Fervent Prayer
Last week, some one very dear to me confessed they had a breakthrough regarding prayer. One night, unable to sleep, they sensed an urgency to pray, and started praying. They said it felt like they were literally "wrestling" in prayer; "wrestling" with pride regarding prayer and disappointment about unanswered prayers; "wrestling" with a level of self-reliance and a hesitancy to be completely vulnerable in communicating with God.
The following morning I started the last chapter of my women's bible study and this was the first scripture:
"You have said, "Seek my face." My heart says to you, " Your face, LORD, do I seek."
(Psalm 27:8)
I was struck by the timing of this scripture!
The word "face" means face of God. This word is used in Genesis 32.
Genesis 32 is an account in the Bible about two brothers. Jacob, the younger brother, was about to meet Esau, the older brother, for the first time since Jacob tricked their father into giving him the blessing, inheritance, and position that traditionally should have been Esau's. We pick up in the account where Jacob is left alone the night before he meets Esau. He was scared and believed Esau was going to kill him and all his family.
"And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.”So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.” (see Genesis 32: 24-30)
Some important things happened in the wrestling:
1. Jacob's name was changed to Israel. The name Jacob means a supplanter or one who takes the place of (another), through force, scheming, strategy, or the like. Israel means one who prevails with God.
2. Jacob walked away from wrestling with a limp. He lived the rest of his life with a physical reminder that God was stronger than him; with one touch God had put his hip out of joint.
3. Jacob recognized that he had wrestled with God, face to face, and had been spared from death.
The Lord tells us to seek His face.
The Lord invites us to "wrestle" our fears, doubts, self-reliance, pride, hurt, and our tendencies toward sin with Him in prayer. I believe we can learn from the outcomes of Jacob's wrestling with God.
He invites us to seek Him so:
1. He can do the work in our hearts, changing us from self-relying, self-promoting, and selfish people, to people who prevail with God; people who have ability and power with Him and through Him to live for His glory and not our own.
2. We will see our weaknesses and walk away from prayer relying on His strength and not our own; recognizing His grace is all-sufficient.
3. His Spirit can remind us that we have been spared from eternal death through God's grace and salvation alone.
Another account in the Bible comes to mind. (See the book of Job for full account)
The book of Job is an account about a righteous man who was stripped of all he had, people and possessions, and stricken with sickness.
The account begins with Satan presenting himself before God one day.
"And the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land." But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.”
God allowed Satan to take anything he wanted from Job, except his life. Everything Job had was destroyed and all his family and servants died.
Throughout the entire book, Job "wrestles" with WHY?
Job said alot of honest and vulnerable things:
“Why did I not die at birth, come out from the womb and expire?"
“Teach me, and I will be silent; make me understand how I have gone astray."
"If it is a contest of strength, behold, he is mighty! If it is a matter of justice, who can summon him?"
"Though I am in the right, my own mouth would condemn me; though I am blameless, he would prove me perverse."
"I will say to God, Do not condemn me; let me know why you contend against me."
"He breaks me down on every side, and I am gone, and my hope has he pulled up like a tree."
“Oh, that I were as in the months of old, as in the days when God watched over me,"
"I cry to you for help and you do not answer me; I stand, and you only look at me."
The LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:
“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding."
“Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place"
“Have you entered into the springs of the sea, or walked in the recesses of the deep?"
"“Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, or have you seen the storehouses of the hail,"
“Do you give the horse his might? Do you clothe his neck with a mane?"
“Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it.”
Then Job answered the Lord:
“Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth.
I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but I will proceed no further.”
“I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know"
What an account! Job "wrestled" in prayer with God. He expressed his pain, his desire to die, his doubt that God was watching over him, his desperation at God's silence and his difficulty in understanding why God was allowing him to suffer so much.
Haven't a lot of us asked similar questions or felt some of the same things Job did during difficult times in our lives?
Satan challenged God, stating that when Job was stripped of everything he would curse God. Satan was wrong! Job never once cursed God even though he "wrestled" with God's purpose for allowing his loss and suffering. The account doesn't indicate that God ever told Job why he lost everything, but we get a glimpse into the powerful purpose of prayer.
God answered Job with Himself! God points Job to His character and unmatchable works!
He directed Job to the One who laid the foundation of the earth, commands the morning, walks the depths of the seas...WOW! God was pointing Job to His sovereignty and faithfulness. In light of God's response, Job's trust in the Lord is strengthened. He realized God's knowledge was far above his own.
God Almighty heard Job and in His graciousness and loving kindness, He hears us too!
His Spirit reminds us of WHO God is and WHAT He has done.
He created us by intricately weaving us together in the womb. He rescued us by sending His only Son to die in our place and He gave us His Holy Spirit who works in our hearts to help us become the son or daughter He created us to be. He is our Rescue, Redemption and Righteousness.
I believe one of the very crucial and fundamental reasons God tells us to seek Him is so we can discover and be reminded of who He is!
No matter what difficult and dire circumstances we are in, no matter what tiresome temptations we struggle with, no matter what we face in this life here on earth, we "can come boldly to the throne of GRACE to receive GRACE and MERCY in time of need! " (Hebrews 4:16)
Jesus Christ, Himself, "wrestled" in prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before He was crucified.
"saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done. And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground." (Luke 22:42-44)
Jesus walked away from His "wrestling", with complete trust in His Heavenly Father. Jesus knew His Father's character and this intimacy with Him carried Jesus through life here on earth. God the Father even sent an angel to strengthen Jesus! What an amazingly compassionate Father!
Jesus' knowledge of God's love for Him and mankind strengthened Him to obey. He willingly endured the unjust beatings, was pierced through hand and foot and hung naked, bloody and exposed on the cross. He died the death we deserved for our sin.
Although He died, He rose up victorious from the grave! Our triumphant Rescuer conquered sin, death and the grave!
Jesus Christ now sits at the right hand of God and intercedes on our behalf. We can boldly go to the throne of grace and wrestle in prayer, and as He graciously reveals more of His character to us, we can trust Him in our times of suffering. We can choose to obey His word in times of temptation.
He is a gracious God, the one and only sovereign God. His ways are higher than ours and He bends down to hear our prayers!
He invites us to seek His face-
to "wrestle" some things out...
Blessings,
Amy
