09/14/2023
How do you know when you have been in fervent prayer? Is it when you end your sentence with Amen, or is it when you unfold your hands, open your eyes, or get up off your knees? Those can all be indications of having prayed, but the real give away regarding fervent prayer is your heart; when the fingers of your soul begrudgingly let go of the hand of God as you return to your body... and language serves you once more.
Fervent prayer takes us out of this world to speak with the Lord in a place very near heaven; it is facilitated by the Holy Spirit and frees our spirit to speak in languages foreign to our conscious selves... but very familiar to it. This is a spiritual language of grunts, moans, strange uttering and sometimes unknown tongues.
“For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit.”
1 Corinthians 14:2 ESV
And Isaiah prophesied that this would happen, and that prophesy would come in this manner...
“For by people of strange lips and with a foreign tongue the Lord will speak to this people,”
Isaiah 28:11 ESV
Have you ever been lost in prayer and heard yourself moaning or making some strange utterance as if from somewhere far away? Have you been communicating a thought and the words of language begin to fail you so you hear a sound emanating from deep within you? Your very spirit begins to speak in something akin to pure emotion... in a language beyond our mind's understanding... in the dialect of the heart.
“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
Romans 8:26-27 ESV
Then there are those who speak in foreign languages during fervent prayer. At the height of being lost in prayer their spirits erupt in languages not their own. This edifies them, and links their own spirits with the Holy Ghost, but without interpretation serves only themselves; other than to the wonder and amazement of those who hear it. So, in the presence of others, your prayers, even fervent prayers, should be such that others can say Amen to them... to join you in claiming them. Prayers in tongues need be translated for the edification of the church body.
“What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say "Amen" to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying?”
1 Corinthians 14:15-16 ESV
Saying Amen to another's prayer is a powerful act; it allows someone other than he who has prayed to claim joint ownership of that prayer, and to jointly share in the blessings that come of it. So praying before others should be in a manner that they can understand, lest we rob them of the blessing of Amen.
In the secrecy and solitude of our prayer closets there is no need for interpretation, our utterances and tongues come from within ourselves and our hearts feel their meaning, but even so, the Holy Spirit will often translate so that our minds can understand our hearts fully.
Words, utterances, and foreign tongues are all valid outpourings during fervent prayer. Sometimes it is prayed in words alone, sometimes in words and strange utterances, and at other times our deepest prayers are joined in foreign tongues as the spirit speaks... But, however they are prayed, the fervent prayer leaves us spent and longing to remain in that place with the Lord a bit longer than we are able.
Jesus prayed fervently in such manner. He struggled and fought within Himself to remain in the presence of God and brought Himself to a physical brink in so doing...
“And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. And he said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch."”
Mark 14:33-34 ESV
Then in this time of fervent prayer He pressed His physical body to the point of failing...
“And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
Luke 22:43-44 ESV
Seldom does anyone reach such a point in prayer, nor are they expected to. Jesus was on the verge of yielding His life to the will of God, not for Himself, but for you and I. He was reconciling Himself with the very will of God for all mankind. This was the moment where He faced sin and death for us.
So as we pray fervently, we will know it. We will cross a boundary between our common prayers and a prayer that lifts us up beyond this world. We will be pressing a point with God that goes beyond a simple request to being beseeched. It is physically and spiritually demanding and yet brings us so close to the glory of God that we might not want to return. It is as if the very fingers of our soul are being begrudgingly pried from the hand of God. It is letting go of our grasp and trusting in God's promise regarding our prayer.
Prayer:
Father I thank you for prayer, and for opening the very door of heaven as we do so. I thank you for allowing us to approach you as we seek to petition you fervently for our profound needs. Holy Father you speak to our very spirit and soul as we reach out to you in groans and utterances that only you and the host of heaven itself can understand. I pray that as I beseech you, and humble myself at your feet, that you will have mercy on me and favor upon the petition which I bring before you. As I pray, reach your hand to me Father, and let my fingers intertwine with your own... as a child with a parent. Lift me up, and let me feel your presence as I beg my case before you, and seek your will in regard to my desires. Then, when my body is spent and I can pray no longer, give me your rest, and gently return me with your peace. Let my understanding of your will comfort me. Let my tears be dried and my resolve be set as I have placed my faith fully in your will.
Rich Forbes