The Power of a Praying Police Officer

Early Prayer Development

Recently, I was saying goodnight prayers with my four year old daughter when I begin to think about our prayers and praying in general. Growing up many of us were taught simple and easy to remember prayers, much like the prayers that my wife and I are teaching our daughter now. for example; "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep". or, "God is great, God is good let me think him for our food". What an outstanding and simple way to lay a spiritual foundation in the lives of our children not only for a belief in God but in establishing a life long foundation of prayer and of faith.

But the question really becomes how many of us actually mature from these child-like prayers into really understanding the power of prayer? .

What is Prayer?

Let's start with some basics. What is prayer? Prayer is quite simply our communication with God, the father. But when and how should we use prayer? Unfortunately, far too many of us don't use it enough. Instead, we relay on prayer as a way to cry out to God for help only during our most difficult and stressful times in our lives. But rarely do we view prayer as our daily communication with God. I call this the Genie in the Bible prayer. We keep God locked away in the Bible until we need Him at the most desperate times and then we pull Him out like some Genie in the bottle (Bible) to hurry up and grant us our three free wishes. And when we don't get our three free wishes we draw ourselves away from God similarly like a child who gathers up their toys from the sandbox to go play with someone else.


Proactive versus Reactive Prayer

In law enforcement we have proactive and reactive policing. Proactive policing is when you search out criminal activity. You keep crime and criminals on the move. For example, you may be doing lots of traffic stops on a drug dealer’s street corner, you may be stopping and talking to prosutues which is making the "john's" drive away. In proactive policing you get into the game and try to make the in-roads within your community as a way to deter crime.

Reactive policing is just the opposite. Maybe you know officers who simply ride the outside rim of their zone, called "rim riders". Maybe, an officer does not want to go into the crime ridden areas and rather simply respond to criminal complaints instead of actual detering the crime.

But have you ever stopped to think that prayer can be the same way? We can pray proactively that God will be done in our area of responsibilities. For example, praying that God will be done in removing drug dealers from our communities. That God will be using you to be the 'gatekeeper' for your city and in your area of responsibility. That you will allow God to use you as His tool to do His will in your area of concern and responsibility.

Some Excuses We Use

We can find all types of excuses not to pray proactively. Maybe, you have known people who have said; " I don't want to bother God because, well, "He is so big and I am so small and He has so much stuff to do with wars, hunger, poverty, and injustice found in the world today that I wouldn't even consider bothering our Lord for His time". How far from the truth this can be. Philippians 4:6-7 tells us, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Some Great Examples of Prayer

A great example of a prayer can be found in Matthew 6:9-13. These verses are known as the Lord's prayer. Most of us know the Lord's prayer but did you also know that the Lord's prayer is not a prayer we are supposed to memorize and simply recite to God. It is only an example of how to pray and the things that should go into a prayer. Things such as worship, trust in God, requests, confession, protection, Pray for these kinds of things, but speak to God using your own words.

We need to also remember that our prayers being answered is not based on the eloquence of our prayers. We don't have to use certain words or phrases to get God to answer our prayers. In fact, Jesus rebukes those who pray using repetitions, "And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him" (Matthew 6:7-8).

Never forget that Prayer is your direct communication with God. And you don't need any intercessor to do it for you.

The Power of Prayer

There is no magic formula to prayer and as previously stated God is not to be used like some magic Genie in the Bible. It is important to understand that the power of prayer is not the result of the person praying. Rather, the power that resides in God who is being prayed to. 1 John 5:14-15 tells us, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him." No matter the person praying, the passion behind the prayer, or the purpose of the prayer - God answers prayers that are in agreement with His will. His answers are not always yes, but are always in our best interest. When our desires line up with His will, then we will come to understand that in time, when we pray passionately and purposefully, according to God's will, God responds powerfully! Then we won't gather up our toys and go to another sandbox but instead we will rejoyce in the Lord during both the good and the bad times of our lives.

Prayer in the Hands of the Police

Now that we have established what prayer is, then the question becomes why don't we as peace officers utilize it more often? Can you image the power of God working through our law enforcement officers in order to battle the strongholds in your city? Can you image what transformations could begin in our cities if officers earnestly began to pray about their own individual area of responsibility?

Can you as a peacekeeper for Christ, set aside any any false ideas of prayer being about 'religious obligations' or about 'wasting' God time, but instead use the power of prayer to allow God to transform your communities.

Never forget what God's word in Philippians 4:13 states; "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me".


More excerpts to come! From the forthcoming book "Dispatched By God" COMING IN 2009 by Michael Dye

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