And being in agony, he prayed more intensely; and her sweat was like great drops of blood falling to the ground. Luke 22:44
Well today is another day in the fall of civilization. Living through the fall of civilization, people are also living through the fall of institutions.
Financial institutions are failing.
Industrial institutions are failing.
Local business institutions are failing.
Religious institutions are failing.
And, what is worse, the institution of the family is failing.
Today it is worse than the fall of an empire because when civilization falls, all the empires on earth fall as well.
If you read Bible prophecy, you know that eventually the collapse of civilization as we know it is going to happen totally and completely. From the ashes of the current civilization will rise a dictator the likes of which the world has never seen. He will usher in a ‘New World Order’ of control and terror so fierce it will make Hitler look like a kindergarten bully. For those who know that the Bible is true and without error, there is no doubt that this time of trouble will come just as predicted.
Meanwhile, we watch the world traveling down the road to hell as if the inhabitants were going on a Sunday picnic.
Christians see this happening and see nothing that can be done about it. It will happen eventually, whether in our lifetime or not. This makes it more difficult for us to pray. We cannot stop what God has predicted will happen.
However, no insight is given to humanity regarding exactly who will take what the world has to offer and who will reject the world and turn to Christ. We must earnestly pray for the salvation of the lost. We know that one day there will be a great battle called the ‘battle of Armageddon’. On that day, the loss of life will be so great that the blood of the dead will reach the reins of the horses. The good news is that for everyone saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, there will be 5 or 6 liters of blood less in that valley. Regardless of whether the battle comes in our lifetime or not, every soul saved means one less soul in the devil’s realm for eternity.
Here we are. The end of this era is near. What should be the Christian’s game plan? In short, we are to do what Christians have done since the time of Christ. We must follow the example of Jesus Christ.
Very near the end of Christ’s life, He gives us an example of what to do in a situation where what appears to be a tragedy is about to happen. Tragically, I don’t really see a change in world politics and society as a whole. new Christ his life was about to end in a brutal way. He knew that the One who knew no sin was going to be made sin. (2 Corinthians 5:21) Of course Jesus knew that neither death nor sin could hold him permanently, but knowing what he was about to endure still put him in agony, in addition to the agony for lost souls that brought him to the land in the first place. Even a mother who longs for the birth of her baby does not long for the actual physical agony of giving birth. (If she does, she’s crazy!)
So great was the agony of Jesus Christ that it caused His body to sweat blood. How did Jesus endure such anguish? He prayed more fervently than before! Let me repeat that. When the agony of the spirit is such that his body responds by sweating blood, Jesus prayed with more fervor than before.
Because Jesus is God, He knows and always has known the names of every human being alive on earth. He knows the names of those who live now, those who lived in ages past, and those yet to be born. Jesus knows more than his names. He knows them personally, as He created them. His agony was not only for his suffering, but for all the people in the world. Through his death He gave the gift of eternal life to all who believed in Him. Jesus endured this agony because He loved humanity. He endured the agony of the cross for you and me.
You and I cannot know the names of all the people on earth. We can know the names, and even the faces, of many people. But, in reality we only have a passing knowledge of so many people. We know our own families. To a lesser degree, we know the people we work with and attend church with. We know some of the people in the community in which we live. Of these people, there are only a handful that we love so much that their actions or suffering can put us in agony. A parent, child, spouse, or other close relative has the power to put us in agony of spirit through their sinful or harmful actions, or tragedy in their lives.
The human response to pain so great that it causes agony of spirit is first to cry until there are no more tears, and then to get angry with someone. To do this is to give way to the devil. We must follow the example of Christ. When we are in agony of spirit we must pray more fervently!
In a sermon, Billy Sunday tells this story about a fervent prayer by John Knox.
‘John Knox, whom his queen feared more than any other man, was in such an agony of prayer that he ran out into the street and fell on his face and cried, “Oh, God, give me Scotland or I shall die.” And God gave him Scotland, and not only that, but he also gave him England. (http://www.biblebelievers.com/billy_sunday/sun16.html)
John Knox was just a man. In his agony over the lost condition of his beloved country, he prayed most fervently.
In the same sermon, Billy Sunday also says: ‘If the people in the church do the right thing, the whole world will do it. The world is challenging the church instead of the church challenging the world.’
I don’t know if everyone will ‘get right’ (right with God), but I do know that SOME will get right with God. On the day of judgment, those who turn from evil to the God of salvation will rejoice that someone points them to Jesus Christ.
I also believe that the power of prayer in a church begins with the individual who, being in agony for someone or even something, prays more fervently.
So, you may be wondering, how can I pray more fervently?
First, you must be praying to the God of your salvation. That means you must be sure that you have sincerely gone to God the Father through Jesus Christ the Son. You must be able to say truthfully and sincerely: ‘The blood of Jesus Christ has atoned for my sins. By faith, I know that I have been accepted and that I am eternally saved.’
Second, you must go to God with a clean heart. That means you have confessed all your known sins and turned from them.
Third, you must go to God with meekness, understanding that you cannot obtain your heart’s desire through your own merit, since in reality you have none. You have no merit, none at all. Being meek is taking the pressure of the outcome of anything off your own shoulders and putting it on God’s shoulders. Do not mistakenly think that to be meek is to be a doormat. Moses was meek, but he was not afraid to speak directly to the king of Egypt. Actually, the more meek you are with God, the better your chances of success in everything you attempt. (I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13)
Fourth, you must go to God boldly. (Hebrews 4:16) You should not approach God with arrogance, but rather with the boldness that comes with knowing that you are commanded to boldly go to God. You are well within the bounds of proper behavior and attitude toward God when you approach Him according to instructions. You don’t have to crawl to talk to Him, like you have no right to be there. Go boldly as you were directed to do.
Fifth, you must pray fervently and with great intensity, asking the Holy Spirit to guide you in what to say. (Romans 8:26-27) If you don’t even know how to start a prayer, let it start with a request that God send the Holy Spirit from him to teach you how to pray on the matter and create in your heart. an intensity and a fervor that will awaken the heart of God to answer his prayer.
Sixth, ask that someone else be given the same burden that has been given to you, whether it be the salvation of a lost loved one, the healing of an illness for you or a loved one, peace between loved ones, or the brothers in faith, or even some material gain. . (Matthew 18:19)
Seventh, continue in prayer. (Luke 18:1-7) Prayers are not answered because those ‘prayed to’ get tired of doing good. They stop praying for a particular blessing because they have grown tired of doing good! In Galatians 6:9 we are told: ‘Therefore let us not grow weary of doing good; because in due time we will reap, if we do not fail’.
Remember James 5:16b which says: ‘The effective prayer of the righteous can do much.’ I paraphrase that verse to encourage myself by saying, ‘continuous and passionate prayer by a believer gets results!’
Also remember that nothing is impossible with God. Just as you care about the little things your child needs and wants, God cares about all of his needs and wants. He has the time and means to answer the biggest sentences, like ‘give me Scotland or I die’. He has the time and means to answer even prayer that may seem unimportant to everyone but you.
Don’t get tired of doing good. Keep praying. In God’s time you will reap if you don’t give up. I love Billy Sunday’s quote about John Knox’s prayer for Scotland. Silly Sunday said that God gave him
Scotland and shot in England to boot. It is possible that his prayer will not only be answered, but he may also get something more wonderful than what he originally asked for.
Consider yourself in permanent KP – keep praying!