By Soli Deo Gloria
Spiritual Vindication
praying until the burden is gone
praying until the burden is gone
Well you knew it was coming, eventually I would be back talking about prayer. This installment though is a little different in that I'm trying to give you a different reason to pray. Not because you should, (and you should) not because it will build a better relationship with God. None of that is the motivation of this blog. This blog addresses suggest that you pray because… well if I tell you, you wouldn’t read the blog would you? Let us get started.
Prayer for me was very difficult at first; now I pray even when I have no idea what to pray about, I pray. (Romans 8:26 ) But it was not always that way. I had to study to show my approved to God. I had to learn how to pray and nothing has been more enlightening than Matthew 26:36-46 ( in blue below) in this prayer I found not just how to pray but some of the power that came with prayer. Let’s go over it for a moment and see.
Matthew 26:36-46 (KJV) Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.
And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.
And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.
And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.
And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.
Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.
In the above verse we see that Jesus prayed three times in the garden of Gethsemane at which time, when his prayers were heard he stopped praying. Now this does not mean that we should pray to God three times and stop but it teaches us that we should pray until we know God has heard our prayer.
I once heard a minister say that he prays until he gets a stop from God, a feeling from God that his prayer has been heard. Sometimes that stop take only a moment, sometimes it takes years to get that stop. But each time he gets that stop, he knows God has answered his prayers
I once heard a minister say that he prays until he gets a stop from God, a feeling from God that his prayer has been heard. Sometimes that stop take only a moment, sometimes it takes years to get that stop. But each time he gets that stop, he knows God has answered his prayers
2 Corinthians 12:8 "I besought the Lord trice that it might depart form me"
What is being given to us here is the instruction that we should pray until we are confidence in what God's will is concerning the situation for which we are praying. We should pray until the burden of the situation has been removed!
In his book "Powerful According to God" Watchman Nee suggest that even in prayer meeting (corporate prayer) we pray one for the same thing until all are confident in God's will concerning a particular thing.
Let's assume for clarity of subject that Sister Jones is sick, we should not assume that since one member has already prayed for Sister Jones that there is no need to pray for her yourself. Sometimes we say within ourselves that since Brother Smith has prayed and I am in agreement with him there is no need for me to likewise pray for her. But it is very important to understand that there most be a contrite heart in prayer and it is that burden (need that only God and fulfill) that is on your heart that brought you to prayer in the first place. (See my blog concerning prayer to tears.) This being so we pray until we have released that burden which brought us to prayer. In this case our compassion for Sister Jones' health, and then we can say confidently that God has heard our prayer.
Let’s think on the judge which is sought by the widow to avenger her against her enemy Luke 18:1 Why does he avenger her? Was it for justice, or for her righteousness? No the judge says to himself I will avenger lest she wears me out from continual coming.
There is real power in this parable in that it gives perfect instructions in our to pray for answers. You see when that Judge said to the women "I will avenge you" her burden was removed. She no longer had to come to the judge for that problem with her enemy. The judge had removed the burden of getting what was rightfully her possessions.
In Luke 18:7 Jesus says "…and shall not God avenge his elect that cry to him day and night"? This is instruction to pray continually, because in that we are accusing our enemy before God (I'm going to use this word again) continually! And we must take this mindset because you can believe that the enemy is before God continually to accuse us of our transgressions.
Revelation 12:10 (KJV) And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night
When we come before God concerning our circumstances we are exercising spiritual vindication for all that the devil does to us. Therefore as the devil accusess us before God so must we seek vindication against him before our heavenly Father. And it cant be a single prayer and never thought of again, we must make our argument befor the judge of the universe against our enemy until God avenges us for what satan has done.
Therefore oppose the devil before God , with prayer and supplication until God says to you I will avenge you for what the enemy has done. Pray until you are confident that God has heard you and all your worry will be gone. So that when the Judge of the universe has spoke to you , you can be confident of the victory that is to come.
Therefore oppose the devil before God , with prayer and supplication until God says to you I will avenge you for what the enemy has done. Pray until you are confident that God has heard you and all your worry will be gone. So that when the Judge of the universe has spoke to you , you can be confident of the victory that is to come.
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