“But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.”
–Nehemiah 4:7-9
I began praying regularly with a good friend back in 2020 during the COVID pandemic. We met on the front steps of Briarwood Church when we were supposed to be “social distancing.” Neither of us was sick, so we decided that bringing supplications with thanksgiving before the Lord was more important than a made-up distance directive. It also felt a little rebellious – which I love.
Fast forward six years, and we are still praying together weekly, just on the phone due to busy schedules. We pray for each other, our families, world chaos, spiritual revival, and for God to be glorified. We often pray God’s Word back to Him, reminding Him of His promises (as if He forgets), to fortify our faith in biblical truth. Since we started raising teenagers, we sometimes pray for two days a week, which is still not enough.
We started calling ourselves the “women on the wall.” We strive to be women who persevere in prayer and are watchful, like the guards that Nehemiah set on the wall around Jerusalem. We pray for God’s will and protection over our families and friends. We pray for our global brothers and sisters in Christ who are suffering intense persecution.
I have met so many godly, prayerful women over the years through church, events, luncheons, and even political forums. Some of these women have careers, while others stay home to raise their children. Some are part of the current sandwich generation, like me, still raising kids and taking care of elderly parents. Many are older and have more extensive time to seek the Lord and pray for the nations. They are the ones from whom I love to hear. Wise, generous, humbled by life, yet full of confidence in God’s power – they are the warriors who fight unseen battles in their own personal “war rooms” through prayer.
The Bible gives us numerous examples of women who prayed fervently and God answered. As an article from Bible Inspire explains, there are many extraordinary instances of the Lord generously answering the petitions of biblical figures such as Hannah, Ruth, Deborah, Esther, and the persistent widow.
In 1 Samuel 1:9-28, Hannah prayed fervently for a child. She cried out to the Lord from the tabernacle, and God not only heard, but answered her prayer by giving her a son, Samuel. Deborah sought the Lord as she strove to lead Israel to victory in Judges 4. Ruth, who came to embrace the God of her mother-in-law, Naomi, promised to follow her and the Lord. She had seen God’s faithfulness in the devastating circumstances of widowhood. Her faith was rewarded with a godly husband and a son who would be the grandfather of King David, placing her in the lineage of the Messiah. Esther trusted God with her life as she bravely asked King Ahasuerus (Xerxes I of Persia) to save her people, the Jews, from a vicious plot of extinction. All these women stood on a symbolic wall of their own, petitioning the Lord, refusing to give in to fear, holding fast to God’s promises.
Former television personality Kathie Lee Gifford recently wrote an excellent devotional for Proverbs 31 Ministries titled, “From a Roman prison to the ends of the earth.” She cites 2 Timothy 2:8-9 – “Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained.” Women stay on the prayer wall because God’s Word is not chained, Gifford explains. She offers the example of the ocean tide. “It doesn’t matter what stands in its way – sandcastles, rocks, or debris – the water comes. We cannot command the ocean to stop.”
The Gospel is a lot like that tide, Gifford explains, and only He commands the tide.
Gifford declares that over the decades, governments have voted to legislate God’s word away, while scoffers have sought to intimidate Christians into silence. It’s always the same tired attempts used by the powers of darkness to overcome the light. But like the tide, the Gospel of Christ is an unstoppable force because it is literally powered by God himself. The gates of hell cannot extinguish it.
When we feel as if hope is lost and we are too exhausted to persevere, we must remember that we petition the one, true God, who cannot be controlled by men and whose power raised Christ from the dead. We may just be ordinary women from various walks of life, but like in the days of Nehemiah, now is the time to pray to our omnipotent God and stay on the wall, night and day.
Kristin Landers is a substitute teacher and freelance writer. Landers’ previous work includes serving as Communications Director for the Alabama Policy Institute and working for Citizens Against a Legalized Lottery (CALL) to defeat legalized gambling in the state of Alabama.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to [email protected].
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