The Passion of Prayer
The incense was made to ascend by burning. "And Aaron shall burn thereon
sweet incense every morning" (Ex. 30:7). This reminds us that "the
effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" (Jas. 5:16).
Sometimes we sense that our prayers do not get any higher than our
heads. If we were to search our hearts honestly we would have to admit
that our prayer at that moment was not a deep burden or conviction of
our heart. Sometimes, too, we know our heart is not right toward God as
we pray. Also, there are times when we are conscious of deep need; we
are greatly moved by the urgency of the matter and cry out of broken
hearts to God. This is the burning of incense, the effectual fervent
prayer that ascends to God.
Cheap, trumped-up, sentimental emotionalism won't get a thing from God,
but the person who comes to Him with a broken heart, a broken and a
contrite spirit, shall be effectual and receive answers. When Hannah was
deeply moved as she prayed to God for a son, she said, "I have...poured
out my soul before the Lord: (1 Sam 1:15). In prayer like that, one is
not so much conscious of the phrasing of his petitions as he is of
communicating his burden to God and crying out for help.
Where is brokenness of spirit today? Where do you hear praying out of
broken hearts? How long has it been since someone prayed and you felt as
though God were right there? When did you feel as though the person
reached up and got hold of God Himself as he cried in agony and a broken
spirit for God to hear and answer him?
It isn't that our tears or our agony change God's heart and mind, but
our passion simply tells us that our hearts are in tune with God that we
can pray in His will. "Not my will, but thine, be done." We are praying
in the Spirit" so we can receive the petitions we ask of God. As we look
at the world in sin and see men and women about to perish, we need to
get stirred up and cry out to God about these things. Effectual, fervent
prayer will go up as incense and reach the throne of God to get our
prayers answered.
I exhort, "Pray for all men...that they might be saved "for God will
have all men to be saved." 1 Tim. 2:1-4. When have you heard that prayed
in any church? Some will say "Oh, you cannot bunch them up like that".
Really, Paul did when he prayed that "Israel might be saved" Rom 10:1.
Jesus bunched us up when He said "I pray for them..." John 17:9. We
believers must stop quibbling over such things and obey God to pray "for
all men to be saved" and then obey God and preach the gospel to ever
creature, person" Mk 16:15. Make sense.
"This poor man cried and the Lord heard him" Ps 34:6
A bunch of packs of tracts have been sent. A second and last notice of
you whose names were drawn is going out to night. I must have a reply to
send yours.
Go to http://www.sumnerwemp.com for encouraging articles. Love you, ABC
Sumner
