blood, it’s tough to use analogies that are about flesh and blood and transfer them to life in the Spirit. But what if Jehosaphat didn’t put the praisers out before the army? Would God have showed up?
Thanks for the post. Personally I’m itching to get into the fight but I know for now I need to be still and know He’s God so I can have the strength for the battle ahead. Your post helps me keep things in perspective.
Trevor, I agree that the timing and knowing when to fire and not to fire is the biggest battle. Sometimes we get right, other times we whiff.
Matt
Bennette, I agree that the violence of it can be unnerving. It is one of the best visual examples I’ve ever found. I don’t advocate us using violence, unless of course it is war environments.
Thanks for the comment.
Matt
i agree that the violence is bad but sometimes we would not know what we are anger for.for example when the evil has take control on a person,he would not know whats he or she is angry untill he or she has cool down,the mind of the person will think negatively when the satan try to attack his mind thinking.sometimes God use this way to tests our anger too,for example before going to church my wife and i will quarrel then when we go to church the pastor preach the massage about me and my wife why we quarrel,what wrong with me and to be more loving to my wife.this happen many times.thats why i always tell people slow to get angry and you will gain wisdom.thanks for the comment.
I love Private Ryan. I hope I can act like that sniping enemies and dodging attacks (in the spirit of course). Thanks for the vid, that just made my day.
I am starting a business (part-time, weekends, keeping the day job), and so went scouring the internet for a forum or community of Christians discussing the battles of doing business in the world while not being of the world. This blog was about the only substantial offering I came across.
I think I understand your premise, Matt. Many of my on-line “mentors” have been hard on me for constantly asking questions over the last few months and not “taking action”! Then I told them I was working a project on the day job for 5 and 6 days a week and had no time to either take action or deal with the results.
If I am to succeed (which I wouldn’t be doing this unless I believed God was with me, and that He didn’t put me out here to fail), then I must (a) get His mind, and (b) do something with it!! Praisers in front of the army – but an army behind the praisers. March around the walls and shout praise – and then go in and take the city. It’s not always neat and orderly, and it certainly can be stressful.
My greatest concern is becoming conformed to thie way this world thinks. It’s not all about my actions – it’s all about my heart. What do I want most? Are there things between me and God that are sacred and non-negotiable? David could have killed Saul twice, but that would have made him cross a line and violate something sacred. As it was, when he lived with the Philistines, something about the way he lived so changed his heart that he was willing to go kill Israelites.
One theory (don’t remember where I first heard it, or if I just thought of it myself) is that Judas was a businessman. He was obviously a disciple and apostle – after all, he was promised a throne along with the other eleven. But as the money began to come in, he could not separate his heart from gain to give it more fully to Jesus. Jesus Himself said it is flat impossible to serve both God and gain. I guess Judas proved that.
So I guess the concern is how to make money without loving it, how to do battle without loving the sword and the blood, how to take over a competitor’s territory and put him out of business without loving the conquest and glory of being number one.
For me, I have told my wife, my family, and the men I am accountable to, that Jesus is first, and if any part of my business begins to encroach on that sacred ground, then I will bail – whatever the cost. It’s never worth what God has given me: my own Chrstian walk, my marriage, my church family. Neither action nnor desire is allowed to cross those sacred boundaries.
Ed