Those of you who read our blog regularly will notice that this isn’t the first time I have written about a movie. While mainstream Hollywood occasionally manages to put out a movie that is truly phenomenal, given the budgets that most Hollywood movies have, one might expect better than the typical fare Hollywood puts out. But the movie I’m going to talk about right now isn’t from mainstream Hollywood and it didn’t have an astronomical budget. Quite the opposite.

The new Kendrick brothers movie, War Room, is a truly touching and moving story that anyone of us can easily relate to. Guys and girls alike will find this movie poignant and easily watchable. The acting is first rate, cinematography is excellent, the story is engaging, we can readily identify with each character, and it features a little girl (played by Alena Pitts) so adorable you can’t help the feeling you want to bring her home for keeps. Perhaps the best evidence of how winsome this movie is would be the crowd reaction. There were group cheers and collective gasps throughout the story.

Perhaps making the movie even more amazing is the fact that this was the acting debut for Priscilla Shirer, who plays the main character, Elizabeth Jordan. The story centers on Elizabeth’s frustration with life and we initially see this in three separate ways; her loveless marriage, her parenting failures, and her sister with the out-of-work husband. Financial uncertainty is soon added to her trials when husband, Tony, finds himself without a job. Who among us cannot relate to at least one or more of these frustrations in our own lives?

And it is there that I will attempt to transition from movie-reviewer back to blogger and (hopefully) encourager. Each and every one of us has experienced some type of difficulty, most likely, every type of difficulty that is a part of War Room. Financial hardship usually happens at some point in all of our lives unless, perhaps, your last name is Trump or Gates. But it is the relational issues such as our marriages, parenting, friendships, community, and even work relationships that seem to occur with the most frequency and in the broadest section of the population.

And what typically happens to us when relational issues occur? We get defensive, don’t we? We believe we’re right in some way, or we believe we are not receiving as we should, and we lash out in one way or another at the very ones we’re supposed to be closest to. In James 1:19 we’re told “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry…” but the course most of us take is just the opposite. We battle against our dearest family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers as if they were our enemy. We refuse to yield and insist the other person change.

As Miss Clara (wonderfully played by Karen Abercrombie) teaches Elizabeth, it is not our spouse (or friend or neighbor or coworker or child) who is our enemy. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12) Indeed our true enemy is the father of lies, the one who distorts and causes confusion, the one who tempts and persuades, the one who rejoices in our failures and tries to expedite our downfalls. That force of darkness is our enemy. I don’t need to say his name because we all know it (and I’m sure that feeds his already distorted ego).

When we are honest enough with ourselves to identify who the true enemy is, and when we remember that we are all imperfect beings, then we can be open to seeking the One who is strong enough to fight our battles for us. For it is when we surrender to God that we find the strength to be changed ourselves and the power of prayer becomes available to us. Romans 8:37 teaches us that “we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

In the movie Elizabeth and Tony learn to pray for each other and they learn firsthand the power of the name of Jesus and the victory that is theirs only through Christ. And they go from near disaster to being happy, joyous, and free and more in love than ever. And that is an outcome available to us all when we ask God to intervene on our behalf. Donna and I make it a habit to pray together nightly and we have found that in seeking God together, we are strong and united.

As always, we are happy to answer any of your questions, or refer you to appropriate resources. Please email us at ReignDropsBlog@gmail.com. To learn more about the movie, War Room, or to find it in a theater near you, click this link: War Room Movie

May you find forgiveness and strength in our Lord. God bless.

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