Let delay and denial increase our prayers

'We have need, too, to give thought to that mysterious fact of prayer -- the certainty that there will be delays, denials, and seeming failures, in connection with its exercise. Weare to prepare for these, to brook them, and cease not in our urgent praying. Like a brave soldier, who, as the conflict grows sterner, exhibits a superior courage than in the earlier stages of the battle; so does the praying Christian, when delay and denial face him, increase his earnest asking, and ceases not until prayer prevail. Moses furnishes an illustrious example of importunity in prayer. Instead of allowing his nearness to God and his intimacy with Him to dispense with the necessity for importunity, he regards them as the better fitting him for its exercise. When Israel set up the golden calf, the wrath of God waxed fierce against them, and Jehovah, bent on executing justice, said to Moses when divulging what He purposed doing, "Let Me alone!" But Moses would not let Him alone. He threw himself down before the Lord in an agony of intercession in behalf of the sinning Israelites, and for forty days and nights, fasted and prayed. What a season of importunate prayer was that!'

Quoted from- 'THE NECESSITY OF PRAYER  By E.M. BOUNDS' (Excerpt 37)

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Deu_9:25  Thus I fell down before the LORD forty days and forty nights, as I fell down at the first; because the LORD had said he would destroy you. Deu 9:26  I prayed therefore unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, destroy not thy people and thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed through thy greatness, which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Deu 9:27  Remember thy servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; look not unto the stubbornness of this people, nor to their wickedness, nor to their sin: Deu 9:28  Lest the land whence thou broughtest us out say, Because the LORD was not able to bring them into the land which he promised them, and because he hated them, he hath brought them out to slay them in the wilderness. Deu 9:29  Yet they are thy people and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest out by thy mighty power and by thy stretched out arm. 

Deu_10:10  And I stayed in the mount, according to the first time, forty days and forty nights; and the LORD hearkened unto me at that time also, and the LORD would not destroy thee

Truth!

Forty days and forty nights Moses fell down before the Lord because he didn't want the people of Israel destroyed.  We talk about instant answers, instant satisfaction, instant acknowledgement, and yet men of God- CHOSEN by God- found themselves in importunate prayer that was anything but instantly response to.  They prayed desperate prayers. They prayed LONG prayers. They lived in prayer as they sought the Lord's help, the Lord's favor, the Lord's mercy.  As they prayed they KNEW the LORD loved them and only wanted what was best, never ever refusing to answer their prayers, He always heard and they knew He did and His responses were given out of LOVE.

May WE pray this way! May we look to our examples in God's word.

All by HIS LOVE!

Prayer must be- pressed, pursued, and persistent

'The imperative necessity of importunate prayer is plainly set forth in the Word of God,
and needs to be stated and re-stated today. We are apt to overlook this vital truth. Love
of ease, spiritual indolence, religious slothfulness, all operate against this type of
petitioning. Our praying, however, needs to be pressed and pursued with an energy
that never tires, a persistency which will not be denied, and a courage which never fails.'

Quoted from- 'THE NECESSITY OF PRAYER  By E.M. BOUNDS' (Excerpt 36)

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Eph 6:18  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints

Spiritual laziness.

We grow spiritually lazy don't we? We like it better the easier things are. We are taught that the easier things are the better. We are told to take shortcuts to get to the end goal as long as they are good shortcuts. If we have something to do the faster, the easier, the better it is. To tell someone that something was easy -is a good thing, they're happy to hear it was easy.  We don't want things to be hard, we despise the hard things. Yet some of the best things take a lot of long, hard work.  When we pray- we can't take the easy way of it! We can't look for the fastest route to prayer. We can't pick the shortest prayer and say it as fast as we possibly can and expect that to be true prayer!

Truly our praying does need to be "PRESSED and PURSUED with an energy that never tires."  with "a PERSISTENCY which will NOT be denied." As well as with "a COURAGE which NEVER fails."

