The War Room

The new film The War Room is out. Have you seen it?

I just finished a Priscilla Shirer Bible study this summer, so I was excited to see her in this movie.

Though the movie at times seems to preach a little in the dialogue, and though there are things I have since read that people are critical of in the movie, I left with a full heart desiring more prayer in my life.

I was encouraged not only to pray, which was the major theme, but to tell the next generation what we believe, just as this older woman was passing along to the younger woman what God had shown her during her life.

I realize things don’t always wrap up as quickly and neatly in life as they did in the movie, and sometimes it takes years to see a major breakthrough on something we’ve prayed for. But when we are in prayer — intentional, focused, deliberate prayer, praying Scripture and believing God for His promises to us that we see in the Bible — even if the answer isn’t what we hope or is long in coming, we see Him involved along the path as we wait with hope for Him to act. Our hope isn’t in the outcomes, but in the God who knows all things and is sovereign over all and powerful to deliver.

We don’t always start praying and see instant results. It’s not something magical if we utter right words. But my heart still resonated with the overall message of the movie. We don’t want to be quick to dismiss the film as some might because it didn’t develop everything as fully as they would like (who can build a full theology of prayer in two hours?) or perfectly explain every aspect (some asked how he made that much money, or complained that many people don’t have an extra closet to make a war room, etc.). Catch the overall themes and go find your war room, be it a bedroom or small corner of the house.

Then pray. Pray Scripture. Record God’s answered prayers and the ones where you can’t yet see the answer, but where you see Him working. That’s part of why I have this blog – to remember, to proclaim, to record what God has done. Yes, tell of God’s mighty works. Encourage one another. Pray for one another.

We can go to the Bible and study everything we find about prayer — how to pray, when to pray, where to pray, why to pray. We can develop what the movie didn’t have time to. We can pray for more faith as we pray (“increase our faith, Lord”). Ask God to teach us to pray, to show us how.

Let’s pray in full faith believing that God is who He says He is and God can do what He says He can do.* We can trust Him. He is powerful and strong. He is our Deliverer. Let’s become prayer warriors.

*Thank you to Beth Moore for showing me that in her Believing God study. Her brief appearance in The War Room was also fun to see!