Morning by Morning, September 6 - Praying in Faith Against "The Prince of the Power of the Air"
"And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among who also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:1-7 NKJV).
There is a so-called "prince of the power of the air" who is a "spirit" -- an evil and destructive spirit (Ephesians 2:2). It's the same spirit who is "the thief" who "comes only to steal and kill and destroy" (John 10:10). It's the same spirit You called "the ruler of this world" (John 12:31). And it's the spirit of destruction and death at work in our world, seeking to destroy and defile Your creation by every means possible and at every opportunity available. "We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now" longing to be "set free from its bondage to decay" (Romans 8:19-23).
So when I see on the news there's another storm called Hurricane Irma churning across the Atlantic Ocean and through the Caribbean, on its with to the southeastern coast of America, with Your creation and Your children in the path of its destruction, I don't think of an angry God hurling another fireball from hell against His own creation. I think of "the prince of the power of the air." I think of "the thief who comes to steal and kill and to destroy." And I turn my heart and my prayers and my hope to the One who says "I came that (you) may have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10:10). I turn to the One who is "rich in mercy," who reaches out to us -- even in our sins, even in the places our destructive, accusing enemy of our souls and of Your creation claims we have opened the door to destruction in our hearts or in our land throughout our generations -- and invites us to call on Your name in our distress (Ephesians 2:4).
O God, hear our prayer. Crush "the prince of the power of the air." Grant us mercy in the face of its destruction. Speak to the wind and the waves to be silent and still. Dissipate the detour this storm to empty it of its destructive force. Stir in the hearts and prayers and proclamations of Your people who are called by Your name to take a stand in faith to speak to this mountain of destruction, even as we humble ourselves to be desperately dependent upon You alone (Mark 11:23).
And as You bring us through no matter what we may endure, as we groan with all Your creation for the redemption of our broken, fallen world, may we continue to turn to You to be our Hope and our Help. "Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth" (Psalm 124:7). May You continue to fulfill Your Word through these unprecedented days of what seems like unrelenting catastrophe: "The God of peace will shortly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with (us)" (Romans 16:20). In Jesus' name we pray.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
I pray in faith in agreement with you that our God who is rich in mercy will give faith and grace to all who in the path of Hurricane Irma to endure and overcome this "prince of the power of the air" and its destructive forces, in Jesus' name. And I join with you in prayer that lives would be restored in the coastal region of Texas, Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico, and that all who are suffering in the wake of Hurricane Harvey and these storms of this season would experience the protection and provision of our God, in Jesus' name! May the presence of God in His mercy and love and through His people be evident in the midst of it all. God bless you, my friend!
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
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