A Prayer for Atonement
By Greg Laurie
For your name's sake, O LORD, pardon my iniquity, for it is great. - Psalms 25:11
Peter couldn’t take it anymore. He had watched His Lord’s anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane. He had watched the group of soldiers come to arrest Him. So he took out his sword, took a swing, and removed the ear of the high priest’s servant.
In a way, I understand Peter’s frustration. Had I been in the same situation, I might have done the same thing. We might almost commend Peter for his heroism and bravery. But in reality, Jesus did not do that at all. He told Peter to put the sword away. Poor Peter. He couldn’t seem to get it right. He always seemed to be doing the wrong thing at the wrong time. He was sleeping when he should have been praying. He was talking when he should have been listening. He was boasting when he should have been fearing. Now he was fighting when he should have been surrendering. He always had it turned upside down. You see, Peter failed to see that he was fighting the wrong enemy.
Our enemies are not flesh and blood, the Bible says, but principalities and powers. And they cannot be defeated by ordinary measures. Far too often we take things into our own hands and try to assist God, to sort of help Him out a little. And far too often we do not pull out the most powerful weapon in our arsenal, which is prayer, and use it in these times of battle.
As Christians, we are too quick to protest and not quick enough to pray. We are too quick to picket and not quick enough to preach and focus on what God has primarily called us to do. We need to realize that we are fighting a spiritual battle. Therefore, we need to use spiritual weaponry.
Heavenly Father,
We are all your children, and you love us in a way we can hardly fathom. Help us to see past the issues that divide us, and see one another with eyes free of hate. We have sinned. We have struck at our brothers and sisters with malice in our heart. We have made enemies of others while claiming to be your disciples. Help us to atone for these sins, and remember to love our neighbors and we love ourselves.
In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Editor’s Note: The following is an abridged version of “Fighting the Wrong Enemy” by Greg Laurie. To read the full article, just follow this link.
Related Resource: Establishing a Routine of Rest
For a long time, rest felt less like a gift and more like a guilty indulgence — something to be earned, something to feel vaguely ashamed of, something that productive, faithful people did not really need. In a world that measures worth by output, the idea of stopping feels dangerously close to falling behind.
But what if rest is not optional? What if it was never meant to be? Tonight, lay down the hustle. Receive the gift. This is exactly what you were made for. Your Nightly Prayer is a daily Christian prayer podcast from the LifeAudio Podcast Network and Crosswalk.com. Each night, the team behind Crosswalk.com brings you a devotional and prayer to help you end your day in conversation with God. May these nightly prayers help you find the words to pray and focus your heart and mind on the love of God as you end your day. If you like what you hear, subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
Originally published Saturday, 10 October 2020.
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