Do you pray this way?! Should you pray this way?!  With passion? With depth? With heart?  Yes! We must, we must understand that our prayer is something amazing, not something to be taken for granted, not something to be taken lightly, not something we ignore.  Prayer is something so incredibly special, so incredibly important that we have to take it seriously, a lot more seriously that Satan ever wants us to.

Please, Heavenly Father, please bless us! Open our hearts to You, teach us to pray with a faith unwavering. Teach us to pray to You as You would have us pray. Please, all by YOUR grace! Help us be Yours as we need to be Yours. All in YOUR LOVE!

Persistent Faith- Prayer

'Faith has its province, in connection with prayer, and, of course, has its inseparable
association with importunity. But the latter quality drives the prayer to the believing
point. A persistent spirit brings a man to the place where faith takes hold, claims and
appropriates the blessing.'

Quoted from- 'THE NECESSITY OF PRAYER  By E.M. BOUNDS' (Excerpt 35)

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Luk_21:19  In your patience possess ye your souls.

It takes patience to pray.

Eph_6:18  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints

Faith takes hold...faith- believing. We should never pray unless we believe and if we lack belief we must pray for faith to believe. Truly, we must! It sounds contradictory, but it's the truth.  Sometimes you have to do the very thing you're unsure of doing, and in doing it you become sure.  Praying is necessary to a spiritual life. If you are God's you are spiritual. If you are spiritual your spirit feeds on prayer.  As babies first drink milk, not capable of chewing or swallowing solids, we have to drink the milk of prayer. That drink of prayer may be tentative and unsure, but if we continue to grow by continuing to drink we will move on to solid foods, we will move on to strength in our prayers. The faith we have to believe will come, we must never stop praying, always hoping, always believing.  Faith does have it's place in prayer, a place that makes prayer work.

Heb_11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Persistently praying, praying importunately from the heart, through sincerity of spirit is something we MUST do!

Believing, praying.  We must, we have to, we can't ever believe we have no need of prayer in our lives, not ever!  Not when our Savior placed such importance upon praying. It is clearly something we HAVE to practice, until it is a part of our life as much a part as breathing.

By HIS grace, HIS love!

Prayer- intensity, perseverance, patience and persistence

Importunate- (Dictionary Definition)

1  troublesomely urgent :  overly persistent in request or demand
2  troublesome

Importunity- acting importunate.

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'Importunity is made up of intensity, perseverance, patience and persistence. The seeming delay in answering prayer is the ground and the demand of importunity.

In the first recorded instance of a miracle being wrought upon one who was blind, as given by Matthew, we have an illustration of the way in which our Lord appeared not to hearken at once to those who sought Him. But the two blind men continue their crying, and follow Him with their continual petition, saying, "Thou Son of David, have mercy on us." But He answered them not, and passed into the house. Yet the needy ones followed Him, and, finally, gained their eyesight and their plea.

(((Mat 9:27  And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.
Mat 9:28  And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.
Mat 9:29  Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.))))

The case of blind Bartimaeus is a notable one in many ways. Especially is it remarkable for the show of persistence which this blind man exhibited in appealing to our Lord. If it be -- as it seems -- that his first crying was done as Jesus entered into Jericho, and that he continued it until Jesus came out of the place, it is all the stronger an illustration of the necessity of importunate prayer and the success which comes to those who stake their all on Christ, and give Him no peace until He grants them their hearts' desire.

Mark puts the whole incident graphically before us. At first, Jesus seems not to hear. The crowd rebukes the noisy clamour of Bartimaeus. Despite the seeming unconcern of our Lord, however, and despite the rebuke of an impatient and quick-tempered crowd, the blind beggar still cries, and increases the loudness of his cry, until Jesus is impressed and moved. Finally, the crowd, as well as Jesus, hearken to the beggar's plea and
declare in favour of his cause. He gains his case. His importunity avails even in the face of apparent neglect on the part of Jesus, and despite opposition and rebuke from the surrounding populace. His persistence won where half-hearted indifference would surely have failed.'

