Sarah

“Out of the acknowledgement of your barrenness in effective prayer, will I give you power for intercession.”

In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: He heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.
Ps.18:6

Some time ago I had an experience with the Lord in regard to my prayer life. It began quite late one Friday evening during a night watch of intercession. During one of our prayer times, I heard the voice of the Lord say to me, “My children don’t cry.” With that simple phrase playing over and over in my mind, the Lord began to lead me down one of the most spiritually impacting roads that I had ever traveled up to that time in my walk of faith with the heavenly Father.

From that clear word, I began to dialogue with the Lord there in that little “upper room.”. The following account of that exchange with the Lord is not meant to be a verbatim recollection of that communication, but it does represent the main ingredients of His sharing with me. More importantly,
it represents the fruit produced in me since that time.

I responded to the Lord, “That seems like such a strange word coming from You,” because of course Christians have and do cry I thought to myself. His reply went something like this, “You say that because you do not cry either, nor do you understand what it means to ‘CRY UNTO YOUR GOD’” Then He said
something to me that went like this: “Go look in my Word, and learn what cry, crying,and cried mean in the context of my relationship to my children.”

From that point, I began seeking and searching His word for the scriptural/spiritual examples, definitions, and applications of those terms. I want to share some of those key elements that I gleaned from that search, and the revelation I believe the Spirit of God gave to me through this experience. My desire to share this comes from a hope that others may be enabled to draw closer to God, and increase their effectiveness in prayer by applying some of these same principles to their own prayer lives.
(pg.1)

Up unto this point in my life, I did not honestly believe my prayers had really “availed” all that much. The Lord’s written Word declares that, “the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (Jm.5:16). Because I genuinely wanted my prayers to be like that, I began scrutinizing every aspect of my petitions to try and discover why they were not doing so. In this portion of scripture, the addition of the words “effectual” and “fervent”(NKJV)preceding the word prayer had never truly stood out to me all that much. Now however, they were standing out as if they were written in neon lights. I knew the Lord was responding to the earnestness of my desire in this regard.

As a side-note, I want you to know that while I am no Koine Greek scholar, I was formally schooled in it for a couple of years at a university. Had I received any more schooling in that language, it would not change what
I am about to say concerning what my heavenly Father taught me about the term “effectual fervent” and its application in my life. I believe in the study of the languages that were used at the time that the Biblical narrative was taking place, and I believe that they are valid and needful. I do not however believe it takes that level of knowledge to understand what or why our heavenly Father is trying to communicate to us via the English translations. Having said that, I want to point out that my understanding of the Greek term used for both effectual and fervent is that they are the same word (phonetically pronounced en-er-ge’-o), and that it is the word from which we derive our English word energy. It speaks of something possessing true active power. I came to recognize that while I truly desired my prayers to have that quality, I could not say with any real assurance that they had up to that point. Of course I had applied what I’d been taught concerning the scriptural tenants of prayer…you know, pray with faith, believing God hears you, according to His will, not regarding sin in my life etc., etc.. Yet, after all that, I knew something was missing, and I felt a constraining need to go deeper in order to…”know that I knew.”

Then, out of that kind of hunger (THAT IS CRITICAL), the Spirit of God revealed something significant to me about the kind of praying He wanted to hear, and the kind of prayer that He wanted to answer. There is a quality of prayer that He is looking for from us that moves Him to respond. As I became honest with myself, I had to admit that fervency in prayer was something that I truly didn’t understand and rarely even attempted to attain. While I was still forming a picture of what that kind of praying might look like to God, I was given another piece of this revelatory puzzle. I was reminded of an old tract on prayer that a friend had given me. It contained an exhortation from Leonard Ravenhill. He had made some statement to the affect that until we learned how to travail in prayer like Hannah, we would never prevail in prayer with God. That had really angered me, because I felt that the kind of prayer Hannah had made was only that which comes from someone in a severely destitute state of mind. That may be true, and it may be that we in this culture are really in that state, but our affluence has deceived us into believing things really aren’t so bad. I’m not too sure about all that, but I do know that I was certain that I did not need to pray that way in order for God to hear me. The more I tried to get that tract out of my mind, the stronger it was replayed in my thoughts. What I could not get out of my thinking was Hannah’s testimony:

I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him.
I Sam.1:27

The Lord spoke to me again. He showed me that Hannah’s prayer at the temple (I Sam.1:9-15) was effectual fervent praying, even though there was no sound heard from her mouth:

Now Hannah, she spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: Therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. I Sam.1:13
(pg2)

So, from that short visit with the Lord, I came to understand that at the core of this “crying to God” principle, there is an issue dependent upon the intensity and earnestness of the heart, not necessarily the decibel level of our prayers.

Just about the time that I felt like I was beginning to get a grasp on that which the Lord was attempting to communicate to me, yet another aspect of Hannah’s experience was emphasized to me. Even though there was no audible expression from Hannah, I could not help wondering what it was about the physical expression of this woman who was in silent, effectual, fervent prayer that caused Eli to suppose that Hannah was drunk?
Even though there was no audible sign of the degree of intensity of her prayer, there certainly must have been a very dramatic physical demonstration of her pleading with God! The longer I live in this Christian life, the more I recognize the great dilemma we can find ourselves in when another brother or sister adds physical expression to their worship unto God. Once that expression goes beyond our experience or that which we approve of, we are left with either of two responses. We will either find ourselves praying for the Lord’s discernment and mercy for those involved in the matter, or we find the Lord using the experience to offend our minds in order that our critical hearts might be exposed.

The dictionary defines fervent as that which is “exhibiting or marked by great intensity of feeling.” As all of this insight was being downloaded into my heart I wondered how I could have been a Christian, who for over twenty years regularly spent time in the Word of God, believed it to be inerrant, read multitudes of passages that spoke of this “crying out to God,” yet never recognized its significance, or its true meaning! As I began
to search it out, I was literally shocked. I found its reference laced like a looped tape message repeated over and over again all through the scripture!

