Look at Romans 8:27 And He who searches the hearts knows the Spirit’s mind-set, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
The Spirit is our prayer helper, sometime we just need to pray, but what are the words, what is the burden. Well the Spirit knows. This is of great encouragement for us mortal fallen human beings.
In Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints —
Wow, note the connection between the Word of God and prayer. So the Word of God is really import to our prayer life. More about that later.
The Bible is the Word of God. Few things can change your life for the better than the time you spend studying God’s Word. Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, said this of God’s wisdom, “13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. 14 For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. 15 She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. 16 Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.” Again in Proverbs 8:10-11 where wisdom personified is speaking, “Receive my instruction, and not silver, And knowledge rather than choice gold; For wisdom is better than rubies, And all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her.” Read those verses again! God’s wisdom is a treasure. Who doesn’t love the thought of going on a treasure hunt? If we knew the location of some buried treasure, we would spare no effort to find it. If we had to miss a meal or two while we dig for treasure—no problem! Job felt that way, “I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12b). Job didn’t just say God’s Word was more important to him than food but more important than his necessary food. Think about it! The importance of God’s Word wasn’t lost on Jeremiah either, “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and Thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart” (Jeremiah 15:16).
Its great to get prayer encouragement from others who have gone before, especially in the matter of prayer.
“Oh, will you pray? Stop now and pray, lest desire turn to feeling and feeling evaporate.” from Amy Carmichael.
Great quote, so what happens when we don’t pray, its seems the burden seems to disappear. Sometimes it comes back, sometime it does not. So we must pray when the Spirit gives us that little push from inside.
Think of the place God had in Moses’ life, as the God who had sent him, the God to whom he was totally devoted, the God who had promised to be with him, and who would and did always help him when he prayed.
Now for the practical application: How to learn to pray like Moses? We cannot secure this grace by an act of the will. Out first lesson must be the sense of impotence. Then grace will work it in us, slowly and surely, if we give ourselves into its training. But though the training will be gradual, there is one thing that can be done at once. We can at once decide to give ourselves to this life and take up the right position. Do this now. Take the decision, to LIVE ENTIRELY TO BE A CHANNEL FOR GOD’S BLESSING TO FLOW THROUGH YOU TO THE WORLD. TAKE THE STEP. If need be, take ten minutes for deliberate thought. Accept the Divine appointment, and take up some object of intercession.
Take time, say a week, and get firm hold on the elementary truths Moses’ example teaches. As a music teacher insists upon practicing the scales—only practice makes perfect. Set yourself to learn thoroughly and to apply the needed first lessons. God seeks men through whom He can bless the world. Say definitely, Here am I. I will give my life to this. Cultivate large faith in the simple truth: God hears prayer; God will do what I ask.
Give yourself wholly to men as to God, and set your eyes open to a sense of the need of a perishing world. Take your position in Christ, and in the power which His Name, and Life and Spirit give you, and go on practicing definite intercession.
These are quotes from The Inner Chamber by Andrew Murray.
Before Moses was the patriarchal dispensation with the family life, and the power the fathers had, marking it. Moses is the first man appointed to be a teacher and leader of men. In him we find wonderful illustrations of the place and power of intercession in the servant of God.
Moses’ Prayers—In Egypt, from his first call, Moses prayed. He asked God what he was to say to the people, 3:11-13. He told Him all his weakness, and besought Him to be relieved of his mission, 4:1-13. When the people reproached him that their burdens were increased, he went and told God, 5:22, and he made known to Him all his fears, 6:12. This was his first training. Out of this was born his power in prayer when, time after time, Pharaoh asked him to entreat the Lord for him, and deliverance came at Moses’ request (8:8-9, 12,
28-31; 9:28-29, 33; 10:17-18). Study these passages until you come under the full impression of how real a factor in Moses’ work and God’s redemption prayer was.
At the Red Sea, Moses cried to God with the people and the answer came (14:15). In the wilderness when the people thirsted, and when Amalek attacked them, it was also prayer that brought deliverance (17:4, 11).
At Sinai, when Israel made the Golden Calf, it was prayer that averted the threatened destruction, 32:11, and 14. It was renewed prayer that gained them restoration, 32:31. It was more prayer that secured God’s presence to go with them (33:17), and once again it was prayer that brought the revelation of God’s glory (33:19). And when that had been given it was fresh prayer that received the renewal of the covenant, 34:9-10.
In Deuteronomy we have a wonderful summary of all this, 9:18-20, 26. We see with what intensity he prayed, and how in one case it was for forty days and forty nights that he fell on his face before the Lord, 9:25; 10:10.
In Numbers we read of Moses’ prayer quenching the fire of the Lord, 11:2, and obtaining the supply of meat, 11:2, 11, of prayer healing Miriam, 12:13; of prayer again saving the nation when they refused to go into the land, 14:17-20. Prayer brought down judgment on Korah, 16:15, and when God would consume the whole congregation, prayer made atonement, 46. Prayer brought water out of the rock, 22:6, and in answer to prayer the brazen serpent was given, 21:7. To prayer God’s will was made known in the case of difficulty, 27:5, and Joshua given as Moses’ successor, 16.
Study all this until your whole heart is filled with the thought of the part prayer must play, may play, in the life of the man who would be God’s servant to his fellowmen.
As we study, the parts will unite into a living whole and Moses will be to us a living model for our prayer life. We shall learn what is needed to be an intercessor. The lessons that will come to us will be such as these:
I see Moses was a man given up to God, zealous, yea, zealous for God, for His honour and will.
These are quotes from The Inner Chamber by Andrew Murray.
I see Moses was a man given up to God, zealous, yea, zealous for God, for His honour and will. A man, too, absolutely given up to his people, ready to sacrifice himself, if they may be saved.
(The more one is given to God, the more prayers will be effective – Drew)
A man conscious of a Divine calling to act as mediator, to be the link, the channel of communication and blessing, between a God in heaven and men on earth. A life so entirely possessed by this mediatorial consciousness that nothing can be more simple and natural than to expect that God will hear.
I see here God in answer to the prayers of one man saves and blesses those He has entrusted to him, and does what He would not do without it. I see how the whole government of God has taken up prayer into its plan as one of its constituent parts. I see how heaven is filled with the life and power and blessing earth needs, and how the prayer of earth is the power to bring that blessing down.
I see above all how prayer is an index of the spiritual life, and how prayer depends upon my relation to God, and the consciousness of being His representative. He entrusts His work to me, and the more simple and entire my devotion to His interests are, the more natural and certain becomes the assurance that He hears me.
Think of the place God had in Moses’ life, as the God who had sent him, the God to whom he was totally devoted, the God who had promised to be with him, and who would and did always help him when he prayed.
These are quotes from The Inner Chamber by Andrew Murray.
The prayer race is not done till the burden is released. Sometimes this is an answer, sometimes an inward feeling God is taking care of this situation. But the last prayer is necessary, so don’t give up.
Notice Galatians 6:9 So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.
So keep praying, your in a race and prize is obtained when you finish the race. 1 Corinthian 9:24 Know ye not that they that run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? Even so run; that ye may attain.
In its the last lap or last mile that hurts, but that brings us to the finish line.
This passage is taken from a section in James about the example of Elijah in the Old Testament, and the passage takes us right into the New Testament.
Consider a person with a right standing before God because of faith in Christ. This person experiences daily cleansing of his sins through confession. This person because of their standing with God accomplishes much through their prayer. Notice that the verse does not indicate there will always be an answer, but in the believer much is accomplished towards conforming this person to the image of Christ.
Consider Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
These verse are just after the verses in prayer 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to God.