Introduction
“Would love to first thank our God and Father; The Almighty of Israel, The Lord and Savior; Jesus Christ, Great Councilor and Friend; The Holy Spirit. For they are the reason I stay alive, and that I have an eternal promise of rest in their hearts. Blessed be He! (Isaiah 65:1, Romans 10:20)
Knowing that this is true, and that my flesh has no opportunity to boast: I have been saved by grace, not by my own. For it was not “I” who was seeking God, it was “God” who was seeking me. It wasn’t by self-centered will or effort that gave me salvation, but by His plan that gave me peace. He gave me a testimony, He gave me a weapon. Using this to my advantage against my enemies, and to stand redeemed and confident on the day of account; the day I must present my life to Him who lives forever. This is truly my story, this is truly my psalm…” ~Selah
Revelation
Am humbled and honored to write to you, and to encourage each of you to “never give up,” for our God is on our side. And with much prayer and fasting came much inspiration, to help motivate you to live a life of prayer. And according to the level that God has you on, may this bring enhancement and growth in your walk with Him. May it reach your heart in a familiar/new way.
During the 2016 holiday season of Valentine’s Day, God began to remind me and yet teach to me, as if it was something new, and also revealed more new things regarding prayer. As the inspiration came for me to write the next article, it was like the very next day the Lord took me into a realm of inspiration. And hopefully, in this article, I have captured the main point by honoring His written Word – for “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God…” (John 1:1)
From there, the Word reveals much wisdom and revelation that pierces your very soul. Proverbs 8, 2nd Timothy 3:16, Hebrews 4:12 (For the Word… piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.)
Praying / Psalming the Scriptures:
The Bible has been and will be the main focal point in this article. Allowing its inspiration to teach us about deep prayer – also allowing the Word to be used as the focus of prayers, and what it means to fluently and naturally speak with/hear correctly from God…. What comes to your mind when you read “Praying the Scriptures?”, or “Psalming the Scriptures?” There could be much, there could be little; it could be shallow or it could be deep - all depends on where you’re at with the Lord. But for everyone, the Scriptures are our “daily bread,” and it needs to be greatly desired and wanted above all physical needs/necessities. When we sight/quote passages, or if capable - even paragraphs, chapters and entire books of the Bible to the Lord through prayer (whether out loud or within), many wonderful revelations can and will stream from that.
“Psalming the Scriptures” is also something unique to think about; where we can have a prayer style of worship and thanksgiving to the Lord by incorporating the scriptures through song. Music is used to help motivate these two types of prayer “whether from the music audibly heard in the background, music not heard – but from within, that The Lord and yourself connect most with. Or supernaturally, which is geared to the specific calling of a Psalmist: Where the Lord gives you melodies, notes, rhythms, styles directly from Heaven. And if you have that calling on your life, note how focused you would be - more so than other types of prayer. These two types of prayer are only intended to be focused on His written Word, with the hope of accelerating to new revelations… And this brings me to explain the results of having such a style in prayer…
Un-Compromised Passion
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” (Hebrews 12:1-4) Martyrs? At the time of their death, what feelings or desires do you think they have any more for this world? Absolutely none! During that point, and hopefully even before, their heart is all on Jesus; His will. “For wherever your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21) …. “I have food you know nothing about” … “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God.” (John 4:31—40)
To my surprise, Webster’s Dictionary honors the Lord’s suffering and death as being the first explanation of the word “passion.” It further defines this as a basic suffering and a passive condition… And also in regards to “feelings,” Ardent love (burning, fiery) … an eager desire … easily moved… intense. It wouldn’t be too difficult to figure out, that the Lord would have had to possess “strong, burning desires” for us, in order to die for us. Jesus had sincerity, a sincere strength to never allow “waters to quench.” Abhorred compromises and seductive bribes, His heart knew what He was doing, and the results of His vow never came back void.
Developing an un-ending passion for Jesus will be a result in prayer, if done with sincere dedication. And as I pondered His suffering, and meditated on the scriptures in the Song of Song’s, a metamorphosis needs to be real in our lives. A passion that has no fear or shame or awkwardness in hearing and doing His will. For this will prove that “we have passed from death to life… we know what real love is because Jesus gave up His life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters (1st John 3:11-17)” … “Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the Day of Judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love (1st John 4:16-21).”... When you observe the woman’s behavior in the “Song of Song’s,” it “seems” that her heart is only on her bridegroom. And that she could “possibly” care less if someone stole everything else she had, as long as she was with the one she loved. “I am my beloveds, and my beloved is mine.”