So while I am not at all saying that silent, quiet, calm payers are not called for at times or valid, I am saying that there is another kind of praying which is just as valid, and for times like the days in which we live…even more needed. Yet this other kind of praying has been largely disregarded by much of the body of Christ today. WHY??? I believe tt has to do with the look and/or sound of intensity. And my brothers and sisters, I would respectfully submit to you that when out of our deeply intimate relationship with the Father, we touch the face of God, the passion of His heart in you will surely at some point in time come out of you with a physical as well as mental response. This aspect of prayer became for me the basis of a new revelation, and a new depth of relationship with my heavenly Father. For me, this has also become “a cry” to the Father for His sweet bride. It is because of that, and the belief that this world is now entering an unprecedented time of turmoil, that I am begging you to consider what I am sharing, and examine where your prayer life is in regard to it.

…who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications,with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear… Heb. 5:7
(pg.3)

The Hebrew… “CRY” from:Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, #1993)
CRY: hamah {haw-maw’} A primitive root [compare to #01949]; TWOT – ; v
AV – roar, noise, disquieted , sound , troubled , aloud , loud ‘clamorous , concourse , mourning , moved , raged , raging , tumult , tumultuous, uproar;

1) To murmur, growl, roar, cry aloud, mourn, rage, sound, make noise,tumult, be clamorous, be disquieted, be loud, be moved, be troubled,be in an uproar.

Th e Koine Greek… “CRY” (from:Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, #2896)
CRY: krazo {krad’-zo} A primary word; TDNT – 3:898,465; v AV – cry, cry out

1) To croak 1a) of the cry of a raven 1b) hence, to cry out, cry aloud, vociferate 1c) to cry or pray for vengeance 2) to cry 2a) cry out aloud, speak with a loud voice

Volume may not be centerpiece to what I believe the Lord was trying to show me, however, like the “shout to the Lord,” it does have a place in this revelation. And that is so because His Word gives it a place. God is at the same time love, and a consuming fire. The difference is a matter of context and time. There is most certainly a time to be reverently silent in the presence of the Father. And yet my friends, there is equally a time when…“with my voice, I will cry ou to my God!” .

Parents (especially Moms) learn that when they hear their babies cry, there is more than one kind of response that they need to make in order to care for the child’s needs. One kind of crying says, “I wasn’t done playing, now let me out of this crib, or I’ll cry all night!”. We may or may not be too terribly concerned about jumping to our feet and rushing to the side of the little darling in that situation. But, there is yet another kind of crying that loving concerned mothers are more sensitive to giving quick response. And my friend, when they hear that cry come forth from the mouth of their precious little one, you better hope you are not between them and that child! That cry says, “Mommy please help me quick, cause my neck is caught between the rails on the bed.” Only the intimate knowledge of a loving parent knows the difference between those cries. So it is with our heavenly Father. He alone knows the difference between the kind of prayers coming from an indulged complacent heart, and one that has become desperate.

If and when we will recognize our true level of need in this life, we will in turn recognize our need to cry out to God. When that happens, I believe the Lord will respond to you with the same heart of compassion that the mother has for the trapped little one mentioned above. If and when the church corporate will become “DESPERATE” for God, you can be absolutely assured that He will respond in kind. For some, this kind of demonstration reflects a lack of faith, trust, and/or peace with God, which is why these words are difficult for them to entreat. According to His word:

To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:
Ecc. 3:1

Des•per•ate: (Function: adjective)(From Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

1 a : Having lost hope (a desperate spirit crying for relief) b : Giving no ground for hope (the outlook was desperate)
2 a : Moved by despair (victims made desperate by abuse) b : Involving or employing extreme measures in an attempt to escape defeat or frustration (made a desperate leap for the rope)
3 : Suffering extreme need or anxiety (desperate for money) 4 :I involving extreme danger or possible disaster (a desperate situation) 5 : Of extreme intensity 6 : SHOCKING, OUTRAGEOUS

And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you,and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him. For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: You shall weep no more: he will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee.
Isa. 30:18,19

As I began attempting to put into practice what I was learning from the Lord, I was amazed at the results. Not so much the results that I was expecting, but other results that were being produced in the prayer lives of those around me who were also taking hold of these principles. While if I am honest, I must admit that I have not received the amount of answers that I supposed I would have…yet. I can say that the Lord has responded, and that my faith now says there will be more, and I KNOW THAT I KNOW…I HAVE BEEN HEARD!!!
(pg.4)

What I have found most confusing throughout this experience has been the various reactions from my brothers and sisters in the church. For the quiet spirited ones…great offense and embarrassment; For the boisterous loud ones, great license and opportunity for abuse; For the seeker…wonderment, and a new place in God. May I say to you by way of revelation…godly boldness is not the enemy of humility. I have also learned this: As when blind Bartimeus “cried out” to Jesus for help, there were those nearby who: “charged him that he should hold his peace.” These included some of the disciples of our Lord.

And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee. And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt
thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way. Mk.10:46-52

Dear brothers and Sisters, do not be surprised if after you make a decision to embrace this quality of praying for your life that some of your strongest critics will be those closest to you spiritually. Even so, God’s word says that it was Bartimaeus’s “cry” that made it through to the ears of the Lord, and His response was to grant him his request. Can you see the principle at work here in this example? If I say to you that you should “cry out to God” in believing prayer, you may believe it is just my extroverted personality wanting to express itself. But if His word says you should “cry out to God” in prayer, then what does my personality, character, or your comfort level have to do with the obeying of it all?

As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.
Ps.55:16,17

(pg.6 End)