Movie Review: The War Room

Recently I had the pleasure of watching a movie called the ‘War Room’.  This movie never came out to the cinema in Northern Ireland, or any part of the United Kingdom to be exact! However it was on general release in 2015 in the United States and actually did surprisingly well for a Christian movie!

The ‘War Room’ is a Christian film and was directed by Alex Kendrick, a Christian film director but not a well-known one.

What is the movie about?  Well from the title you would think it was about war, but it’s not, or is it? Technically it is about war, but not military warfare, but spiritual warfare.  And the main focus of the move is on prayer.  

Alex Kendrick, the director said that the reason why the movie was called “The War Room was because like the military, we should seek God for the right strategy before going into combat.  And by combat I mean daily issues we face in our culture”

Each day as we get out of bed we face battle issues we don’t want to – work, family, health including many more.  And as a Christian it is important for me to start the day praying in order to help me face the day.  I surrender all my worries to God before stepping out the door.  And sometimes or most of the time I have taken these back by morning tea break!!

The ‘War Room’ focuses on one couple, Tony and Elizabeth Jordan and their daughter.  They live in a big house and have plenty of money.  They both have great jobs - Tony is a pharmaceutical salesman and Elizabeth is an estate agent.  But they are unhappy people.  Tony is verbally abusive towards his wife and is edging towards cheating on her too. He is away a lot on sales trips so there is a lot of opportunities for him to cheat!

While working Elizabeth meets an old woman called Miss Clara, who is a dedicated prayer warrior and has turned her bedroom closet into a prayer room – her ‘war room’.  Because in order to stand up and fight the energy you need to get on your knees and pray’.

My favourite scene is when Miss Clara asks Elizabeth if she prays to which the answer is ‘yes sometimes’ and ‘do you go to church?’ to which the reply is ‘yes, sometimes’ and ‘how would you describe your faith?’ to which the reply is ‘Lukewarm’.  

During this conversation Miss Clara is making them both a cup of coffee and presents Elizabeth with a lukewarm cup of coffee while Miss Clara’s is hot.  On drinking her cup of coffee Elizabeth chokes an says “Miss Clara do you like to drink your coffee lukewarm?’ and Miss Clara laughs and says, “no I like mine hot, like my faith”

Basically Miss Clara is saying that your faith, church attendance and prayer life cannot be lukewarm, it has to be all or nothing for God.  You have to be fully dedicated in your relationship with God.

Elizabeth takes Miss Clara’s advice on board and starts to pray for Tony – she even empties her closest and turns it into a prayer ‘war room’.  From spending time with God in prayer Elizabeth starts to change.  She becomes more relaxed and more trusting in God and her prayers for Tony start to work. 

There is another scene in which Tony while away on a business trip is on a date with another woman. Elizabeth find out about this date via a text from a friend who has witnessed this date.  Elizabeth is heartbroken but she starts to pray for the Lord to intervene. And He does because just as Tony is about to leave the restaurant to go back to his date’s house, he suddenly gets sick and starts to vomit so he has to leave his date at the restaurant and go back to his hotel room alone.  So Elizabeth’s prayers are answered and Tony is saved from cheating.

From this you can see that prayers do work, no matter how small or how big, our prayers are answered. God may not answer them the way we want but he does answer – either with a Yes, No or Wait.  We are important to God and he looks out of us, so if He makes us wait there is a reason and if he says No it’s because there is something better out there for us.

I won’t go and spoil the movie for you any more by telling you the needing, but all I will say is that it is a must see movie and a thought provoking one as well.  Now, I must go and clean out my closest!