Since love “always protects” (1 Cor. 13:7), we must put measures in place to keep people safe. Yet, let’s not underestimate the power of prayer. All areas of church life, no matter how mundane they might seem, need to be brought before God’s throne of grace.
As we pray about our safety issues …
- we receive the help we need based on God’s mercy and grace, not human reasoning and worldly conformity. (Heb. 4:16)
- we gain the divine wisdom we need along with the focus and perspective that brings. (James 1:5)
- fear gets replaced with confidence. (Ps. 34:4)
- anxiety and worry gets replaced with peace. (Phil. 4:6-7)
How We Underestimate the Power of Prayer in Church Safety
Clearly the most obvious way we minimize the role of prayer in church safety is by failing to pray at every turn.
Proverbs 3:5-6 exhorts us to acknowledge the Lord in ALL our ways. If we’re going to devote ourselves to prayer as commanded in Colossians 4:2, then praying needs to be an integral part of all we do, including church safety.
To pray continually (1 Thess. 5:17) means we don’t pray about some issues while ceasing to pray about others. We don’t offer up a token prayer and then proceed with safety measures without continued prayer. Rather, we will “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Eph. 6:18) when we truly value not only the importance but also the power of prayer.
As leaders we also discount the role of prayer in church safety when we fail to promote praying about it among the Body.
Jesus said, “truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”(Matt. 18:19-20) We should providing this kind of encouragement: “Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge. Selah.” (Ps. 62:8)
Think about this: King David of the Old Testament times said, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God” (Ps. 20:7). They did go into battle with chariots and horses but they didn’t rely on their strategies and own strength. Their trust was in the Lord whom they sought after in prayer as seen in a reading of that entire Psalm.
We too need to develop and communicate safety measures in ways that keep the focus on God. That happens when our security measures are born out of prayer, maintained by leaders who continue to pray about it, and are supported by a praying Body.
For More on These Topics:
All Posts about Safety Issues:
- Safety Because Love Always Protects
- Safety Coordinated by a Church Security Team
- Safety Takes Everybody Doing Their Part
- Safety Because of the Great Commission
- Church Safety: WWJD?
- Integrity Breaks in Church Safety
- Focus of Church Safety
- Perspective in Church Safety
- Dangerous Gospel?
- Scripture Useful for Church Safety?
- Biblical Principles for Dealing with Safety Issues
- Power of Grace in Church Safety
- Power of Grace for Preventing Problems
- Power of Grace for Coping
- Power of Grace Enables Godly Responses
- Safety in the Name of the Lord?
- Don’t Underestimate the Power of Prayer in Safety
- The Spirit in the Midst of Church Safety?
- Church Safety as a Ministry Using Spiritual Gifts?
- The Real Enemy of Church Safety
- God Has a Bigger Picture When Bad Things Happen
- Leaders’ Roles Dictate How They Handle Church Safety
- Qualities Leaders Need in Church Safety Efforts
prayer extremely important but not to check minds at door & put selves in harms way
How true, Benjamin. For that we just need to look at Jesus’ example. When tempted by the devil to throw Himself off the highest point in the temple because God would protect Him, Jesus replied, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'” (Matt. 4:5-7)