“And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor…” ~Isaiah 59:16
A bold translation of Isaiah 59:16 is that God was appalled that there was none to intercede! The boldness of this idea demands the attention of every Christian, regardless of their stage in life.
An astonished God, a devastated God-imagine the weight of these emotions! How shaken we would be if we truly grasped the reason for God’s wonder! Yet, tragically, for most Christians, this is hardly a matter worth considering. But imagine if just one Christian—you, perhaps—took God’s reaction seriously. Such consideration would lead you to pray with such power that it would stir a reaction in others, affecting their lives as a magnificent ripple effect of kneeling saints spreads across the land, resulting in broken chains, subdued devils, converted sinners, and seasons refreshing throughout our land. Oh, if Christians considered God’s reaction more carefully, they would find it to be of immense importance, for there is nothing more momentous or vital to our spiritual welfare than the practice of prayer.
But why was God appalled, devastated, astonished? Why did He wonder at the deficit of intercessors (Isa. 59:16)? Just think about it! This was in the distant past—before the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, “full of grace and truth;” before the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, overflowing with grace and power, “helping our infirmities” and “making intercession for us” (Rom. 8:26). Yes, before the marvelous promises of our Savior concerning prayer available to us today; God wondered at the dearth of intercessors!
Oh, how devastated God must be by the scarcity of praying Christians today! How astonished He must be at the few who truly grasp the power of prevailing prayer. There is no excuse why a believer should be doubtful of prayer’s potential and importance—yet how many of us genuinely believe in its power, or are even aware of it?
Prayer is the answer to every problem!
Why do so many Christians find themselves trapped in cycles of defeat, unable to break free? Prayer is missing from their lives.
Why do the hands that serve grow weary, and hearts of church workers become burdened, discouraged, and drained of joy? Prayer has been forgotten.
Why do great waves of effort crash against the shores of evangelism, only to retreat without bringing a single soul to safety? Prayer is absent from the tide.
Why do our churches feel like empty halls, the warmth of God’s presence distant, as if the fire on the altar has gone cold? The hearth of prayer has been extinguished.
So why is God devastated, appalled, and astonished at the lack of prayer warriors? The Lord Jesus is as alive today as He was when He rose from the dead, He is just as powerful, He is just as sovereign, and just as anxious for men to be saved as ever before. His arm is not shortened that it cannot save, yet He has chosen to limit His power to the earnest and ready prayers of His children, and in this, we are assured that the secret to every failure is in our failure to pray. If God “wondered” in Isaiah’s day, it should come as no surprise that the Son of God “marveled” at the unbelief in Nazareth, which prevented Him from doing many works (Mark 6:6).
EMMANUEL—God robed in human flesh—was appalled at Israel’s unbelief, and to this day He remains appalled, astonished, devastated, wondering why Christians are so deficient in their prayer life today.
Yet we must remember that those who witnessed God partake of flesh and blood with them are still not as guilty of the unbelief pervading Christendom in the 21st century. One can only imagine how appalled He must be today as He observes that among those who genuinely love and adore Him, so few rouse themselves to take hold of God (Isa. 64:7). Surely there is nothing so astonishing as a practically prayerless Christian. We find ourselves in eventful and ominous days, days foretold of in God’s word, yet days brimming with signs that these are indeed ‘the last days’—the very times God promised to pour out His Spirit—the Spirit of supplication—upon all flesh (Joel 2:28). Yet, it’s alarming how the vast majority of professing Christians remain almost ignorant of what “supplication” truly entails. Even more troubling, many of our churches not only neglect to hold prayer meetings but brazenly condemn and mock them, turning away from the very power that could transform our lives and communities.”
If there is prayer, it is often vague and indefinite. Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting was the product of the Second Great Awakening, designed specifically for effective prayer. Today, it’s just another formal worship service. C. H. Spurgeon’s account of his prayer meeting, “which scarcely ever numbers less than from a thousand to twelve hundred attendants,” has inspired countless Christians, demonstrating the power and importance of gathering in prayer every Monday night.
Beloved, have we ceased to believe in prayer? If you still hold your weekly gathering for prayer, is it not a fact that the vast majority of your church members never come near it? Does it seem more of a “weakly” prayer meeting? Why is this? Whose fault is it?
“It’s only a prayer meeting!”
Only? – suppose one said that only 85 million died during World War 2. How appalling would that be? And why wouldn’t our Lord be appalled at the phrase, “Only a prayer meeting?” Perhaps you, as you read this book, have admitted to yourself that it is hard to enjoy a prayer meeting; that it feels more like a duty than a pleasure.
Before I continue any further, let me remind the reader that this book is designed to challenge Christians to plead with God as never before, and to encourage and uplift. This book is not to criticize. The author is too aware of his shortcomings to do such a thing. Like Joel called Israel to return to God, this book is a call to the individual to pray. It is a call to the church to pray.
We are never so high as when we are on our knees.
