by OSWALD J. SM ITH
The Agony
E paphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fer vently for you in prayers” (Col. 4:12). Why such fervency? Why so much labor? Most of us would simply take our request be fore God, believe that He had an swered, and think no more about it. But not so with Epaphras. To him it was hard work. He was a real intercessor, and so Paul describes his prayer life on behalf of others not only as “labour” but “fervent labour,” or, as it is in the margin, “striving.” Do we know anything about that kind of ministry? No wonder the early churches were what they were. No wonder Paul was so mightily used of God. In our day it is customary for an evangelist to take a singer with him, but in Paul’s day it was the custom to take a pray-er. We never hear of a song leader accompany ing the apostle, but we do hear of men who prayed. It is easy to sing, but hard to pray. Even a worldly congregation can join in the song service, but if real Holy Spirit fruit is to be produced our work must be carried on in an atmosphere of prayer. Every evangelist needs an Epaphras to accompany him if he is to secure the best results. “And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:44). Thus prayed the Son of God. Even to Him prayer was the most difficult work that He had to do. Oh yes, it was a joy, for
c ommun i on w i t h God always brings joy and blessing; but then there is the enemy to meet when prayer becomes a battle. I wonder how much we know about this kind of prayer? The inspired Word says that He was in an agony, that after He had prayed for a time He began to pray “more earnestly,” and that the work was hard, the agony so great, the burden so heavy, the pressure so terrible, that the very sweat became blood as it oozed out through the pores of His skin. What intensity! How terrific the struggle! And how far we fall short in our intercessory prayer life. How little we know of the burden that rested on the Son of God. “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Rom. 8:26). Here we have a picture of the prayer life of the Holy Spirit. Even He prays as Jesus prayed. Note the language used in regard to His intercession. It was with “groanings.” And, in order to give some idea of the intensity and suf fering, it is said that the groans of the Spirit are inexpressible. No language is capable of conveying an adequate conception of the fer vency of the Spirit’s intercessions. They are with groanings which cannot be uttered. What an exam ple. What an ideal. How fearfully we fail to measure up to such an experience. May God help us to lay hold in a new way as we engage in
this, the highest form of Christian service. Intercessory prayer is the Chris tian’s most effective weapon. Noth ing can withstand its power. It will do things when all else has failed. And the marvel is that we turn to other agencies in order to accom plish what only prayer can bring to pass. God has placed this mighty weapon in our hands and He ex pects us to use it. How disappointed He must be when we lay it aside and substitute natural means for supernatural work. The world’s methods are used for the raising of money with which to carry on God’s work. Yet we have His positive Word, “But my God shall supply all your need accord ing to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19). On the basis of that God expects us to spread our needs before Him in prayer and thus have them met. We adopt ex tensive advertising methods with which to arrest the attention of the people and secure large crowds. Yet it is possible to so pray that God Himself will move upon the Christ- less masses and bring them in. I do not for a moment mean that I disapprove of advertising, for I do not. The people must be informed. I am simply saying that when we depend upon our advertising to the extent that we consider prayer un necessary, it is dishonoring to God. And so we might go over the whole list and show how in this 20th century we are more and more turning from the God-appointed means of intercessory prayer and
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