CRY UNTO
THE LORD
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Exposition Luke 18:1-­‐5 1 “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; 2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: 3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. 4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; 5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.” 6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. 7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? 8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? [ Greek Lexicon #994 boao {bo-­‐ah’-­‐o} 1. to raise a cry, of joy or pain etc. 2. to cry, speak with a high, strong voice 3. to cry to one for help, to implore his aid.] 1
Hebrews 5:6,7 “As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. 7. Who in the days of his flesh, when he 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;” [Crying-­‐2896—cry, crying, clamour, a crying, outcry, clamour, derivative from the above #2896] [Prayer by Jesus-­‐ 1. Need, indigence : a level of poverty in which real hardship and deprivation are suffered and comforts of life are wholly lacking. Synonym see POVERTY, want, privation, penury. 2. a seeking, asking, entreating, entreaty to God or to man] also from #1189 deomai {deh’-­‐om-­‐ahee} pray, beseech, make request, 1. To want, lack 2. To desire, long for 3. To ask, beg i.e. the thing asked for, and to pray, make supplications.] Tears from Jesus-­‐ omitted in orig. but means tear, a tear, weep, to weep, shed tears. Jesus did not pray with just words. He cried vehemently with tears when He prayed. Jesus lamented over Jerusalem (Mathew 23:37). He prayed with vehement cries and tears (Hebrews 5:7). The results are so great that cannot be numbered. Romans 8:15 “For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but you have received the Spirit of Adoption, whereby we CRY, Abba, Father.” (Cry. #2896 krazo [krad’-­‐zo] -­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐cry, cry out 1. To croak: of the cry of a raven; hence, to cry out, cry aloud, to cry or pray for vengeance 2. To cry i.e. cry out aloud, speak with a loud voice, vociferate (to utter something or cry out loudly and vehemently, especially in protest; 1. To exclaim loudly and forcefully. 2. To shout or cry in a loud voice; to bawl. , clamour Noun 1.clamour -­‐ loud and persistent outcry from many people; "he ignored the clamor of the crowd" Clamoring, clamouring, hue and cry, clamor Cry, outcry, shout, vociferation, yell, call -­‐ a loud 2
utterance; often in protest or opposition; "the speaker was interrupted by loud cries from the rear of the audience" Verb1.clamour -­‐ utter or proclaim insistently and noisily; Clamor Give tongue to, utter, express, verbalize, verbalize -­‐ articulate; either verbally or with a cry, shout, or noise; "She expressed her anger"; "He uttered a curse" 2.clamour -­‐ make loud demands; "he clamored for justice and tolerance" Clamor Demand -­‐ request urgently and forcefully; "The victim's family is demanding compensation"; "The boss demanded that he be fired immediately"; "She demanded to see the manager" Galatians 4:6 “ And because you are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” [Crying-­‐same as above] Samuel Chadwick “Great grief prays with great earnestness. Prayer is not a collection of balanced phrases; it is the pouring out of the soul. What is love if it be not fiery? What are prayers if the heart be not ablaze? They are the battles of the soul. In them men wrestle with principalities and powers... "The prayer that prevails is not the work of lips and fingertips. It is the cry of a broken heart and the travail of a stricken soul." CHARLES FINNEY “Sometimes I would find myself, in a great measure, empty of this power. I would go out and visit, and find that I made no saving impression. I would exhort and pray, with the same result. I would then set apart a day for private fasting and prayer, fearing that this power had departed from me, and would inquire anxiously after the reason of this apparent emptiness. After humbling myself, and crying out for help, the power would return upon me with all its freshness. This has been the experience of my life. And Jesus answered and said unto him, what would thou that I should do unto thee?"(Mark 10:51; Luke 18:41). The blind man had been crying out loud repeatedly, "Thou Son of David, have mercy on me." The cry had reached the ear of the Lord. He knew what the man wanted and was ready to grant it to him. But before He did it, He asked him, "What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?" He wanted to hear 3
