The church is in decline in America. The need of the hour is for God’s people in this land to consecrate themselves to a “fasted lifestyle.” We need to put aside TV and toys for the sake of the pursuit. We cannot have the glory of God and the glory of the world.
When you study the great movements of revival throughout history you always find people devoted to prayer. Not merely consistent in prayer but thirsty, desperate, travailing! They cried things like “give us a revival or we die!” Oh, that we would give ourselves to praying like this!
Shall we sit back and accept that this generation is deluded by the evil one and headed to hell? Shall we be content that our own souls are saved and not be concerned with the multitudes around us “harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd?” How can we not spend ourselves and be spent?
Very little effect
It seems that the many efforts in America by churches to reach the lost are having very little effect. I’m not saying there’s no effect; there are good things happening. But the plain fact is that enormous amounts of time, money and energy are spent each year by Christians trying to reach spiritually lost people but deep lasting conversions are sparse.
Shall we accept this? Shall we just put the blame on the stubborn resistance of sinners? Or say that it must be God’s will for all these to perish? At what point do we start taking responsibility and realize that the problem—at least in part—is that we are operating with little or no power?
The pattern of proclamation with the demonstration of Spirit power was set in motion by the early Christians. I am fully convinced that in order to impact this present generation we need a restoration of power. The Word of God—even when communicated boldly and clearly—is not enough. It wasn’t enough for Paul the Apostle even!
And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. —1 Corinthians 2:1-5
Minimally, the preaching of the Word needs to be accompanied by Spirit power as in the ministry of, say, John the Baptist or Charles Spurgeon. They did not perform miracles, but the words they preached were like fire penetrating hard hearts. We need to come to grips with our spiritual poverty and stop thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought. We need to ask ourselves what we are giving to this generation. Is it merely information about Christ and Christianity?
Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence … to make your name known to your adversaries, and that the nations might tremble at your presence! —Isaiah 64:1-2
What must we do?
The manifestation of the glory of God does not come by talking about it or having a conference about it. It does not come by writing about it or by reading books about it. All these play a role, of course, but the glory of God comes only when God’s people give themselves to night and day crying out.
On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent. You who put the LORD in remembrance, take no rest, and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth. —Isaiah 62:6-7
In America, we tend to want things to come quickly and easily. But the fullness of God does not come this way. It comes by consecration and fasting, tears and wailing, wrestling and longing, “loud cries and petitions.” I know this to be true from the Word, from church history and from my own experience. This is the ancient path laid out—there are no shortcuts! The wells of these practices need to be re-dug in this generation!
It seems rare to find Christians who labor with the energy of the Spirit in private prayer. Many have some kind of daily devotion but there’s not the energy of Spirit (Col 1:29) that marked men and women of old.
I’m not suggesting that we can just jump into this kind of praying. 1000 layers may need to be peeled away first. We may need to prepare for it through day-by-day adjustments. We are talking about coming to a place emptied of sin and self so the Spirit Himself prays through us. No one just does that as if it were as easy as emptying the kitchen trash.
We come into this sweet current of praying in the Spirit through a lifestyle of repentance. Confession, aligning and contrition pave the way. The Lord sends fire upon the heart and burns away the residue of sin within. All this takes time.
I don’t want to give the impression that it’s too difficult to attain. It does require wholehearted effort and persistence, but the Spirit does the work step-by-step; His grace is sufficient; we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength.
On our end what is necessary is seriousness and teachableness in coming into this Spirit-energized prayer. We have to really want it. It’s a sacred thing. It is given—entrusted—to those who treasure it enough to do whatever they need to do to take hold of it. I think that’s the idea behind the parable Jesus told about the valuable pearl.
The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, and finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. —Matthew 13:45
I think the pearl is Christ Himself, but when we are talking about coming into a spirit of travailing prayer we are talking about coming into the deep of God’s heart. In other words, it is Christ. He is the Pearl. The truth is that the Lord does not share certain things with us because we could not bear them; we are not prepared; we wouldn’t even value them. His secrets are shared with those who hunger and thirst for his heart. The Pearl is not just the salvation gift and blessings but it is knowing the heart of Christ intimately. Oh, that we would count all things as rubbish compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ (Phil 3) !!!
David Brainerd
All this makes me think of David Brainerd who was a missionary to the Native Americans in the 1700s in New England. He was known for this kind of pleading and wrestling prayer. He would often retreat to solitary places like a cabin and spend all day in prayer. He kept a detailed journal of his prayer life. Jonathan Edwards, perhaps the most prominent personality of the First Great Awakening, had a friendship with young David and published his journals after David died at 29 of Tuberculosis.
Brainerd was a bit of a tortured soul, but his life of prayer was so remarkable that countless great men and women of God throughout the years have pointed to it as having a deep effect. Perhaps the most famous account from his journals is when he tells of being so burdened in prayer for people that he wrestled with spiritual vigor on his knees in deep snow until all the snow around him had melted. No wonder God used his life in the conversion of hundreds of Native Americans! I recommend reading The Life and Diary of David Brainerd by Jonathan Edwards.