(((Mar 10:46  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.
Mar 10:47  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.
Mar 10:48  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.
Mar 10:49  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.
Mar 10:50  And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.
Mar 10:51  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.
Mar 10:52  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. ))))

Quoted from- 'THE NECESSITY OF PRAYER  By E.M. BOUNDS' (Excerpt 34)

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TRUTH-

'Importunity is made up of intensity, perseverance, patience and persistence. The seeming delay in answering prayer is the ground and the demand of importunity. '

INTENSITY.
PERSEVERANCE.
PATIENCE.
PERSISTENCE.

Do we have these? Or are our prayers void of any real desire?

We CANNOT live in this world and NOT have petitions for our Heavenly Father!

Jesus did NOT live in this world and NOT have petitions for His Heavenly Father!

We cannot expect to have a REAL relationship with our Heavenly Father is we are not praying REAL prayers.

You CAN have a false relationship with our Heavenly Father, and you can pray prayers that are empty, that are meaningless.   And in that false relationship with your false prayers you can be under the delusion that you are in a real relationship and really praying.  Satan LOVES to deceive us! Satan LIVES to deceive us! At every step He is there trying to trick us, to trip us up. Satan is NOT God however, and Satan does NOT know everything! Satan does not know the end from the beginning, to believe that he does would mean putting him on the same level as God and that's where he wants us to believe he exists. Satan wants us to give him the same powers as God, because if we do that then we believe him to be a god and not an angel at all, not a creation of God's, but a god in his own right which is what he wants to be- it was THAT pride which filled his heart that caused his downfall. He wants to be like the Most High.

'Isa_14:14  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. '

So I ask you, is your praying REAL? Is your relationship with God, our Heavenly Father,  a real relationship?

When we settle down to say our prayers- is there any earnestness in those prayers? Is there any intensity at all?

Jesus set Himself apart to do a lot of His praying--

Mat_14:23  And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone

Luk_6:12  And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

Luk_11:1  And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

Jesus is our example.  When we are told that He went to pray, when we are told He went alone to pray, when we are told He continued all night in prayer to God, what are we to get from this?  Our SAVIOR needed to PRAY! And our Savior needed to pray CONSTANTLY!  If our SAVIOR, if the Son of GOD needed to pray to the Heavenly Father, we do we imagine that we can get by on a short simple pretend prayer, a prayer that is prayed by memorization, by rote? Why do we think that suffices?  Do you imagine as Jesus spent an entire night in prayer that it was just a constant repetition, without any real feeling, without any real importunate behavior?  Or can you imagine Him praying deeply, earnestly, and revealing His heart to His Father in His prayers. We have this example…

Joh 17:1  These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
Joh 17:2  As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
Joh 17:3  And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
Joh 17:4  I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
Joh 17:5  And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
Joh 17:6  I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.
Joh 17:7  Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.
Joh 17:8  For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.
Joh 17:9  I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
Joh 17:10  And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.
Joh 17:11  And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
Joh 17:12  While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.
Joh 17:13  And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
Joh 17:14  I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Joh 17:15  I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
Joh 17:16  They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Joh 17:17  Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
Joh 17:18  As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
Joh 17:19  And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
Joh 17:20  Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
Joh 17:21  That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
Joh 17:22  And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
Joh 17:23  I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
Joh 17:24  Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
Joh 17:25  O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.
Joh 17:26  And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.
Joh 18:1  When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and his disciples.

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SUCH PRAYER!  A prayer we've been blessed to know, to read, to comprehend, to read over and over knowing that OUR SAVIOR prayed this to HIS FATHER, to OUR HEAVENLY FATHER. Jesus did NOT simple recite what has come to be known as 'The Lord's Prayer', Jesus spoke from HIS heart to His Father!  This too is our example! This too is something we must comprehend and realize as we too PRAY as our Savior prayed!  We need to glorify our God in our prayers and seek Him earnestly as Jesus sought Him as Jesus petitioned Him for us!

