Learning to Pray Hard Prayers At the Feet of Jesus

Have you ever prayed a hard prayer?  

Prayers that go beyond, "God bless Charlie" or "God be with Susie".  Prayers that are developed out of desperate and what seem like impossible situations.  Prayers that are born out of the broken cries of our hearts.  Prayers that move beyond the ceiling of our own desires or dreams. Prayers that are kingdom focused and will live on in eternity!

Hard prayers!  Like for instance, "Dear Lord Jesus, please get a hold of ____________(you insert the name).  Disturb their souls, to the point that they can't sleep, eat, party or even enjoy things until they turn back to You Oh Lord."  Prayers like, "Dear Lord, whisper ___________(you insert name) name in their ear, continue to pursue them with a relentless pursuit of Your love Oh God."  How about a prayer like, "Lord God, reveal the hidden sins (those under the carpet) in me and my family, eradicate the deadly sins that could damage our relationship with you and others, expose them so that we will fall on our faces in repentance and turn back to You Oh Lord."  I'm talking hard prayers!  

I would say that most of us have never prayed a "hard prayer" in our lives.  Praying hard prayers begins when we have exhausted our own resources.  When we are desperate for God's hand to move in the lives of our loved ones.  Hard prayers are truly prayers of intercession. To intercede in prayer is to pray things that others can't pray for themselves.  Intercessory prayer is hard work!  Yes, prayer is a "good work", in my opinion the most important work we are called to do as followers of Christ Jesus.  I was going to say, second only to sharing the gospel but it is not second but sharing the gospel and prayer go hand in hand.  You can't have one without the other!

Over the past several years the Holy Spirit has been teaching me how to pray things I would have never prayed for before.  Those hard prayers came from a place of desperation, dependency, devotion and determination to follow and pray in accordance with God's will!  Many of those prayers have literally made me gasp for air after I have prayed them out loud to the Father.  Prayers that are a little scary to pray for this Mom of four and grandchild of one.  I say they are scary because of the One to Whom my prayers are directed.  The Lord Strong and Mighty, the Creator and Keeper of All living things, the God of heaven and earth, The God who is Sovereign over ALL the Universe.  We are to come into His presence with fear and trembling, not because He is waiting to punish us but because He is Holy, Righteous and the Judge of ALL the earth.  That should be enough to cause us to fall on our faces before Him in Awe and wonder. The fact that this little woman so unworthy of even lifting up her head in His Holy presence can even talk to the Lord of the Universe is unbelievable!  Thank You JESUS for access to the throne!  

It's not that I'm trembling in fear of His wrath.  I am a child of God.  I have been saved by His grace through faith in His Son Jesus Christ.  I was once dead in trespasses and sin but now have been made alive in Christ Jesus!  The veil has been torn from top to bottom and because of His Son's death and resurrection on the Cross of Calvary I have access to the King.  Not because of anything I have done, not because I have done anything deserving of His mercy and grace.  Simply, because He loves me and I have been accepted in the "Beloved".  What a blessing!  What a privilege!  A little girl who grew up with no Daddy, no security, always feeling invisible and inadequate am now a child of the King.  My Daddy God (Abba Father) has adopted me into His family.  I have a new name, a new position, a new family, a new kingdom to live for, a new way of talking part of that is a prayer language!  Everything is being made "new", so why not my prayers?  That is why I can come before the throne and pray hard prayers on behalf of others!  Intercessory prayer is powerful!  I have seen God answer some of those hard  prayers and it has been amazing; not at all easy, but no less amazing!  That God hears my cries truly is incredible! Not only hears them but also answers them!  

If your prayer life is dull and weak.  Maybe it's because your prayers are hitting the ceiling of your own hopes, dreams and desires.  Ask God to give you a new perspective on prayer.  Do you know that the prayers of the saints are eternal!  Go read it for yourself in chapter 8 of the book of Revelation - When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.  "² And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.³ Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might ^[a]add it to the prayers of all the ^[b]saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. ⁴ And the smoke of the incense, ^[c]with the prayers of the ^[d]saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand. ⁵ Then the angel ^[e]took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake."  WOW!  Prayers of the saints are eternal!  

So what type of prayers are you praying?  How is our prayer life? Is it stale, dull or possibly dead?  Why not, ask the Lord of heaven and earth to revive your heart, get into His Word and begin praying God's Word back to Him.  When we sit at the feet of Christ Jesus and are teachable, the Holy Spirit will show up and teach us how to pray those "fervent prayers of a righteous man that will avail much." 

I don't know about you but I don't want to spend my time in prayer asking for things that are temporary (although, we can).  I want to be so close to my Father's heart that I am praying His will and His way and His word to be done on earth as it is in heaven.  

I challenge you today to ask God to revive your heart, to renew your mind in the Word of God and ask Him to teach you how to pray in ways that will bless His heart and benefit the kingdom of God.  God bless you as you endeavor to grow closer to the Lord through His Word and through praying hard prayers at the feet of Jesus.   

Psalm 91, In the Shadow of the Almighty,