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The Coffee Can


On the way to the gun range, I was asking all kinds of questions about shells and bullets, rifles and shotguns. There is a lot of difference between them which I didn’t realize. Hubby carefully and patiently explained the differences and did his best to answer all my questions.


We stopped at the gate to what appeared to be a rough vehicle path through the woods. Ron swung open the gate. Past the no trespassing sign, winding through the trees, we came to a clearing in the woods. Here was a wide open space with distant targets placed strategically, and increasingly, hundreds of yards away from the marksmen’s vantage point.


I watched from the comfort of the car as my beloved hunter set up his own target practice objects of milk cartons, water bottles and coffee cans. Then the shooting began. Now I would see the physical reality of the difference I had just learned. The coffee can, with one shot from the shotgun, was riddled with holes as the BBs splayed their deadly force in all directions.


Like an exploding shotgun shell that impacts multiple spots on an intended target, so it goes with prayer. We pray about one thing, and our prayers, offered in faith, explode with deadly force in all directions. Every weapon of spiritual warfare is rooted in righteous, fervent prayer.


* We pray for reconciliation for those neighbors who scream at one another well into the night, and we find ourselves being a little kinder to our spouse and children.

* We pray for provision for the guy down the street who just lost his job, and we discover we are buying more of what we need, and less of what we want.

* We pray for healing for the young bride just diagnosed with cancer, and our level of compassion overflows when a word unfitly spoken threatens to ruin our day.


I’ve often shot an arrow prayer heavenward when I’ve found myself in an unexpected or immediate need. While I’m thankful for those prayers and the answers that come in a split second, I think I’d like to learn the art of a shotgun prayer, where my prayers are tightly packed into the wad of faith, propelled by the truth of God’s word, and accurately sighted in on the things that move the heart of God. A shotgun prayer is carefully aimed, premeditated, and intended to impact evil with deadly force in all directions. Yes, I'd like to pray shotgun prayers!


And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people (Ephesians 6:18).


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