A Call to Prayer: They All Continued with One Accord in Prayer and Supplication (2)
Due to the lack of awareness of the significance of supplication in prayer to God, we discuss practical ways of supplication.
And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. (Acts 1:13-14, KJV)
And when the day of Pentecost was come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:1-4, KJV)
We have seen that we not only pray with one accord but also with supplication. We have also seen that supplication is our earnest shameless plea and entreaty to God in prayer, not our insistence nor the demand of our rights. Furthermore, we have seen that supplication is the key to effective praying with powerful results. We now want to look at some practical examples of supplication to God. How does supplication work in practical application?
The supplication of the man who wanted bread from his friend
Jesus used the illustration of the man who went to his friend for bread to show how supplication is made unto God (Luke 11:5-9). He went on to show how we give in to our children's requests and give good things to them (Luke 11:10-13). We have all been there. Your child pleads for something even after you have said "No". They start to say, in their characteristic begging mode: "Please mum", "Please dad", "Pretty please", and your heart melts. If it is not harmful to them, you will give in. And if it is dangerous or unhealthy, you will take the time to explain why they can't have what they are asking for as best as possible. You may even suggest possible alternatives they may ask for.
The man who wanted bread for his wayfaring guest in the parable Jesus told continued to beg even when it would have been demeaning to his person. But because he needed bread for his guest and knew he had come to the one person he could depend on to give it to him, he kept knocking and shamelessly at that.
Jesus then lets us know that God responds to our pleading as the friend of the man who needed bread responded, or as a father would respond to his child's request—not giving the child what is harmful, but what is good! God will give you whatever you ask, provided it is not against His will for you. Best of all, God will pour the Holy Spirit upon you if you ask with supplication. The Holy Spirit is the greatest and best gift anyone can ask for. The Holy Spirit knows the mind of God, implements God's plans, and does much more—indeed, for everything that heaven desires, He is the implementer. So, if you have the Holy Spirit, you have everything!
So, ask, seek, and knock until God gives you the Holy Spirit. As you keep asking, seeking, and knocking each day, God will keep filling you with the Holy Spirit daily!
The supplication of the widow before a judge who neither feared God nor man
In Luke 18:2-5, Jesus told the parable of the widow who went to a judge who feared neither God nor man. He noted that the widow was importunate. She was shameless in her request to the judge. She did not act as though everything was okay. She did not behave like she could cope with her situation; in other words, she did not act like, "If the judge does not give me justice, it would not matter." No! she went to the judge every day, but not with arrogance, insistence, or as of right. She went daily, making gentle but passionate pleas to the judge about her matter.
In this generation, we act as though everything is a matter of our rights, even when it infringes on someone else's rights! No wonder we do not get what we desire, even from our governments!
This widow would go to the judge and say something like, "Good day, Sir. I have come about such and such a matter. I know there are matters of more importance, but Sir, this matter, though insignificant in comparison, means so much to me." She would return the next day and say, "Sir, I do not mean to be a nuisance, but down where I live, things are becoming unbearable." She would continue, "I am not asking you to leave your important work; I am just asking for your adjudication." She would then leave, to return the very next day.
Sometimes, she would say nothing but sit where the judge could see her, and her countenance—her facial expression and non-verbal communication—would be of a helpless woman seeking help from an all-powerful judge. Eventually, the judge caved. This widow was so persistent in her pleading and petition that the judge decided to deal with her matter so that she would not wear him out!
A hypothetical case of supplication
Let us assume that you prayed yesterday about something. Today, you have woken up; glory to God. So, you go to God and say, "Lord, thank you for a new day. I have come again today. I remember where we left off yesterday. You know I have not heard from you yet. I was just wondering if there is a word for me." The day after that, you again pray to God and say, "Lord, I have come again. We did not quite finish our discussion, and I have yet to hear from you." And the next day, you plead even more, telling God that you will not know what to do unless you hear from Him. There can be no arrogance, insistence, or demands, based on your rights. We cannot go to God in prayer and say, "You must answer me now!" No! You ask, seek, and knock, grovelling shamelessly before Almighty God who can make things happen in your favour!
