Thoughts for Life: #4 The Most Important Measure of Prayer

Thursday, May 19, 2016

#4 The Most Important Measure of Prayer

Dr. Wesley L. Duewel: The most important measure of prayer is not its length but its depth; not its beautiful words but its intensity. It is not necessarily a matter of how many hours you pray, but how intensely you pray when you do pray.

There is a dynamic of perseverance—prayer must often be continued at some length, but whether short or long, let your prayer be fervent.

It is a law of prayer that those who seek with all their heart find.

" 'Then you will call upon me and come and pray to
me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find
me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be
found by you,' declares the LORD (Jer. 29:12-14).

Moses used almost identical words, specifying, "With all your heart and with all your soul" (Deu. 4:29).

Says Chadwick again,

"Intensity is a law of prayer...wrestling prayer prevails.
The fervent, effectual prayer of the righteous is of
great force. God hates strange fire. We must never
try to work up an emotion of intensity....If the spirit
groans in intercession, do not be afraid of the agony
of prayer. There are blessings of the Kingdom that are
only yielded to the violence of the vehement soul."

Hebrews assures us that "during the days of Jesus' life
on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud
cries and tears" (5:7).

It is Christlike to be so burdened in prayer that we pray with a passion. Paul asked the saints at Rome to "join me in my struggle by praying to God for me" (Rom. 15:30). "Join me in my struggle" is two words in Greek—meaning literally "agonize with me." That is prayer with a passion!

R. A. Torrey writes,

"The prayer that prevails with God is the prayer into
which we put our whole soul, stretching out toward
God in intense and agonizing desire....If we put
so little heart into our prayers, we cannot expect
God to put much heart into answering them....
When we learn to come to God with an intensity
of desire that wrings the soul, then shall we know
a power in prayer that most of us do not know now."
(How to Pray pp. 33-34)

Alexander Whyte, the great preacher and author from Scotland, pleads,

"let every man put his passion into his prayers."

James's description of Elijah, "he prayed earnestly" (James 5:17), is in the Greek "with prayer he prayed," am idiom that means he prayed with intensity or passion.

(Google image and my emphasis added)

Used by permission of the author and Duewel Literature Trust, Inc., Greenwood, Indiana