MESSAGE ON PRAYER - Part III

Accompaniments to prayer

“So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water: But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?” (Jonah 3:5-9; p. 944).

No record that Jonah asked them to fast or do any other of these things. They were impelled by their own conscience. It was natural for them to do these things. Joel said,

“Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God. Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and cry unto the Lord” (Joel 1:13-14; p. 931).

Joel told them to do this – not just fast, but solemn assembly – to show their true intent and seriousness.

“Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning” (Joel 2:12; p. 932).

Many other cases. But not as a ritual or to show how good you are. Jesus said,

“Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly” (Matthew 6:16-18; p. 1002).

Not to do works, or to show off (earlier in the chapter, do your giving in secret. This is why we put in our envelopes upside down.)

Luther did a great deal of fasting and prayer before he was saved by simple faith in Christ.

“O daughter of my people, gird thee with sackcloth, and wallow thyself in ashes: make thee mourning, as for an only son, most bitter lamentation: for the spoiler shall suddenly come upon us.” (Jeremiah 6:26; p. 779). CC explain context.

“And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes” (Daniel 9:3; p. 913).

Daniel was serious about his prayers.

Sackloth (humble clothes) and ashes represent an attitude of the heart.

“And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes” (Psalm 61:1-3; p. 627).

“This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles” (Psalm 34:6; p. 614).

“Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared” (Hebrews 5:7; p. 1295). Focus on how Christ prayed in Gethesmane

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-8; p. 1260).

“Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications: In thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness” (Psalm 143:1; p. 668).

Supplicate means to pray humbly and seriously.

Serious prayer may take time.

Luke 18:1-5; p. 1100

“And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me” (Luke 18:1-5).

I Samuel 1:9 – Hannah; p. 319

“So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the Lord. And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore. And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head. And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli marked her mouth. Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee. And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord. Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto. Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him. And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad. And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the Lord, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the Lord remembered her. Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the Lord” (I Samuel 1:9-20).

How long did she pray? More than a single day – probably for months or years. She meant it.

All those things are turbocharging your prayer – making it real and powerful.

Actually, doing these things such as fasting does not guarantee an answer. That’s getting the order backwards! Don’t do these things as power recitations. It is the strong desire of your heart that can lead you to do these things. That’s the right order, the right way!

Examples from American history:

Colonists declared Days of Prayer during droughts, Indian attacks and threats from other nations. Edward Winslow’s record of the Pilgrims’ experiences, reprinted in Alexander Young’s Chronicles of the Pilgrims (Boston, 1841), stated: “Drought and the like considerations moved not only every good man privately to enter into examination with his own estate between God and his conscience, and so to humiliation before Him, but also to humble ourselves together before the Lord by Fasting and Prayer.”

1746. Colonies not independent. The First Great Awakening was recent. War with France.

A notable Day of Prayer was in 1746, when French Admiral d’Anville sailed for New England, commanding the most powerful fleet of the time – 70 ships with 13,000 troops. He intended to recapture Louisburg, Nova Scotia, and destroy from Boston to New York, all the way to Georgia. Massachusetts Governor William Shirley declared a Day of Prayer and Fasting, October 16, 1746, to pray for deliverance.

In Boston’s Old South Meeting House, Rev. Thomas Prince prayed “Send Thy tempest, Lord, upon the water...scatter the ships of our tormentors!” Historian Catherine Drinker Bowen related that as he finished praying, the sky darkened, winds shrieked and church bells rang “a wild, uneven sound...though no man was in the steeple.”

A hurricane subsequently sank and scattered the entire French fleet. With 4,000 sick and 2,000 dead, including Admiral d’Anville, French Vice-Admiral d’Estournelle threw himself on his sword. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote in his Ballad of the French Fleet:

“Admiral d’Anville had sworn by cross and crown, to ravage with fire and steel our helpless Boston Town...From mouth to mouth spread tidings of dismay, I stood in the Old South Church saying humbly: ‘Let us pray!’...Like a potter’s vessel broke, the great ships of the line, were carried away as smoke or sank in the brine.”

[Aside: Yes, our country was built on fasting and prayer. Yes, it had a Christian foundation.]

Serious prayer calls for serious actions.

The greatest enemy in our church is apathy – lack of care and effort.

The word means “lack of interest, enthusiasm or concern.” That’s what we have.

That’s why we don’t have fasting or real prayer.

No real interest, hence no activity to go with it.

Lost people here have no interest and no desire and no concern about being saved.

The Christians here have little or no interest in real prayer, in soulwinning, in seeing a growing church. You may stay, and that is good. You may do a job here, and that is good. You may enjoy it here, and that is good. But you can do all these things in apathy, without interest or concern.

Yes, we had a bad split that hurt all of us. But that was six years ago. Let’s get over that. Let’s live. Let’s care. Let’s work. And let’s pray.