not only the general petition for mercy, but the distinct expression of what the man's desire was that day. Until he verbalized it, he was not healed. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear me. -­‐ David, Psalm 55:17 The crowd rebukes the noisy clamour of Bartimaeus. Despite the seeming unconcern of our Lord, however, and despite the rebuke of an impatient and quick-­‐tempered crowd, the blind beggar still cries, and increases the loudness of his cry, until Jesus is impressed and moved “Then shalt thou call and the Lord shall hear” Lord, help me!" Caananite Woman: Fervourless prayer has no heart in it; it is an empty thing, an unfit vessel. Heart, soul, and life, must find place in all real praying. Heaven must be made to feel the force of this crying unto God. At first, Jesus appears to pay no attention to her agony, and ignores her cry for relief. He gives her neither eye, nor ear, nor word. Silence, deep and chilling, greets her impassioned cry. But she is not turned aside, nor disheartened. She holds on. This last cry won her case; her daughter was healed in the self-­‐same hour. Hopeful, urgent, and unwearied, she stays near the Master, insisting and praying until the answer is given. What a study in importunity, in earnestness, in persistence, promoted and propelled under conditions which would have disheartened any but an heroic, a constant soul. Robert Murray McCheyne “God's children should pray. They should cry day and night to Him. God hears every one of your cries in the busy hour of the daytime and in the lonely watches of the night.” PRAYER, without fervor, stakes nothing on the issue, because it has nothing to stake. It comes with empty hands. Hands, too, which are listless, as well as empty, which have never learned the lesson of clinging to the Cross. Fervor less prayer has no heart in it; it is an empty thing, an unfit vessel. Heart, soul, and life, must find place in all real praying. Heaven must be made to feel the force of this crying unto God. 4
Wellington Boone "The prayer that sparks revival begins long before the countryside seems to awaken from its slumber in sin. It starts when men fall on their knees and cry out to God. That's where true intimacy with God takes place and we begin the journey of being transformed into the image of Christ. And as men are transformed, the course of a nation can be changed." Isaiah 62: 6,7 “I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence, 7. And give Him no rest, till he establish, and till He make Jerusalem a praise in all the earth.” Isaiah looked forward with hopeful eyes to the day when religion would flourish, when there would be times of real praying. When those times came, the watchmen would not abate their vigilance, but cry day and night, and those, who were the Lord's remembrancers, would give Him no rest. Their urgent, persistent efforts would keep all spiritual interests engaged, and make increasing drafts on God's exhaustless treasures. Ye that are the Lord's remembrancers, cease not to cry unto Him. If the judge avenged the unfortunate widow, shall not God avenge his own elect, who cry day and night? It is recorded of our Lord that He prayed early and late, and all night. He prayed when He was about to be transfigured; for his disciples; in the Garden of Gethsemane; and for his murderers. “Cry unto me” says the Lord Isaiah 62: 1-­‐7 Watchfulness and Restlessness; the true Spirit of prayer. This passage formed the essential vision for a prayer community organized in the 1700, in a part of Germany called Moravia. Known as the Moravians, they christened their community HernHutt, meaning “The Lord’s Watch,” establishing a 24-­‐hour prayer vigil that lasted over 100 years! Isaiah called such intercessors “Watchman, A local pastor, Christian Winter, and his son, Martin, talked about the history of Herrnhut and the incredible things that happened there. In 1722, persecuted believers from Moravia sought and received permission to encamp on the estate of a wealthy, young nobleman known for his 5
devotion to God, Count Nikolaus Ludwig Zinzendorf. In short order, the Moravians numbered in the hundreds. By 1727 the little community was experiencing some discord. Zinzendorf called them to prayer. The Holy Spirit fell in conviction and the Moravians continued to pray continuously for the next one hundred years! The 100 year prayer meeting brought unity, a passion to share the gospel with all people, prophetic utterances, great healings, and a transformed social structure. his love feast at Fetter Lane was a memorable one. Besides about sixty Moravians, there were present not fewer than seven of the Oxford Methodists, namely John and Charles Wesley, George Whitefield, Wesley Hall, Benjamin Ingham, Charles Kinchin and Richards Hitchins, all of the ordained clergymen of the Church of England. Wesley writes: "About three in the morning, as we were continuing instant in prayer, the power of God came mightily upon us, insomuch that many cried for exceeding joy, and many fell to the ground. As soon as we were recovered a little from that awe and amazement at the presence of His Majesty, we broke out with one voice "We praise Thee, O God; we acknowledge Thee to be the Lord!"George Whitefield said “It was the greatest New Year in his life”. When is the last time you prayed a travailing prayer? God is counting on us to cry out for the lost and the perishing people. There are two kinds of intercessors. There are those who pray and there are those who cry out to God. Only the desperate ones cry out. Are you desperate? When you cry unto the Lord, the Lord avenges speedily. God gives immediate attention to the people that cry out to God. 