Are You Praying and Living TALL?

I didn’t understand her comment.

Our team had met for a working dinner meeting. We shared a meal and completed the planning portion of the session, and now the five of us sat around the dining room table sharing prayer requests.

One team member asked for prayer to uphold and equip her in a stressful work environment where Satan seemed to have a strong presence. She talked about her need to speak truth into the lives of those she served and to do it not in her own authority, but in the delegated authority of Jesus. She also expressed her desire to be a light in a dark place—a light that would push back the darkness. And finally, she said she knew it all had to be done in love.

That’s when another member chimed in with, “I’ll be ‘praying tall’ for you.”

I wasn’t the only one who didn’t understand her response. Praying tall? So she explained TALL is an acronym to remind her of the details of our friend’s prayer request. And her explanation caused me to realize that praying and living TALL is something we all need:

T – speak TRUTH

In a world overrun with deception, Christ-followers are to speak truth. The devil is the father of lies, but Jesus is truth (John 14:6). And we are to speak and stand for truth if we follow the Savior (Eph. 4:25).

A – speak truth in the AUTHORITY of Jesus Christ

As Christians, we don’t act in our own authority. We live and speak in the power and authority of Jesus (Eph. 6:10). We are sons and daughters of El Elyon, the Most High God and we can stand firm against the enemy as we wear the armor our heavenly Father has given us (Eph. 6:11, 13).

L – be LIGHT in a dark world

The light of one candle can dispel physical darkness in an instant. Christians can have the same effect on spiritual darkness. But all too often, we “hide our light” out of fear, insecurity, or just plain weariness. Yet, Jesus said that when we shine our light, God gets the glory (Mt. 5:16)!

L – do it all in LOVE

We can speak truth in Christ’s authority while shining our light, but if we don’t do it all in love, then the world hears nothing but noise (1 Cor. 13:1). So live and speak truth, but do it in love (Eph. 4:15).

Truth, authority, and light, all wrapped in love. That’s a tall order (pun intended!), whether in ministry, at work, in our family, in our neighborhood, or in church.  We can’t do it on our own. But with the equipping of the Holy Spirit, you and I can indeed pray and live TALL!