Thoughts for Life: #113 Wrestling for Prayer Answers

Dr. Wesley L. Duewel: The Bible teaches a sixth level of prevailing prayer—wrestling. Jesus wrestled in prayer in Gethsemane (Luke 22:44). Epaphras was "always wrestling in

prayer" for the Colossian church (Col. 4:12).

In both cases the Greek word used is related to the agonizing wrestling in the Greek Olympic-type games. From it we get our English word agonize. (Google image, Wrestling in prayer ).

Wrestling prayer is agonizing in prayer. It is prayer effort so strenuous that it becomes an agony. Agonizing prayer is always for a limited period of time.

When Jesus agonized in the garden, it was for a period of about three hours. Epaphras agonized again and again as he prayed for his beloved Christians in Colosse (Col. 4:12-13).

Prayer burden may be experienced in varying degrees. But an agonizing prayer burden, a strenuous wrestling in prayer, is perhaps the highest level of prayer intensity of which man is capable.

No one ever wrestled in prayer like Jesus, whose sweat became like great drops or clots (Greek) of blood. Ours will not be unto blood, but blessed are those of His followers who have followed their Lord into mighty prayer wrestling. These efforts are often used by God to bring great victories.

There is an interrelation between prayer burden, wrestling in prayer, and prayer warfare. Prayer burden is a heaviness of concern but does not necessarily include agonizing in prayer.

Wrestling in prayer is a very intense prayer burden, a spiritual form of all-out attack on the strongholds of Satan, or a costly agony of Spirit-given holy desire.

Prayer warfare is a more long-term earnest prayer endeavor, which may include prayer burden and prayer wrestlings from time to time. It continues day after day until Satan is dislodged from lives or situations that he is determined to control. It will be described in a later section.

Bounds, writing about wrestling in prayer "Until the fire falls and the blessing descends, added, "This wrestling in prayer may not be boisterous nor vehement, but quiet, tenacious, and urgent."

(Bounds, Necessity of Prayer, 63)

Wrestling in prayer may be done silently, even in bed, with those around you unaware. Or is may involve strong crying and tears. The wrestling is done primarily in your spirit, though it may affect your body.

Let me emphasize that these three levels of intense intercession are not self-induced. They are Spirit-given. You do not work up your emotions but instead yield to the Spirit's mighty prevailings in you.

All the Spirit's workings within you are dependent on your yielding yourself to His leading, to your deep life in the Spirit, so that He can impart to you His own holy longings and passion. You strive and toil, but you do so because within you is a heart-cry that reflects the heart-cry of our Lord.

God knows your body and its limits. It would be too much for you physically and nervously to share a burden every moment, to agonize in wrestling prayer for long periods of time, and to be constantly involved in prayer warfare.

God wants you to have times of joyous prayer communion, deep resting in God's faithfulness, and basking in His peace. The Holy Spirit exercises good stewardship of your body, for it is His temple. You do not lose the spirit of prevailing prayer at such times.

When you are living in the Spirit, praying in the Spirit, and guided by the Spirit, you are instantly available for the Spirit's assignments of intensified prevailing when He needs that level of prayer from you.

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Used by permission of the author and Duewel Literature Trust, Inc., Greenwood, Indiana, (with Jean's impressions added)

Mighty Prevailing Prayer

#113 Wrestling for Prayer Answers
by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel

(pp. 208 -210) Zondervan

Praying girl

Prayer-

Father, our prayer burdens come in various degrees, as some are not as strenuous as others.

The wrestling prayers are the highest level of praying intensity, in which we sometimes find ourselves.

May we yield ourselves to the Spirit's working within us, to deepen our own lives in Him, and to allow Him to impart His holy longings and passion.

This, we know, will increase the effectiveness of our prayer burdens, and will work in and through us God's will and desire.
Help us understand that He wants us to have joyous prayer communion with God, resting in His Faithfulness, and basking in His peace.
We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Today's Bible verses-

(Daniel 6:27 KJV) "He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions."

(Ps. 46:10, 11 NIV) "Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.

The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our
fortress. Selah."

Today's quotes-

~ Samuel Chadwick- "(prayer) is the place where we can talk freely with God about other people. The family, the church, the business, the friendships, the nation, the world, are all subjects of earnest and believing private prayer...
The Father is in secret, He sees in secret. He hears in secret; leave it to Him to make it known." (p. 38 of his book, THE PATH OF PRAYER)

~ O. Hallesby- "I never grow weary of emphasizing our helplessness, for it is the decisive factor not only in our prayer life, but in our whole relationship to God. As long as we are conscious of our helplessness we will not be overtaken by any difficulty, disturbed by any distress or frightened by any hindrance...open the door unto Him and to give God the opportunity to help us in our helplessness by means of the miraculous powers which are at His disposal." (pp. 27-28 of his book, Prayer).

Today's questions:

Are you living for Christ? Is your life on track in successfully making Him most important? Do you have a "feel good" religion, or is Christ free to make changes inside you, as well as on the outside, so as to walk out God's purpose for your life ?

Today's special link:

Comfortable Shoes and “Comfortable” Thinking

by Jane Ault

"When I find a comfortable pair of shoes,
I wear them,
And wear them,
And wear them,
And wear them...

Thoughts that we’ve carried around in our heads for a long time usually feel comfortable. At first they might not have been. They didn’t seem to fit us. They might even have felt painful. But we’ve “worn” them a long time and now they feel like comfortable old shoes. Even if they stink— they’re unhealthy and untrue—we don’t notice it. And we resist giving them up."