Wrestling in Prayer
Most prayers today are namby-pamby, weak, insipid, and ineffectual. They accomplish nothing at all and are a complete waste of time.
Wishy-washy, spineless, weak-kneed, "milk toast" prayers, lukewarm prayers never have achieved miraculous results, and never will!
When you pray, do you put your heart into your prayers? Do you pray fervently, earnestly, pouring out your heart before His Throne of Grace?
Are you filled with ZEAL when' you pray? Are you motivated with spiritual energy and alertness?
Can you imagine the insult it would be if you appeared before the President of the United States, in a private audience in the White House and you became drowsy, droopy eyed, and began to mumble your words and soon fell asleep?
How much more disrespectful is it of our heavenly Father when we come before His glorious, awe inspiring throne and mumble our words while we're half asleep!
When Elijah prayed, he prayed FERVENTLY, and God caused a great drought to come on the land. Later he prayed fervently, and God brought rain in abundance. James wrote, "The effectual FERVENT prayer of a righteous [obedient] man availeth much" (James 5:16).
The original Greek word for "fervent" is zelos and means "heat, zeal, ardor." Moffatt translates this verse, "the prayers of the righteous have a POWERFUL EFFECT." The Amplified Bible says, "The EARNEST (HEART FELT, CONTINUED) prayer of a righteous man makes TREMENDOUS POWER AVAILABLE dynamic in its working." One of the keys to powerful effective prayer, therefore, is ZEAL.
Hannah wept sorely when she prayed. She was really zealous. She poured out her heart in her prayer to God
AND HE LISTENED! As a direct result, God opened her womb, and gave her a son who became the Prophet Samuel (I Sam. 1:9-15).
When Christ prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, He was so earnest and intense that "being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground" (Luke 22:44). Christ's prayers were HEARD (Heb.5:7).
An example of how to "get through" to God is found in the book of Genesis. Perhaps you never thought of it this way before.
Jacob was in a mental quandary. He was returning home to his native land, but was fearful of his brother Esau. With humility, Jacob confessed he was not worthy of God's mercy, but prayed for deliverance (Gen. 32:9-12).
That night, Jacob was left alone, "and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. And he said, let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said unto him, what is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel [that is, a prince of God]: for as a prince hast thou POWER WITH GOD and with men, AND HAST PREVAILED" (Gen. 32:24-28).
Notice this account carefully. Jacob wrestled all night with this person the One who became Christ (verse 30). He did not give up. He was persistent, tenacious in wrestling. He was like a bulldog he wouldn't let go.
Seeing this characteristic in Jacob, Christ changed his name to "Israel," meaning "a contender with God," "a prince of God," "striver with God," "he who strives with God." Jacob wrestled all night, showing he had power he was not a spineless jelly fish. He was tenacious determined. He wrestled until he PREVAILED!
God blessed him for his tenacity and perseverance his "never give up," "never quit" attitude.
This principle also applies to prayer. Jesus Christ said men should pray "and not to faint." Moffatt puts it, "never losing heart." The Amplified has it, "not to turn coward faint, lose heart and give up" (Luke 18:1).
NEVER Lose Heart!
Many lose heart in prayer. If the answer doesn't come right away, they give up. They quit praying. But Jesus said men ought ALWAYS to pray to importune God, persisting, persevering, continuing in prayer, and NEVER losing heart.
Jacob's example should inspire us to put our hearts in our prayers, to be tenacious, and to wrestle as long as it is necessary in prayer.
This kind of wrestling is not selfish. God will not hear selfish prayers. But often God does put us to the test, to see if we have "staying power," stamina, endurance to see if we are willing to endure patiently until the answer DOES come!
God does not always answer prayers immediately. But He knows best. He knows what we need the most. He promises and He cannot break a promise to provide our every need (Phil. 4:19) in Christ.
Therefore, when the answer does not come right away, we should not grow discouraged, give up or lose faith. If we KNOW what we ask is right and good, then we should continue praying, faithfully, fervently, persistently until God DOES give us the answer!
If what we ask is good and is according to God's will as revealed in His Word, then we can have complete CONFIDENCE that the answer is on its way! As the Apostle John wrote, "And this is the CONFIDENCE that we have in him, that, if we ask anything ACCORDING TO HIS WILL, he heareth us: and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him" (I John 5:14-15).
Pray With POWER!
You can pray with power. Your prayers can get remits! Through your prayers, MIRACLES can be accomplished for the Work of God! Your prayers may influence countless thousands to hear The WORLD TOMORROW broadcast, to read The PLAIN TRUTH, to study, TOMORROW'S WORLD and to write for the Ambassador College Correspondence Course. Your prayers may lead thousands to become Coworkers together with us in this great end time Work! Your powerful, persistent, humble, FERVENT prayers can WORK MIRACLES!
Jesus Christ said, "I can of mine own self do nothing" (John 5: 30), but He added, ". . . the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works" (John 14:10). Christ went on, "Truly, truly I tell you, he who believes in me will do the very deeds I do, and STILL GREATER DEEDS than these. For I am going to the Father, and I will do whatever you ask in my name, that the Father may be glorified in the Son: I will do whatever you ask me in my name" (John 14:12-14, Moffatt).
Jesus meant what He said. Is He working through YOU, as His instrument? Is He performing His same great Work through you through your prayers on the behalf of His Work?
Are you holding up your part in the great Commission God has given us, today?
What You Can Do
When ancient Israel came out of Egypt, they were attacked by fierce Amalekites. Moses sent troops under Joshua to fight the enemy raiders. Meanwhile, Moses climbed to the top of a promontory overlooking the scene of battle, carrying the rod of God in his hands.
"Whenever Moses raised his hand, then Israel won, whenever he lowered his hand, then Amalek won.
"As the hands of Moses grew tired, they put a stone below him, on which he sat; Aaron and Hur held his hands tip, one on one side and the other on the other side, so that his hands remained steady till sunset, while Joshua laid Amalek low, giving no quarter" (Ex. 17:11-13, Moffatt).
This example was written for us! Are you holding up the hands of God's servants today, in your fervent, powerful, earnest, zealous PRAYERS?
Are you doing your part in prayer and personal dedication and sacrifice?
Are you praying faithfully for God's servants around the world His ministers, writers, researchers, and all those fulltime in His great Work?
Are you praying for those who publish, print, and mail The PLAIN TRUTH and TOMORROW'S WORLD?
Do you pray that God will send more Coworkers into His great Work so we can accomplish fully the great Commission God has given us? Do you pray for more laborers, more helpers, more called and dedicated servants?
Do you pray that God will give us peace so we can do His Work unhindered and unhampered? Do you pray for world leaders, so they will make decisions which will benefit the Work of the living God?
Your prayers yes, yours can accomplish MIRACLES! They can have tremendous impact. They can have enormous effect for good.
But it is up to you. It depends on you your obedience, your faith, your humility, your zeal and earnestness, and your dogged perseverance!
Make your prayers count! God's Work is waiting and depending on you!