"As a woman with child and about to give birth writhes and cries out in her pain, so were we in your presence, O LORD." - Isaiah 26:17
The Webster's dictionary defines the word "travail" as follows - "work especially of a painful or laborious nature".
Travailing in prayer is laborious and can be violent at times when we are desperate for God's presence in our lives. Are we as God's people born by the Spirit of God desperate for more of His tangible presence in our lives?
As a woman cries out in labor from deep within her I believe we as God's people need to cry out in a loud voice as the Spirit leads us in our desperation for more of Him in our lives.
I believe this type of prayer is a soul thirst which longs for the living God to continue to break through in our lives. It does not take a prophet to say that we are living in some dark times and it seems to be getting worse. What we need now more than ever is not simply an answer from God to our petitions and requests (although He does answer us and cares for us). We need is palpable presence to infiltrate our souls and His glory to be manifested in us.
This sort of travailing prayer I believe has the following results:
1. A recognition of the Sovereign Lord being above us and we who are His children being under Him. He must increase we must decrease.
2. It causes our hearts to be softened as we recognize our humanity and our utter dependence upon Him.
3. When this broken and contrite spirit is produced in us as we travail in prayer directed by His Holy Spirit it makes us candidates for more of Him.
4. The ultimate result is worship, adoration and the exaltation of God Almighty as He manifests His presence in our lives which we are able to cultivate by the Spirit into a Spirit-led lifestyle. As we behold Him we are transformed with ever increasing glory in the likeness of Jesus Christ by the Spirit.
Consider our Savior as the writer of Hebrews points out in the 5th chapter 7th verse:
"During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission."
Are we approaching God as the Holy one of Israel? Let us ask God to enable us by His Spirit to be a people of reverent submission like Jesus displayed in His life on earth.
Notice Jesus was not "saved from death" but God heard His loud cries. Ultimately in Jesus' humanity He desired the presence of God. God answered His prayer.
In these days that we live in particularly may we be a people who travail in prayer for the Lord's presence to breakthrough in extraordinary ways in our lives!
"Then he said to Him, If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here." - Moses (Exodus 33:15)
Blessings,
Emmanuel
9 years ago
4 comments:
Amen, Brother! I would like to add that even if you do not experience His presence right away...keep pressing in and calling on His name. The Lord seems to like for us to keep asking. He will eventually, in His timing, answer our prayers.
Thanks for the insightful and helpful words, Brother!
K
Amazing. On a side note, I thought I was reading the Desiring God blog so the whole time I thought I was reading Piper. Only at the end when I saw "Emmanuel" did I realize I wasn't. Quite the compliment!
Awesome. Thanks for all the ways you encourage my faith by word and deed.
Thank you all for the encouraging words. Praise the Lord!
"Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call on him while he is near." - Isaiah 55:6
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