Please LORD, Bless us! Help us to PRAY as we ought to pray! Let the Holy Spirit intercede for us! Let us be One with You Heavenly Father and One with our Savior, Your Son who gave His life for us!

Please LORD, please! Bless us! We will NOT let You go lest You bless us!

All in YOUR LOVE, by YOUR GRACE and MERCY!

Asking, Seeking, Knocking- not always answered instantaneously

'Importunate praying is the earnest, inward movement of the heart toward God. It is the throwing of the entire force of the spiritual man into the exercise of prayer.'

'Importunate praying never faints nor grows weary; it is never discouraged; it never yields to cowardice, but is buoyed up and sustained by a hope that knows no despair, and a faith which will not let go. Importunate praying has patience to wait and strength to continue. It never prepares itself to quit praying, and declines to rise from its knees until an answer is received.'

'In the three words ask, seek, knock, in the order in which He places them, Jesus urges the necessity of importunity in prayer. Asking, seeking, knocking, are ascending rounds  in the ladder of successful prayer. No principle is more definitely enforced by Christ than that prevailing prayer must have in it the quality which waits and perseveres, the courage that never surrenders, the patience which never grows tired, the resolution that never wavers.'

Quoted from- 'THE NECESSITY OF PRAYER  By E.M. BOUNDS' (Excerpt 33)

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Mat 7:7  Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you

We all too often read this verse in Matthew and choose to believe it is a recipe for instant answers. We imagine we ask and it is given instantly. We imagine seeking and finding instantly. We imagine knocking and the door opening right away without any delays at all whatsoever.  To ever imagine that we might have to ask over and over and over and over again before it is given- upsets us.  We asked now where is what we asked for?  We asked, as if our asking produced everything necessary for us to receive.  Think about it for a moment, how often in your life have you been asked for something only to have to wait sometimes many years before you are given what you asked for? How often have you been asked for something only to reply maybe, not giving anything immediately? As a parent a person can probably understand the example of a child asking for something and you telling them no, not now, not yet. You in your parental discretion have your reasons for that answer but more often than not a child won't understand the reason, not in their heart. They wouldn't have asked if they didn't think it were something possible, right? I'm not talking about the very young children who don't know better in their asking and want a spaceship for their birthday that could fly them to the moon. Instant gratification isn't something we can always give to anyone who asks anything of us.

Asking, seeking, finding.

Ask.

Seek- this denotes a process doesn't it? Seeking something can take time. Even when we search the internet for something we don't always come up with what we are looking for right away.

Knock-  we want the person to be home, but even if they are, they don't necessary answer their door right away.

We do have to pray consistently, insistently, importunately, believing our prayers are being answered. Having faith that even when we don't realize instant results of our prayers that our prayers have been heard. Because we don't get memos from God telling us that we have to wait a while, we do become the nagging child because we repeat our petitions over and over. Our Savior told us that such bothersome behavior can result in an answer as well. Our heavenly Father does not possess anything but patience with us, and won't out of spite from our nagging turn down our prayer request.  Our earnestness maybe even cause a favorable response.

We have to be willing to PRAY, truly PRAY sincerely, recognizing the incredible specialness of prayer!

By the GRACE of our LORD JESUS CHRIST!  All in HIS LOVE!

Vigorous Faith

'THE tenor of Christ's teachings, is to declare that men are to pray earnestly -- to pray with an earnestness that cannot be denied. Heaven has harkening ears only for the whole-hearted, and the deeply-earnest. Energy, courage, and persistent perseverance must back the prayers which heaven respects, and God hears. All these qualities of soul, so essential to effectual praying, are brought out in the parable of the man who went to his friend for bread, at midnight. This man entered on his errand with confidence.

Friendship promised him success. His plea was pressing: of a truth, he could not go back empty-handed. The flat refusal chagrined and surprised him. Here even friendship failed! But there was something to be tried yet -- stern resolution, set, fixed determination. He would stay and press his demand until the door was opened, and the request granted. This he proceeded to do, and by dint of importunity secured what
ordinary solicitation had failed to obtain.

