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The Divine Prayer Clock
the Mount of Olives, Jesus secured the victory by praying and interceding during the last hours before he was arrested, tried and crucified on Mount Calvary. Having prepared himself spiritually, he was ready to stand firm, resolute to the finish. The tests and trials will come. The question is whether or not we will be ready to take a firm stand. The Apostle Paul shares the secret of being able to stand firm in our spiritual battle: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Ephesians 6:10). Peter’s mistake was that he assumed he could stand firm in his own strength and determination. But, he soon discovered that these were useless in spiritual warfare. Earthly power is of no use for spiritual battles. Only heavenly power is effective in heavenly battles. “ ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty” (Zechariah 4:6). Paul and the prophet Zechariah remind us that our strength for this battle must come from God and from his mighty power. We are to be “strong in the Lord” and not in ourselves. So Paul declares that God has actually prepared for each one of us his special armor, particularly designed to deal with all of the enemy’s weapons, strategies and schemes against us. Now in Christ we have the battle advantage, but only in his power and with his armor. Jesus himself demonstrates the use of this armor in his preparation and test in the wilderness prior to beginning his ministry. Led by the Holy Spirit, he began a time of prayer and fasting in a solitary place. At the end of forty days, the devil arrived to test him. Satan discovered that, while Jesus had been weakened physically, he had been strengthened spiritually and wielded the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, with incredible power and effectiveness in defeating him (Matthew 4). As a church and as individuals, we must take seriously the call to pray during the second and third