Pray or Be Prey

A Google search revealed that I’m not the first or the 50th one to think of this clever wording. I’m glad others are thinking of it because asking for God’s protection is a neglected practice in many prayer lives.

The takeaway is this: We need to and must ask for God’s protection because the devil is a fierce enemy at work in our world.

I don’t think we should identify the devil in every trouble… hard eye-roll for those who do. An equally bad habit is to ignore the devil’s aim to devour and disrupt our faith.

1 Peter 5:8 NLT

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

Jesus taught us to pray by asking, “rescue us from the evil one” - Matthew 6:13. Again, when Jesus prayed for us, He made a point of asking for our protection.

John 17:11b-12a NLT

Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are. During my time here, I protected them by the power of the name you gave me.

So here is the summary of my thinking on the subject:

1. Don’t be surprised that the devil wants to devour us. (1 Peter 5:8; Luke 22:31)

2. Don’t brag about it. God never, ever leads us to boast and brag.

3. Don’t be terrorized about it. (1 John 4:4)

4. Pray to be protected from... 

a. Ourselves (temptation) and 

b. The evil one. (Matthew 6:13)