Giving it over to God-Psalm 64

                I went to see the movie War Room last weekend.  The premise of the movie is that we shouldn’t try to fight our battles on our own.  We shouldn’t think that we can create change in ourselves or others no matter how hard we try.  The primary line in the movie is “you must fight your battles in the prayer room.”  This is harder than it sounds.  How many times do we put a situation in God’s hands only to find ourselves scheming ways to win the battle.  We are impatient.  We have trouble being still.  We think that we have the answers.  We plot, we scheme, we end up saying things that harm the situation more.  Then after we have be hurt again we realize we have picked the battle back up and taken it out of God’s hands. 

                The prayer of Psalm64 is an example of a prayer we might prayer in our prayer room.  The Psalmist cries out to God with the complaints he has against who he calls his enemies.  He names the behavior of the enemies.  He remembers the times that God has won battles for him.  He then praises God and calls for all to take refuge in God. 

                In the movie the primary character’s favorite room in her house is a closet that she has emptied out.  It simply has a chair in it and on the wall are scriptures that have helped her in her prayer life, and pictures that represent things she is praying for.  It is there that she goes to pray for these battles of her life.  She shares this strategy with a young woman whose marriage is in trouble.  The young woman follows the example.  It is hard at first.  She finds herself easily distracted.  At one point she is sitting in her closet drinking sprite and eating doritos and practically standing on her head.  But she persists in this new habit and before long it is no longer a struggle but it is a sought after time that she thirsts for.  Her young daughter observes this and in turn creates her own prayer closet. 

                I was very motivated to amp up my prayer life after seeing this movie.  I could not identify a closet in my house so I turned my desk into a war station, the place where I take my battles to the Lord every morning.  I went to Staples and bought a clear desk pad.  Under that pad are pictures and bible verses that represent what I am giving over to God.  Under each picture is a prayer.  I pray these prayers every morning.  Like the woman in the movie, It can be a struggle at times and more days then not so far I have found myself picking these battles back up.  It is important to maintain the habit though and before long it will be something that I thirst for. 

                Have you set aside a place where you can take your battles to the Lord.  If you haven’t I encourage you to do so and if you haven’t seen the movie, I encourage that as well.