'And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them'? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily (Luke 18:7,8) Leonard Ravenhill “God doesn’t answer prayer, He answers desperate prayers.” DAVID LIVINGSTON " Wednesday, 24th, "Oh my God, never let me walk even in the green pastures, without thee! I feel glad to live as a pilgrim and stranger, and more, far more than before, I seek by prayer and strong crying in secret to see God glorified in the salvation of souls." 6
When we have no other escape routes, we have truly come to the place where the supernatural can take over. The problem we often have is that we have squeezed God out of being our only source of deliverance. Let us pray, watch God open the way, and bring forth our deliverance. Recently while talking with an intercessor that was struggling, I told her that God is taking intercessors deeper. He is preparing us for something significant. When you go deep with God, you have a lot more to give. Your prayers have a sound of urgency and authority. You pray from your heart because in the difficulty, you have received God's heart. Often barrenness in some area will bring forth strong travailing tears. God is looking for those who will not fall asleep at this critical hour in human history, but who will travail and bring to birth God's Kingdom purposes on earth. It is worth it to press in, travail, cry out, seek and passionately hunger after God. Travail brings forth birth. If God is taking you deeper and you feel barren in some area of your life experience, rise up in thanksgiving and say "thank you" to God for the cross. You are in a position for God to bring something to birth through your travailing prayer. Travail is a cry of desperation. "God's first requirement in ministry is barrenness. God looks for people who are incapable of producing life on their own, those who have come to the end of their own striving and honestly admit their true condition. Most of us, not wanting to bear this reproach, go around feigning 'life.' Our activities become the substitute for the anointing. Programs replace productivity and prayer. Life seems to abound everywhere, until one looks below the surface and realizes it's only a veneer -­‐ a form of godliness that lacks power. Why does God insist on barrenness as a prerequisite for blessing? Simply because no flesh can glory in it… God has to strip us first so that He alone is glorified." David Ravenhill "Millions of feeble, sickly Christians, thousands of wearied workers, could be blessed by intercession. Churches and missions sacrificing life and labor with little result often lack the power of intercession. Souls, each one worth more than worlds -­‐ worth nothing less than the price paid for them in Christ's blood -­‐ are within reach of the power that can be won by intercession. We surely have no conception of the magnitude of the work 7
to be done by God's intercessors, or we would cry to God above everything to give us a spirit of intercession." Andrew Murray "Go through the midst of the city, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof." (Ezek. 8:4). In the Life of Mr. Reginald Radcliffe, one who contributes reminiscence interjects a remark which deserves to be carefully pondered: "The great secret of the blessing which came from God to the awakening of whole districts, the quickening of Christians, and the salvation of multitudes, was prayer, continued, fervent, believing, and expectant. There was never anything striking in the addresses; but through communion with the living Christ, the word came forth with living and life giving power. Often would the forenoon be spent in continuous prayer." This may well convict some of us of the cause of our failure. We have expected the Lord to thunder and discomfort our Philistines, and with a great deliverance; but we have ceased to cry unto the Lord. Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden. ~ Corrie Ten Boom Groanings which cannot be uttered are often prayers which cannot be refused. ~ Spurgeon It is possible to move men, through God, by prayer alone. ~ Hudson Taylor To desire revival...and at the same time to neglect (personal) prayer and devotion is to wish one way and walk another. ~ A.W. Tozer Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our persons, but they are helpless against our prayers. ~ J. Sidlow Baxter 8
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