The success of this man, achieved in the face of a flat denial, was used by the Saviour to illustrate the necessity for insistence in supplicating the throne of heavenly grace. When the answer is not immediately given, the praying Christian must gather courage at each delay, and advance in urgency till the answer comes which is assured, if he have but the faith to press his petition with vigorous faith.'

Quoted from- 'THE NECESSITY OF PRAYER  By E.M. BOUNDS' (Excerpt 32)

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Luk 11:5  And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;
Luk 11:6  For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
Luk 11:7  And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.
Luk 11:8  I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.
Luk 11:9  And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
Luk 11:10  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

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Do you have such a friend? Have you ever been in such a scenario? Maybe not these exact circumstances but similar?  Have you ever asked someone to do something for you only to be turned down by them?  And after being turned down have you ever bugged them endlessly until they give in? I have. And so I know that this is something that is very possible.  Our Savior gives us this parable to show to us that WE have to be persistent, we have to. Persistent in praying.

'Faith to press his petition with vigorous faith.'  

Vigorous faith- vigorous praying!

We must petition our God more than we'd ever petition anyone else.

Please, LORD, please save us from our sad, pathetic sort of praying that we try to pass off as being real.

Help us, please, LORD, help us! We would pray as YOU would have us pray! We would seek YOU, seek YOUR favor, YOUR blessing, YOUR will!

'Spiritual Self-Indulgence or Self-Discipline'

"Two-thirds of the praying we do, is for that which would give us the greatest possible pleasure to receive. It is a sort of spiritual self-indulgence in which we engage, and as a consequence is the exact opposite of self-discipline. God knows all this, and keeps His children asking. In process of time -- His time -- our petitions take on another aspect, and we, another spiritual approach. God keeps us praying until, in His wisdom, He deigns to answer. And no matter how long it may be before He speaks, it is, even then, far earlier than we have a right to expect or hope to deserve." -- ANON.

Quoted from- 'THE NECESSITY OF PRAYER  By E.M. BOUNDS' (Excerpt 31)

'Spiritual self indulgence' - How incredibly true is this?    And equally true- it's 'the exact opposite of self- discipline.'

Our self indulgence, pleasing self, seeking self fulfillment, seeking self adoration, self contentment, self, self, self and how close that is to selfishness. Seriously, self focus is just a sliver away from selfishness.  Satan would have us NOT see our own selfishness. Satan would have us indulge in our selfishness at every turn and will present us with millions and millions of opportunities to do so.

Selfishness in prayer…   perhaps this is why our Savior taught us to pray in a certain form if not exact wording-

OUR FATHER WHICH ART IN HEAVEN-  (Heaven Focused)
HALLOWED BE THY NAME- (Heaven Focused)
THY KINGDOM COME- (Heaven Focused)
THY WILL BE DONE IN EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN -(Heaven Focused)
GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD - (Self/Other Focused)
AND FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS - (Self/Other Focused)
AND LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION BUT DELIEVER US FROM EVIL- (Self/Other Focused)
FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM AND THE POWER AND THE GLORY FOR  EVER - (Heaven Focused)
AMEN

Give us-Forgive us- Lead us-Deliver us.

Give, forgive, lead, deliver- us.

First we pray recognizing our FATHER in HEAVEN. We recognize HIS kingdom, HIS will.
Then we pray for our sustenance - spiritual and physical.
After that we pray for our SINS to be forgiven AS we forgive others their sins.
Next we pray for our Father in Heaven to lead us NOT into temptation and to DELIVER us from evil.
Last we recognize HIS kingdom, HIS power, HIS glory forever!

When we pray for things outside of this form of prayer we have to remember to not ask for anything amiss- anything selfishly, anything against God. All things must be prayed in HIS WILL, not ours.

May God help us remember to pray this way, HIS way, not OUR way, allowing the HOLY SPIRIT to speaking for us with groanings we cannot comprehend.

Your will LORD, Your will, always!