Fervent Flames of Prayer

Never play with fire but always pray with flames. Are your flames of prayer dancing with the angels in heaven?

March’s Awakening, Day 30

You must pray with all your might. That does not mean saying your prayers, or sitting gazing about in church or chapel with eyes wide open while someone else says them for you. It means fervent, effectual, untiring wrestling with God … This kind of prayer be sure the devil and the world and your own indolent, unbelieving nature will oppose. They will pour water on this flame.

 —William Booth  

No erudition, no purity of diction, no width of mental outlook, no flowers of eloquence, no grace of person can atone for lack of fire. Prayer ascends by fire. Flame gives prayer access as well as wings, acceptance as well as energy. There is no incense without fire; no prayer without flame.

 —E. M. Bounds 

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. James 5:16b NKJV   

And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. Revelation 5:8 NIV 

            Our prayers should be passionately intense and persistently persuasive pleas to the One who we should be most intimate with. Praising Him, thanking Him, and earnest requests being made for others in intercession and for ourselves for every need should be the standard operating prayer. Our prayers are a sweet incense rising up to the heavenly abode and tarrying there in the presence of God to be breathed in with answers and solutions being breathed back out by God to be received by us. If you can be passionate and full of fire about anything—then be equally passionate and zealous with your prayers. Keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking—God does not become annoyed by our persistent prayers. He wants to hear our heart’s desires and our requests for His almighty hand to move in powerful ways on another’s behalf.  He is waiting to lavish upon us all that is good. He is waiting to perform miracles in people’s lives that bring glory to His name.

            Pray passionately. Pray with zeal. Pray fervently with great expectation. Pray with fiery flames that ascend to heaven in eager anticipation while dancing all the way.