06/01/2024
This morning I am writing on the topic of wrestling in prayer. We will be contemplating what E.M. Bounds describes as that "inward force or ability planted and inspired by the Holy Spirit" or "the intercession of the Spirit of God in us." Sometimes we yield to the Spirit quite easily, but at others it seems that our pride wrestles with Him for control over our problems, and prayers.
It amazes me how often we will deny God’s gifts, and assume, or claim for ourselves, those things He has given to us. The ability to pray, and to pray fervently, is such a gift of God, it is Him supplying us with the highway along which we can walk together and the avenue by which He instructs and cares for us. Prayer is a pathway between our physical world and being, and the divine presence of God in heaven. We receive instruction in its use throughout the Bible, and regardless of what our mind tells us, it is not a bridge we have constructed with our own hands… it is truly a gift. We can’t enter into prayer alone, it is a conversation and requires God’s presence, and participation, but once the conversation begins it is powerful indeed. .
“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
James 5:16 KJV
As children, and children in Christ, we pray as children; the Holy Spirit is yet to enter us with the instruction for fervent prayer, but as we struggle to deepen our relationship with the Holy Father then the gift of the Spirit flows fully into us and our prayers become rich and guided by His presence; we come of age.
Pastor E.M. Bounds speaks of this growth when he writes "The divine Spirit supplies us with the energy of His own determination." The pastor is acknowledging the source of prayer itself, and it's progression as our faith increases. Once again we are hearing that prayer doesn't come solely from ourselves but rather is the gift of God established within us. Our words spoken are through his instrument. Our desire for Him is expressed in a manner which He has provided for that purpose.
Faith is based in the acknowledgement of God (belief); prayer is our conversation with Him. Most of the time our prayerful exchange is easy, but occasionally our desires and troubles require a fervency that is fueled by suffering and His Spirit must intercede for us, even as we do for others. Our own spirit becomes intertwined with His as it traverses this highway between man and God, and we feel His presence mightily. Some think that moments of such great intercourse between ourselves and God are like an explosion, but that isn't necessarily the case. Sometimes the intercession of God comes as an implosion, or a traumatic, yet quiet event within ourselves. Bounds also recognized this and tried to describe it for us in this way...
"The wrestling in prayer is not loud, but firm and urgent. When there are no visible outlets for its mighty forces, it may be silent."
When we are singing in a choir we project our voices for all to hear, but when we are walking along a wooded lane our voices are quiet so not to disturb the solitude of the moment. Prayer is like that. Sometimes God speaks boldly to us, and through us, but most of the time it is a small still voice, or no voice at all. It is like standing in a heartfelt embrace with nary a word spoken.
I read an interview with Mother Teresa in which the interviewer asked her...
"When you pray, what do you say to God?"
She responded:
"I don't talk, I simply listen."
The interviewer prodded her further:
"Ah, then what is it that God says to you when you pray?"
She responded again:
"He also doesn't talk. He also simply listens."
If there is anything I have learned in 48 years of marriage it is that our most meaningful conversations are had without words. I have also found this to be true in prayer. Heart to heart, God speaks to us, and we to Him; these are the most intense, profound, and fervent of all conversations.
This morning as you are wrestling with your life and entering desperately into prayer… STOP… take a deep breath, and be still. Let God speak to you in the silence between your hearts and in so doing let your hearts become one. This is the peace of God that we struggle so mightily to find, and yet it is right there for us, if we will only listen to the silence.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the gift of prayer, and every quiet moment in which you speak so profoundly and lovingly to us. Thank you for your small still voice that calms the chaos and turmoil of our lives, and for the silent walks we take together in which our hearts become one, and we see the world as it is; not so frightening. Thank you Lord for calming the wind and raging seas that have been buffeting us without your having said a word, or making a gesture. You bring peace and comfort to our spirits by stilling our beating hearts, and allowing us to feel the calm within you. Help us Father as we wrestle and struggle in the battle against our troubles, and attempt to wrest control of the moment from your hand. Help us to trust you enough that we can still our beating hearts, and ease our laboring breath. Help us Holy Father to be still and know that you are God, and to stop trying to assume your role in creation. Open our eyes for a moment to see that all is well within your embrace, and then teach us to close them again and to trust you completely. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who was, and is, and is to come. Holy are you who made the wind, and who has been stilling the storms, stills them now, and will still them forevermore. There is nothing beyond your control, and in this we find rest and peace forevermore. In prayer we are comforted, and in the silence between our hearts we find rest in you. This is who you are. You are He who restores us to the calm of Eden, and our hearts to the rhythm of yours. It is with you that we desire to walk as Adam once walked and listen to the calm of eternity as you breathe life into it. Help us to reach this moment in prayer Abba, and to stop wrestling and shouting into the wind when all that is needed is for us to trust as we lean into your arms. In this we way we will give you our desperation, our heartaches, our every care, and in this we will also give you ourselves, and the glory within this quiet moment of prayer.
Amen!
“"Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah”
Psalm 46:10-11 ESV
Rich Forbes