Concerning five effects of prayer (The good, the bad, and the glorious)
But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray. Luke 5:16
Jesus had just healed a leper, and large crowds gathered wherever He went to hear His preaching and to be healed of their infirmities. Signs and wonders abounded.
But the Scripture doesn’t mention any celebratory high-fiving on Jesus’ part; right after such successful campaigns, Jesus would often slip away to isolated places and pray.
Effect #1 of prayer: Bolstering groundedness and stability in the praying person.
Reading between the lines in this section of Luke 5 reveals an inarguable result of prayer—fortifying single-minded devotion toward God and His purposes. No one would have begrudged Jesus a victory celebration after drawing huge crowds and healing incurable diseases. Perhaps His disciples secretly wished He would toot His own horn in the face of all the opposition coming at Him from every side.
But Jesus basked in this alone: Bringing glory to His Father, seeking His face, and doing His will. And this built depth and rootedness into His character as He lived out His life as the Son of Man.
Effect #2 of prayer: Outwardly religious people are likely to follow you around, dissecting and finding fault with you and your message.
One day He was teaching; and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem…Luke 6:17a
It seemed wherever He ministered (and even when He was at rest), certain religious folks were always showing up. However, they weren’t drawn by the power or purity of God; they were hungry for scandal, dishonor, and the destruction of Jesus’ ministry. They watched Him like hawks hoping He would mess up.
Did Jesus adjust His preaching to cater to them? Did He soften His message? Did He restrict the number of deliverances, healings, or dead-raisings? Did He seek in any way to make Himself more palatable to an easily-offended crowd?
You know the answer to that.
Instead, His response was this: He would often slip away to the wilderness and pray. Thinking, analyzing, making adjustments, and walking on eggshells to appease the most offended ones in the crowd does not access the wisdom of God. Jesus knew that; He turned consistently to the One who was faithful to gird Him and guide Him and give Him the edge—despite the outrage of His detractors.
Effect #3 of prayer: You may be scorned or hatefully targeted.
On one occasion, four friends of a paralytic couldn’t reach Jesus due to the size of the crowd surrounding Him, so they dug out a hole in the roof and lowered their friend right in front of Jesus…and the Pharisees.
Seeing their faith, [Jesus] said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.” The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?” Luke 5:20-21
When your life is built upon the sincere, deeply personal pursuit of God, don’t be surprised if others notice it. Some will be drawn to the light and stability coming from you; but unfortunately, as in Jesus’ life, others will seek to undermine your reputation and effectiveness. It happens; don’t be alarmed, dismayed, or discouraged.
Continue doing what you’re doing—consistent, steady, humble pursuit of God and bold living for the Lord. In this way, you will let your forbearing spirit be known to all men (see Philippians 4:5). As you keep your behavior excellent among them when they slander, all anyone will see are your good deeds—and eventually, they’ll end up glorifying God (see 1 Peter 2:12).
In fact, in no way [be] alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God (Philippians 1:28).
How can you survive—and even thrive—when all the scorning and hating begins? Like Jesus, slip away often to the wilderness and pray. (Any quiet place will do!)
Effect #4 of prayer: Instantaneous, penetrating wisdom in the face of insults and attacks.
But Jesus, aware of their reasonings, answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins have been forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? Luke 5:22-23
On every hand, belittlement, dismissiveness, and insults pile up against those who seek to live godly in Christ Jesus. Trickery and deception are used to snare men and women of God into both verbal and behavioral missteps. What can you do to counter such a turbulent tide when it rises up against you?
Again, like Jesus, make it your practice to slip away often and pray! Then, also like Him, you will be primed and ready in the face of mockery, manipulation, and scorn to receive instant messages straight from the Spirit of God, bringing light and life on the scene—and silencing those who seek to silence you.
Do you remember what Jesus said to His disciples concerning times of persecution to come? Instead of encouraging them to rehearse their best defense, He told them to expect Holy Ghost messages to rise up within them at just the right time! “So make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves; for I will give you utterance and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute” (Luke 21:14-15).
Are you a believer? Then expect Him to do this when you need it. It’s not by your powerful eloquence or my mighty debating skills; it is by His Spirit that we will stand triumphantly in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation (see Zechariah 4:6 and Philippians 2:15).
Effect #5 of prayer: The miraculous.
“But, so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,”—He said to the paralytic—“I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home.” Immediately he got up before them, and picked up what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God. Luke 5:24-25
During your times with the Lord, He quietly downloads truth, wisdom, confidence, joy—indeed, all good things—into your spirit. He forms sensitivity within you to His nudges and promptings, and you learn the sound of His voice.
As you grow day by day in these things, you develop internal spiritual “antennae”, and you start to recognize His leadings more and more—whether you’re at home or at work, driving, sleeping, shopping, eating, or just goofing off.
And as you step out in response to do, say, or pray what He shows you, your very cooperation with Heaven will pave the way for the miraculous to unfold…and God will get all the glory.
Yes, slipping away often to pray will ground you in faith and stabilize your character, but it will also provoke jealousy and opposition from those with insecurities, issues, and hidden agendas—they sense something is different about you, and it unnerves them. However, here’s good news. As they seek to destabilize, demoralize, and undermine, the Holy Spirit Himself will not only download what you’re to say but will also confirm His Word with signs following.
The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. James 5:16b
Dorothy
But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray. Luke 5:16
And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever. Isaiah 32:17, ESV
© 2017, Dorothy Frick