Seeking Jesus First - June 10, 2023

Pray through…

When I was growing up in an Assembly of God church in Texas, our pastors and the older believers would talk about “praying through”.

What does it mean? How do we do it?

The simplest way to explain “praying through” is praying until there is a sense of breakthrough or joy. It is can be marked by joy and laughter or by a song or spiritual song springing up on the inside or even by an overwhelming sense of peace or release. There is a sense of victory and completion and increased faith.

“What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.” (1 Corinthians 14:15, NKJV)

“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” (Romans 8:26, NKJV)

This morning, I started praying with the spirit and with the understanding, mainly for the nation and for my church and family. I prayed in an unknown tongue and I prayed in my natural understanding as Holy Spirit gave me utterance and understanding. It lasted for quite some time, maybe thirty minutes.

I cast all my anxieties on The LORD and I prayed believing that He would hear and answer me. When it comes to our nation, especially, I don’t know how to pray. I prayed with the spirit and here are some of the words of understanding that came to me to pray. I prayed for revival to sweep across the land from east to west - a wave of the blood of Jesus to bring our nation to repentance and into His righteousness. I prayed that Jesus would judge our nation and remove wickedness from our government. I prayed that He would exalt the righteous.

As I prayed with the spirit, I just listened and decreed and prayed out what came into my heart. There were confessions of the word and claiming of promises. Then I started praying in an unknown tongue with a sound and language that was totally unfamiliar for a few minutes. Then I just began to laugh. I wasn’t trying. I felt silly. My boys were in the room playing games and eating. But joy just bubbled up and I began to laugh and give thanks to God. An overwhelming joy and peace flooded me and I felt heat cover my body.

This experience is not unique to me. I know of multitudes of this type of testimony in prayer.  People who do not use unknown tongues when they pray also experience this type of joy in the presence of God.

Prayer is personal communication with God. Bobby Conner says that Jesus told him that prayer is an audience with the king. Have you ever met someone that you admired, loved or highly respected? How did you feel when you met them in person? What was it like to experience their close presence? To look into their face and embrace or shake hands in greeting?

Why would you not expect to experience something with God when you come into His Presence?

We don’t need to “feel” something to believe in God. But God is real. And His Presence is real. God is love. God is peace. God is light. God is life. God is a rewarder of those who seek Him diligently. His Holy Spirit dwells with us and in us and we KNOW Him. KNOW is experiential knowledge. We can’t say we know Him if we have not experienced Him.

Well, pray through.

Someone came up with the acronym P U S H - Pray Until Something Happens.

Prayer is not a duty on a checklist.

• Get up
• Make coffee
• Water the plants
• Read the Bible
• Pray

This takes relationship out of it. Can you imagine a checklist that included, “Say good morning to the person I love the most.”?

Prayer is conversation with Your Father and with Your Brother Who just happens to be king. They love you the most. They promised to protect and care for you. They want to be in “best friends” category with you. But they won’t intrude or force you. They love you too much for that. (I think they do nudge us quite a bit though. LOL)

Try it today. Pray through.