Hannah's supplication
In 1 Samuel 1:1-18, we read the story of Hannah, who was married to Elkanah but had no children. Meanwhile, Elkanah, her husband, had another wife, Peninnah, who had borne him children. So, Peninnah taunted Hannah. Hannah would be grieved every year they would go to Shiloh as required by God because she could not ask her husband for a gift for her child as Peninnah did. On one of such trips to Shiloh, Hannah made up her mind that she was going to entreat the Lord. This she did with tears and supplication and even made a vow. Let me quickly state here that you do not have to make a vow! But you must not hesitate to pay a vow if you make one (Ecclesiastes 5:1-2, 4-6).
As Hannah continued to cry before God with the bitterness of soul and tears, she was muttering words to God, but no one heard what she was saying. This made Eli, the High Priest, think that she was drunk. When Eli confronted her about her drinking so early, Hannah said that she had not drank liquor but was pouring her soul onto God.
Supplication is also pouring out one's soul in agony before God. It is being bare before God: hiding nothing, withholding nothing, making no pretences. When a matter is of concern to you, and you take it to God in prayer, there should be no pretence; otherwise, you will get nothing. Besides, your manner of presentation will show how crucial it is to you! You must employ entreaty when talking to God. You must earnestly plead with Him. You must get rid of pride and arrogance. You must beseech God. You must pour out your soul before Him, withholding nothing!
After Hannah's supplication, Eli pronounced God's blessings upon her as God's servant on the earth. Hannah rose from there and was no longer sorrowful. Under the Old Covenant, the priest told the people their prayers had been heard. Hannah's reaction was a mark of her faith that God had answered her, though she was not yet pregnant, and neither had met with her husband.
Under the New Covenant, God speaks directly to us, letting us know He has heard our prayers. Once we have heard from God, we can rise from our place of prayer with joy and continue to thank Him for the answer. Though we may not have physically received what we have asked for, yet by faith, we know that God's word is as good as done! (Psalm 33:6-9).
The Syrophoenician woman's plea
The Syrophoenician woman pleaded with the Lord Jesus about her daughter, but the Lord initially ignored her (Matthew 15:22-28). Still, she kept at it until His disciples asked the Lord to send her away, as she was becoming a nuisance. Then, the Lord remarked that He had not been sent to Gentiles, only Jews, but the woman shamelessly persisted in her pleading. And when the Lord implied that she was a "little dog" by stating that He could not give to dogs what is meant for the children, she immediately said that she was not asking for the bread of the children but the crumbs that fall off the table of the children, just as little dogs eat therefrom.
The Syrophoenician woman never got angry or upset, but used the Lord comparing her to a dog to her advantage. Ultimately, she got what she wanted—a healing for her daughter. And I dare say that had she requested salvation for herself, she would have received it.
Therefore, we must not limit ourselves to simply praying and walking away thereafter, without being assured of the answer. We must plead to God persistently until we get the desired response or assurance that God has heard and would answer. And if God would not give us what we ask, we can still plead with Him for the bestowal of His will, desire, or best alternative for our lives.
Conclusion
So far, we have seen some cases of individuals earnestly pleading with God and intreating Him with tears. We have also seen the result of answered prayers and the accompanying joy in the hearts of these individuals after they received their requests. Now, imagine what would happen if we all prayed continually, with one accord, and with such humble supplication unto God? Such importunity—shameless pleading of God's children—will certainly draw God's attention, and there will be answers to our requests.
So, if we expect a revival from God—the kind that will cause waves worldwide—we must all pray. We must all pray continuously, with one accord and supplication before God. This was what the one hundred and twenty disciples did in the upper room, and in eight short days, the Holy Spirit came.
In our generation, we already have the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of supplication (Zechariah 12:10), helping us to pray the will of God with groanings that cannot be uttered (Romans 8:26-27). So, let us brace up in prayer and supplication to God with the Holy Spirit's help, knowing that other Christians worldwide are praying the same thing—the will of God! And without doubt, we shall receive the answer to our groaning, cries, and tears before God, even as our Lord was heard by Him (Hebrews 5:7).
Shalom.