Nancy Taylor Tate
The testimony of Sister Dabney, a lady who “prayed through” is shared in a tract, “What It Means to Pray Through,” published by the Free Tract Society. Her story begins in a church building almost empty; three and one half years later, she describes gatherings marked by the fragrance of the Lord as she stands on the balcony, watching people coming from all directions for early morning prayer. In her writing she says, “Preaching is good. Teaching essential. But praying is the secret.” Maybe this is why the disciples said in Luke 11:1, “Lord, teach us to pray!”
When praying, there is no power in mere words alone. However, reading a prayer given to us by another can be effective — if it touches something within us, going from our heart to our heavenly Father’s. Whether a song or a prayer or another expression, it is that which comes from the heart that touches God’s heart. In the Amplified Bible, James 5:16 speaks of “earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer.” It is the fervent, heartfelt prayer of a righteous man that avails much.
I love to listen to scripture; as I hear it or later meditate on what I’ve heard, prayers often come. How wonderful to hold God’s word in our hearts as we talk to our Heavenly Father! At times, I experience the same flow of prayer while listening to anointed teaching, especially if it is a teaching I have heard before. I find myself praying into the truths being shared, as my spiritual understanding is enlarged and anointing is flowing through my spirit.
There are many examples of the effectiveness of continued prayer in scripture. May we, too, be ones who not only pray, but continue in prayer. As we pray, may we also remember to make room for quiet times with the Lord, listening prayer, that there might come an impartation of His heart into our heart, a deeper revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ, where not only do we express our thoughts, but we listen to His.
Luke 18:1 says “men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” I remember Hattie Hammond saying, “Pray, or you will faint!” The life of Christ shows a pattern of spending time apart in prayer. He trained His disciples in the same way. We, too, must make room in our lives for quality times apart in the Lord’s presence if we are going to have spiritual strength and vigor.
An old Nigerian saying I once heard: “You can’t put a load on a running donkey!” How busy we can become! Yet today, the Lord is looking for those who will spend quality time with Him, making room for an impartation of spiritual substance, the very life of the Lord Jesus Christ, within our lives.
We are living in a very critical time. We are at a tipping point — politically, socially, economically. How we need an outpouring of the Holy Spirit to touch hearts today! There is much need for prayer — prayer not only to sustain us, but to touch the hearts of others. May I encourage you, in your times with the Lord, to ask even as I do, “Lord, help me to pray!”