The Old Battlefield

This blog is written by Mark Morris.

One of the interesting things about living in Southwest Missouri is enjoying all the amazing entertainment activities we have available. It seems we have almost any type of entertainment a person would desire. We enjoy sports from preschool to professional, every genre of music to enjoy since we live in Branson‘s backyard to all that Springfield has to offer. I remember as a kid growing up, we had to travel many miles to see a southern Gospel concert, but here we have so much to choose from.

Today, I drove past an area that seems to draw a lot of visitors. It was a Civil War battlefield. This battlefield is now a national Park. Historians tell us there was a decisive battle fought, which saw many young men, perish, and even a general was killed there. There are schools named after this general and even statues in the area to remember him by.

As I drove by, I was reminded the fact that we have a town in the area named Battlefield, and even the mall in Springfield is named the Battlefield Mall. As I drove by the battlefield, I wondered about who fought there and gave their lives. But now we just drive by or walk through the park and look at the memories of battles gone by.

A thought occurred to me. Is it possible for our churches to become old battlefields? The prayer meetings where drunkards sobered up and those living in adultery would go home and not cheat on their families again. How many times have we seen sins chains broken when the church prayed? Or have we turned our altars into memorials of battles fought in years gone by, as we take comfort and memories of yesterday’s battles, or are we willing to go to the battlefield of intercessory prayer for the next generation?

Something quickened in my spirit, and I realize my need to become more than an appreciator of history, but I must become a participant in today’s battle.

There is a battlefield calling us again. It must be more than a memorial, but it must be a place where battles are won, and the next generation can appreciate the reality of what we used to call praying through.

Please, let’s not let the closet of prayer become a place where the battles were fought. Let’s keep the battle going.