Now, do we dare confront the question of prayer? It may seem foolish to even ask. Isn’t prayer a fundamental aspect of all religions? Yet we urge our readers to consider this matter thoughtfully. I truly believe that prayer holds power. Nay, I believe it is the greatest force on earth!
Does prayer really “move the Hand that moves the world” as E.M. Bounds so eloquently put it? Do God’s commands about prayer genuinely apply to me? Do His promises regarding prayer still stand? As we read these questions, we may find ourselves muttering “Yes—Yes—Yes.” We hesitate to say “No” to any of them.
In the Bible, our Savior gave us three critical commands that require action:
Pray!
Do!
Go!
Are we truly obeying Him? While our preachers often emphasize His commands to “Do this,” or to “Go ye,” making it seem like the only commands that matter, isn’t it like putting the cart before the horse when prayer is not emphasized? How rarely are we reminded to “Pray?” Without obedience to “Pray ye,” our efforts to “Do this” or “Go” become ineffective. It can be demonstrated that all failures in our spiritual lives and Christian work stem from insufficient prayer. If we do not pray properly, we cannot live or serve properly. So as we consider these matters regarding prayer, let us endeavor to read our Lord’s promises as though we had never heard them before. The effect of doing so is mind-blowing.
One early morning, some twenty years ago a fellow student burst into my room holding an open Bible in his hands. Being a young convert, the Bible was comparatively a new book to him, and as a result, he was like a sponge, soaking up every truth he discovered. He cried excitedly—his face all aglow with mingled joy and surprise—“Do you believe this? Is it really true?”
“Believe what?” I asked, glancing at the open Bible with some astonishment.
“This,” he exclaimed as he read in eager tones Matthew 21:21, 22: “‘If ye have faith and doubt not . . . all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.’ Do you believe it? Is it true?”
“Yes,” I replied, with much surprise at his excitement, “of course it’s true—of course I believe it.”
Yet did I?
“Well, that’s a very wonderful promise,” he continued. “It seems to me to be absolutely limitless!” Suddenly, with a look of concern mixed with frustration, he said something I will never forget, “Why don’t we pray more?”
He went away, leaving me thinking hard. I had never looked at those verses quite in that way. As the door closed, I had a vision of my Savior—of His love and power—such as had never come to me before. I had a vision of a life of prayer — yes, and limitless power which depended on two things only — faith and prayer. For the moment I was thrilled. I fell on my knees, and as I bowed before my Lord what thoughts surged through my mind — what hopes and aspirations flooded my soul! God was extraordinarily speaking to me. This was a great call to prayer. But — to my shame — it was short-lived. True, I prayed a little more than before, but I didn’t see much of a difference.
So, where did I fail?
Was it because I did not see what a high standard the Savior requires in the inner life of those who would pray successfully?
Was it because I had failed to measure up my life to the “perfect love” standard so beautifully described in 1 Corinthians 13?
Nothing beyond my ability caused me to fail. It was something attainable for every Christian. It was one thing, and one thing only. Like David, I needed to cry, “Create in me a clean heart, O God” (Psa. 51) before I could pray properly. Once I did this, my prayer life changed for the better!
We must consider the inspired words of the Apostle John today more than ever: “Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him,” (I John 3:21).
Yes, indeed, it is a limitless promise, and yet how little we realize it, how little we claim from Christ. And our Lord “marvels” at our unbelief. But if we could only read the Gospels as if it were our first time, what an amazing book it would seem! Should not we “marvel” and “wonder?” And today I pass on that great call to you, dear friend. Will you give heed to it? Will you profit from it? Or will it fall on deaf ears and leave you prayerless?
Don’t let that happen! Let us awake! The devil is blinding our eyes and trying to keep us from facing this question of prayer.
Every attempt to begin to write has faced resistance from the enemy, and even now, I am conscious of an unusual reluctance to do so. It seems as if some mysterious power is restraining my hand. Do we realize that there is nothing the devil dreads more than prayer? His great concern is to keep us from praying. He delights in producing workaholics, even in the name of Jesus, as long as we do not pray. He does not fear because we are eager and earnest Bible students—provided we are little in prayer. Someone has wisely said, “Satan laughs at our toiling, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.” All this is so familiar to us—but do we really pray? If not, then failure will always be treading on the heels of success.
Let us never forget that the greatest thing we can do is to pray. We can accomplish far more by our prayers than by our work. Prayer is powerful, for it accesses the arm of an omnipotent God! When we pray, God works. All fruitfulness in service is the outcome of prayer—of the worker’s prayers, or of those who are praying on his behalf. We all know how to pray, but perhaps many of us need to cry as the disciples did of old, “Lord, teach us to pray!”
O Lord, by Whom ye come to God,
The Life, the Truth, the Way,
The path of prayer Thyself hast trod;
Lord, teach us how to pray.
This chapter is taken from “The Kneeling Christian”. CLICK HERE for more information on the book.
