Using Prayer to Confront the Evil That Men Do

The horror of New Orleans on New Year’s Eve 2024 and the attempted horror of Las Vegas on New Year’s Day 2025 are sobering reminders that there is evil present in the world. The atrocities are barbed notifications to those of us who believe that while love is the highest calling, hate resides in humanity’s heart, prone to burst forth in torrents of violence and rage that can, with no exaggeration, be labeled satanic.

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Such times should drive believers to prayer. We are used to scoffers mocking us when we call for prayer at such moments, the sneering self-satiated pointing to humanity’s self-inflicted horrors as they sarcastically say, “Where was your God when this happened? Why should we believe in a loving God when there is such hatred?” They, of course, do not see their hatred at work in such statements, nor do they see how it is the selfsame implementation of free will allowing them to blaspheme that permits us to respond with stern grace. The same Jesus Who died in our place did the same for them.

And so we do pray. Prayer is not for God’s benefit. It is not a session where we give the Almighty marching orders. It is not difficult to imagine our Lord softly chuckling sometimes when believers not yet open to prayer’s true depths and powers approach it as a divine shopping list. It’s not that He minds us asking Him for this or that, although we need to remember He reserves the right to say no because He knows better what we need than we know ourselves.

Prayer is not only natural for a believer. It is also, at least symbolically, nature. Prayer embodies the four elements of nature: water, fire, sky, and earth.

Prayer is water. Controlled water washes away dirt and debris. We see in nature how water, over time, carves a path through rock and soil, rivulets gradually joining forces to become a mighty river that eventually makes its way to the sea. In the same manner, prayer sometimes gradually changes us. In a society addicted to instant gratification, such changes face quick dismissal as too slow. They are not. God uses all of the time He allows us to mold us. It is human nature to seek the spectacular. It is God Who takes equal pleasure in the smiling, slow change.

Prayer is fire, the heat of a furnace burning away impurities and softening otherwise unyielding metal into a malleable form so it can be quickly, forcefully transformed from unusable shapes into something enduring and powerful. Sometimes, it is a necessary weapon. Other times, it is a practical tool that helps improve life. In this manner, prayer molds us in the fire of trials, using the heat to soften our hearts, transforming us into something useful. The time has not yet come for the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy regarding beating swords into plowshares, and we cannot drop our guard. But we can still remind ourselves that prayer in times of greatest need is not a cry of weakness but rather a call to connect with God so we will benefit from harsh times and help others similarly afflicted. Only those who have been through the fire can speak with authority to those still engulfed in flames.

Prayer is air. We use conversation to clear the air with others, clarify points, and heal misunderstandings. Why should conversation with God be any different? We speak to and with Him; we pour out our hearts and minds in the example given to us in His Word, particularly Psalms. Do we think God objects to honest conversation? He does not. However, it is incumbent on us to remember that conversation is a two-way street. God is never anything but honest with us. This is His Way. Even as prayer clears the air, it also purifies the air. Prayer is spiritual oxygen, feeding and sharpening the mind as it opens previously unknown and unsuspected pathways.

Prayer is earth. Jesus Was and Is both man and God. He was subject to the same temptations we face. Jesus was, again referring to Isaiah in what was a prophecy fulfilled in His being, a Man of Sorrows, one well acquainted with grief. He listens. He understands. Jesus does know what we are going through, for He Himself went through the same. Our God is neither our personal chummy buddy nor distant and aloof. He is with us at all times. Jesus cares. He hears. He responds.

And so we do pray. We pray that comfort will come for those who have lost loved ones. We pray for the complete healing of the wounded. We pray for those entrusted with our protection against evil. And, we pray for ourselves that we might be better examples and embodiments of Jesus’ love as we face the evil in this tattered world we currently inhabit.

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