Praying Through

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people." Ephesians 6:18 (NIV)

 

 

"James O. Frasier, of the China Inland Mission, was one of those choice servants of God who was content to labor in almost total obscurity. This gifted man was a preacher, linguist, musical genius and engineer. He came to the Yunnan Province of China in 1910 with a heart longing for the souls of the forgotten Lisu tribal people. His success was not the result of his impressive talents or giant intellect. Mr. Frasier succeeded where others often fail, because he had learned how to touch God through prayer. To our shame, some of the most basic spiritual disciplines of our godly forefathers have become strange and unfamiliar to many of us. One of the most effective weapons of the praying saints of old was the discipline of, "praying through." J. O. Frasier both encouraged and practiced this powerful reality. Upon this subject Mr. Frasier writes, "We must be prepared for serious warfare, 'and having done all, to stand,' we must fight through, and then stand victorious on the battlefield. Is not this another secret of many unanswered prayers, that they are not fought through? If the result is not seen as soon as expected, Christians are apt to lose heart, and if it is still longer delayed, to abandon it altogether. You know the name they give to places in England when the building (or whatever it is) is abandoned, when only half of it is completed - So and so's 'Folly'. I wonder whether some of our prayers do not deserve the same stigma. Luke 14: 28-30 applies to prayers as well as towers. We must count the cost before praying the prayer of faith. We must be willing to pay the price. We must mean business. We must set ourselves to 'see things through' (Eph. 6:18, 'In all perseverance')."

 

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From Awake and Go Global Prayer Network, biography of James O. Fraser. Written by David Smithers.

How Should We Live--Part Two

"Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control. Philippians 3:17-21 ( NLT)

 

Are we patterning our lives after Paul and others who have exhibited godly character? This is how Paul describes an enemy of the cross of Christ--their appetite is their god, they brag about things they should be ashamed of, and they only think of this life on earth.

 

Are you living for Christ's return or living as an enemy of the cross?

How Should We Live?

"But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat."

 

"But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him." 2 Peter 3:10-14 (NIV)

 

"Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position."

"But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen." 2 Peter 3:17-18 (NIV)

The Blessed Hope

"For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for "the blessed hope"—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ..." Titus 2:11-13 (NIV)

 

Jesus is coming back to earth to set up His kingdom. This was the longing, the passion, the hope of the early Christians. Just before His crucifixion, His disciples asked Him, "Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming and of the end of the world?" (Matthew 24:3) Jesus had prepared them to look for His return and they wanted to know the details! In the Epistles, the churches are continually reminded how they should live in light of Christ's return. The Christians of the first century lived as if He could return at any moment, and eagerly desired to see it!

 

This is the "blessed hope"--Christ's return to rule and reign over His kingdom. What was once the most eagerly looked-for event in the Church is barely mentioned today. That is shameful. Not only are we to expect Christ's return and look for it--we are to "live ready" as one author put it. That means turning our back on the world and all that it offers, and living godly lives while we wait.

Desperation or Desolation?

"When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people..." 2Chronicles 7:13 (NIV)

This is the verse that precedes "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

What can we learn from that verse? It tells me that God has to go to great extremes to get our attention. If you look at America and much of the world today, Biblical values are systematically being removed from society. The Church cries "foul" but takes no action. We experience "natural disasters" at an alarming rate, but no one dares to say that God is trying to get our attention. So--God has to turn up the heat a notch--what will be next?

Someone from Uganda once said the Christians there had to choose between desolation or desperation. God is bringing pain to cause us to be desperate for Him. Are we going to sit back and watch as desolation overtakes us or will we become desperate and cry out to God for revival?

Doing it God's Way

"He must increase, but I [must] decrease." John 3:30 (KJV)

 

Revival is a God-event--it is His presence, His power that saves souls and transforms communities, not an eloquent sermon or a persuasive altar call. It seems to me that man's only roll in revival is to pray and get out of the way! God puts the burden on people to pray, and it may be only a handful of people whose hearts are pure and whose hands are clean. They are people of great faith--they believe they have a promise from God and that He can do nothing less than keep that promise.

 

Unlike an evangelistic outreach in which some souls may be saved but the community remains unchanged, revival turns the whole community upside down. People are suddenly aware of God's presence and His holiness--they no longer pursue their sinful desires, but cry out to God for forgiveness and mercy. Bars close, gambling ceases, the police are hard-pressed to find anyone to arrest. The presence of God is so powerful that people do not need to hear a sermon to be saved, no invitation to receive Christ is necessary. Man's role is very small in true revival--that way, God gets all the glory!

The Prayer of Faith

"For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground:". Isaiah 44:3 (KJV)

 

Once again, we see that God is faithful to answer the prayer of faith. The men praying for revival on the Isle of Lewis believed they had received a promise from God--that He would "pour water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground...". They simply believed God--that He would do exactly what He said He would do. They prayed boldly, telling God that His honor was at stake. And God responded.

 

He will do no less for us today. He is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. God says, "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." (2Chronicles 7:14). If His people do their part then, as a covenant-keeping God, He is bound to keep His part of the bargain. Believe it!

Lessons Learned

"He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart...He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation." Psalm 24:4-5 (KJV)

 

So what can we learn from the Hebrides revival? The first thing that comes to mind is that it isn't the number of people praying for revival that impresses God--it's the quality. God responded to the prayers of two elderly sisters and a handful of men who were desperate to see God move in their community. They were willing to spend extended periods of time on their faces before God, with no thought of their own comfort or lack of sleep. I have to ask myself--am I willing to pray like these people prayed?

 

After praying for about five weeks with no results, it finally came down to this: one man stood up and read from Psalm 24, "Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart..." (Psalm 24:3-4) This was the key that opened the door to revival--"Search me, O God".