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Other Christians express caution, however. "God is not impressed by numbers," cautions Timothy George, dean of Beeson Divinity School at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. George says there is no magical threshold that suddenly attracts God's attention if we pray long enough, with special fervor, or in large groups. Still, George says, Scripture encourages Christians to persist in faithful prayer.

George also cautions those who might be tempted to equate the current war in Iraq with spiritual warfare. He says that the armor of God motif in Ephesians 6 is talking about weapons of spiritual growth, not national military campaigns. "It is dangerous to take war imagery and demonize our human enemies," George says. And, as Jesus taught, American Christians should also pray for their enemies, including Iraqi troops and Saddam Hussein.

"The Lord uses our prayers to accomplish his will," George says. "But the rising and falling of all empires and kings are in the hand of God, in his own time."

John W. Kennedy is news editor for Today's Pentecostal Evangel, published by the Assemblies of God.

Copyright © 2003 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Also appearing on our site today:

Journalists Who Pray | Christianity Today editors share prayer practices that energize them.

Sites referenced above include:

• Presidential Prayer Team
  
  
• World Prayer Team
  
  
• Call to War Men's Prayer Offensive
  
  
• Global Harvest Ministries

The Future War of the Church and This Present Darkness are available at Christianbook.com.

For more coverage on the current conflict, commentary and thought on just war, or Christian debate, see our CTWar in Iraq archive. For relevant articles on the war from news agencies around the globe, see CT's updated war links page.

A downloadable Bible study on the implications of war with Iraq is available at CurrentIssuesBibleStudy.com. These unique Bible studies use articles from current issues of Christianity Today to prompt thought-provoking discussions in adult Sunday school classes or small groups.

Recent Christianity Today articles and commentary on the current war with Iraq include:

Are Prayers in a Time of War Really About Comfort? | In part. But their main purpose is about much, much more than that. (March 28, 2003)

CT Classic: War Cry | As 1991's Gulf War began, a Christianity Today editorial said the church's best weapon was tearful prayer. (March 24, 2003)

CT Classic: Weeping over Baghdad | Desert Storm cost Iraq thousands of lives. At its conclusion, a Christianity Today editorial called for the church to deal with the living souls that remained. (March 21, 2003)

A Nation at War—And on its Knees | American Christians pray for peace, justice, and wisdom. (March 21, 2003)

Weapons of the Spirit | Regardless of their positions on Iraq, Christians have much they can do. (Feb. 25, 2003)

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May 2003, Vol. 47, No. 5