Chariots of Fire

As I enter this time of prayer, I repeat the words of Psalm 27:13–14, slowly, several times, making them my prayer to God:

‘I remain confident of this:

I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

Wait for the LORD;

be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.’

Pause and repeat

Pause to read the passage: 2 Kings 6:15–17

‘There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils,’ observed C. S. Lewis. ‘One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors, and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight’*,**

Am I inclined to be a bit oversensitive to spiritual powers—perhaps blaming them for everything—or a bit oblivious of them instead? How might it affect my prayers and my choices if I lived today with a much greater awareness of the angelic realm?

Pause and reflect

Open my eyes, Lord, as You opened the eyes of Elisha’s servant, to perceive the spiritual realm. Thank You for the wonderful reassurance we have that, while the present warfare may be vicious, the ultimate war has been well and truly won.

Pause and pray

As I bring this time with God to a close, I pray a prayer of the eighteenth-century soldier, explorer, and monk Charles de Foucauld:

‘Father, I abandon myself into Your hands; do with me what You will. Whatever You may do, I thank You: I am ready for all, I accept all. Let only Your will be done in me, and in all Your creatures—I wish no more than this, O Lord.’

Amen.

*Pete Greig, God on Mute, David C Cook, (Colorado Springs, 2020), p179-80

** C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (London: Fount, 1986), 9.