Connection
”Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—for your love is more delightful than wine.” … ”Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest, is my beloved among the young men.” … “Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, its jealousy as enduring as the grave. Love flashes like fire, the brightest kind of flame. Many waters cannot quench love, nor can rivers drown it. If a man tried to buy love with all of his wealth, his offer would be utterly scorned.” (Song of Songs)
Agreement to His will/purpose is most important … and “appropriate” attraction to that will is needed, in order to stay completely focused. Apostle John and Queen Esther have been revealed to us as being “brides of Christ,” and their books/stories confirm that revelation: “Peter, turning around, *saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper…”
“Before each young woman was taken to the kings palace, she was given the prescribed twelve months of beauty treatments…When it was time for her to go into the kings palace, she was given her choice of whatever clothing or jewelry she wanted to take… Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai who had taken her as his daughter, came to go in to the king, she did not request anything except what Hegai, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the women, advised. And Esther found favor in the eyes of all who saw her.” Encouraging you all to have these scriptures and stories in your mind while you pray – Allowing God to reveal to you what these scriptures mean and how He desires you to fulfill them in your life.
Think of the people who you connect most with, and ask yourself, “Why do I connect most with them? And why can I communicate well with them?” Prayer is communication. Webster describes the word “communicate” as to share in common, to partake, to impart, to convey, to make known, to give, to recount, to commune, to converse, to interchange. Conversations would dwindle away, if one or both of the communicators had no or lost interest/or began to dis-agree with the other. For it is the “pleasantness and satisfactions one would have to possess in order to stay connected.” Even if you or the other person seems to be speaking the most, the connection that your heart needs to obtain is what makes a conversation real, and not necessarily the spoken words. For this confirms how close or far away we are from the Lord. The more we believe, trust, and obey His Word, the more connected and prayerful we are. “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.” (John 3:18-20)
This scripture explains thus: If we are living in sin, we will be ashamed to converse with the Lord, for we know that He will never accept the prayers of the un-repentant. If we are sliding away from our calling/ and or His commandments, speaking with Him is impossible. Distractions of any kind would never prevail if your heart and desirers stay in His will. No sin would separate, no person can deviate, and no circumstance can or will “ever separate you from the LOVE of God which is found in Christ Jesus our Lord.” … “For wherever your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21). For its life threatening for one to approach God without the “intention” on being cleansed: deception can overtake your mind with receiving or seeing or encountering something that is not from the Lord - like the earth approaching “such and such” closer to the sun; it will be burned to ashes. And also, it is hypocritical to shy away from what God is calling you to do – for the heart will become shamefully hard; like rock: Like the earth moving “such and such” farther away from the sun; it will freeze to death.
Healing
The Lord says, “Not everyone, but the majority of all who were present at the crucifixion, repented of their sins.”
”As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life.” …“We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and you; intercede with the Lord, that He may remove the serpents from us.” And Moses interceded for the people. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.” And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.” … “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on Me, on Him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for Him…” (Zechariah 12:10)
And this is my concluding result of what happens during sincere prayer: Breakthroughs, Healings, and Deliverances; relief, peace, assurance and rest. Desire and Long to see Him, thirst for Him like a deer searching for water (Psalm 42:1)…panting for life. Search for your healing and deliverance through His blood and sacrifice. Remember Him… remember what He has done – for there was a day that victory has won!
Closing
Hopefully this article helped you in many or even in few ways. Blessings to all of you in your lives with our Lord. And may He increase you and always be with you. This journey with the Lord can be difficult at times, but every part is well worth it. Thanks be to God and the Lord Jesus Christ!
“Is there an illustration of what commitment looks like? A picture of what love can display? You accept prayers that are honest, prayers that remain demanding as the grave. Though all can be different, and have many features to its tongue - all should be placed on Your alter, as a sacrifice to the Holy One. You have impressed my fingers against the strings of a guitar, against the instrument perfecting praise. With great pain will come beautiful music, with great agony will come the sight of Your face.”
- The Preserved One