This world frowns on people who have a heart for God. The more that heart burns for God, the more the world finds that person offensive. Unfortunately, this same dynamic can be seen in churches. One Christian displays some zeal for God and other Christians can be offended by that person’s God-given inner fire. Being zealous for God is a good thing. Our God is a zealous God (Isaiah 9:7, 59:17).
Relating to zealousness in prayer, Spurgeon said: “The Christian zealot may be recognized very manifestly by his prayers. Hear his utterance in the prayer-meeting. It is no repetition of a set of sacred phrases, no going over the metaphors which have become time-worn and tedious, but he prays like a man who means it. He comes up to heaven’s gate, grasps the knocker, and knocks, and knocks, and knocks again, waiting until the door is opened. He gets hold of the gates of heaven, and labours to shake them to and fro as though he would pull them up bolts and bars and all, as Samson did the gates of Gaza, rather than not prevail with God. These men, like Elias, have power to shut up heaven or to open the gates thereof. Oh, that we had more of such in our own midst. We have a few who, as soon as they stand up to pray, fire our hearts by their earnestness; may they be multiplied. The like is true of course of the private prayers of the Christian as well as of his public ones. Oh, brothers and sisters, we want more resolve when we go before God that we will have the blessing, more determination that seeing we are asking what is according to his mind we will take no denial, but will say to the angel, ‘I will not let thee go except thou bless me.’ Christians, seek to be zealots in prayer, pouring out your hearts like water before the Lord, and crying out with sighs and tears till like your Master you have been heard in that which you have feared.”
May the lethargy and apathy in churches be replaced with a zeal for God. Before our zeal is seen by anyone else, it should be present in private prayer. Are we zealous in prayer?
(By Josh Wilcox)
