Almost all of us were swept with fear when our friend and brother bid us to go. He said that his work is finished and the time to depart draws near. He had been as prayerful as during the first time I saw him. He did not pray with any structure nor did he pray with highfaluting words, it was as if Jesus was conversing with His Father again. He prayed for his disciples to be strong and to know the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He prayed for strength, joy and the courage to face his enemies; that he may serve Him to the end without fearing any of his enemies.

His prayers were short but the times of his devotion could be as long as a day. Some preachers weary the soul of their congregation by praying in a pretense to impress their audience. They have more in line with the Pharisees than with Jesus whose recorded prayers in public in the Scriptures could be as short as “Father, glorify thy son, that Thy son also may glorify Thee” (John 17:1 KJV). By this we are not discouraging those who are praying out of the unction of the Holy Spirit but this is often the exception rather than the rule, as God’s Word clearly proves.

Prayers that avail answers

Make too long a prayer in the pulpit and no one will even invite you to pray during dinner! Short prayers are the mark of God’s messengers from the Old and the New Covenants when speaking in public. Others which are private and done during their devotions are often long, the words of a lover passionately in loved to his Beloved need not to be counted. My conversation with my wife does not have to be a formal one because I know her. I do not need to come before her and recite a prayer to her so that she will know my needs.

We know each other. We can talk for as long as we want. But in public, we rarely do that or plead with each other for one hour or even thirty minutes. In short, you have to fit your prayers according to its function. If Peter had prayed longer than 3 seconds at the time he walked with Jesus on the lake, he could have drowned. Or if Elijah prayed for more than one hour or two just to light the fire of the sacrifice, the people could have left and simply run to do their chores. Yet he prayed and his prayer can be uttered in less than a minute, “O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and I have done all these things at Your word. “Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that You, O LORD, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again” (1 Kings 18:36-37).

The prayers which brought remarkable responses from Heaven were like Elijah’s: brief and to the point. Arthur W. Pink reminds us that “No soul is heard because of the multitude of his words, but only when his petitions come from the heart, are prompted by a longing for God’s glory, and are presented in childlike faith.”  The Lord does not hear you for your words but your heart that converses with Him. The soul that bends and draws near to receive His grace keeps the eyes of heaven attentive to their prayers. Again let us hear the words of a wise man, “Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few” (Ecclesiastes 5:2). Prayer preserves the agitated soul, brings peace to the anxious and nurtures the weak and the weary. It is like the fuel that causes thermonuclear reactions in the sun, causing it to burn bright and continuously. It is the lifeline of a Christian.

A burning light

True light shines with the brightness of the morning sun, it dispels the darkness of the dawn and brings with it heat to warm up the surface of the earth. Until Jesus has not started His ministry, John was the morningstar who shone brightly and gave light to the people who were all sitting under cover of darkness. They all knew that John is a prophet sent from God; his words manifest the life-giving force that all His previous prophets bore as a sign from God. Even when Elisha was dead, his bones gave life to a man who was apparently dead and thrown into the pit.

The lives of men and women who died to give life on earth still speak and even give life to empower the limbs that are weak, the heart that is already faltering and the mind that has lost its purpose to despair. Finding such men and women are not hard to do because they still bear His Words and His demeanor into this world. They are sent to prepare His way, to help others find their purpose and to equip them to find the path to everlasting life. It does feel sometimes that we are alone, bereaving that if there was any righteous person left on earth, they are the dead ones, the saints who have gone into their rewards. But do not be fooled for one moment, because just as He walked this earth before, He has continuously walked on it by His Spirit and through His Church.

All our imperfections have been covered by the blood of the Lamb but the grace and power to walk in the newness of life must be applied into our lives. Rarely does God simply pours out His grace upon a person without him first desiring to walk and be perfect like His Father above. Without desire and the will to walk with God in the newness of life, His blood is trampled by those who think lightly about it. God’s grace is precious and it cannot be mixed with sensuality and the demonic; it cannot cohabit with the externalities of the earth. If you want the infusion of His grace, walk then according to His path and castaway everything that tries to hinder you.

The greatest triumph on this earth is not to have conquered Mt. Everest or to have built a city, it is in having mastered yourself. Only those who have done violence to themselves, to their love of this world can be granted this lofty position. Almost every vice in this world has its roots laid deep in selfish ambition and interests and when this is vanquished, great peace and quiet follows. It was stated by the Lord that those who forsake their lives shall gain it and those who seek to save theirs will lose it. If you want to gain a life that is full, a life that is abundant, seek to serve the interests of others first, seek to subdue your unrighteous desires and it will be easier to gain heavenly light.

Overcoming selfish love

I was still wondering what had just happened to one who has given himself entirely to God’s will. He had subdued his own ambitions to pursue his calling without restraint. Yet he was not immune also to the arrest of an evil man. John was still preaching before the people when the banner of Herod and his sentry coursed their way in the middle, forcing many men and women to give way. “You are under arrest,” said the guard. “On what basis?” The prophet asked the guard. You are to appear before King Herod. John cautioned us not to resist, and all the people who witnessed that day felt as if all their hope had been dashed to pieces.

They have pinned all their hopes to the harbinger of truth and peace. They could not accept that the work of the Baptist had just been sealed by the offended fox in the palace. After this happened most of the multitudes dispersed and felt complete sadness. Not every one of his disciples attended to him. Some followed. Others went back home to till their vineyards. We followed the Baptist in the dungeon of Herod. It was dark and only a small window lit his room. I felt sadness come into my heart; almost all of us were overcome by grieving as we saw the master imprisoned. Then I heard the voice of the Lord speaking to me, “My child do not grieve for what happened to John. Do not rob him of his destiny. Just as there are men and women I have called to die for me in this manner, it is My Way of honoring them. Those who have lived for me in this world have died to it. Death is just a window for them to join Me in paradise. When you see others die for me, do not proclaim fear but proclaim courage to them for I have come to strengthen the hearts of those who have given their lives for Me.

“If your love for Me is growing each day, do not fear death because I have conquered the sting of death in Calvary. Commit your whole heart to me, all your desires and everything that you possess and you do not need to worry for your life.  Do not be consumed with foolish pursuits that only end up to nothing.  If you seek this or that, if you wish to be in this place or that place, to have more ease and pleasure, you will never find rest or be free from care because there is always some imperfections in everything and everywhere. Do not desire earthly riches that perish with sword, famine, disease and corruption but desire My heavenly riches that no sword, famine, disease or corruption can destroy.

“Do not desire to be somebody or to be honored by men because all these things pass away. But if you have one ambition in mind, it is to seek to be more fully founded in Me. I am the Rock of the Ages, the Life that gives breath to all living things. Even the breath of My enemies come from Me. You will have rest when true fervor and love motivates your desire, then you can do all things without hindrance. Love overcomes all. All the saints who overcame in the ages have one thing in common-they loved Me even to their last breath.”