Prayer That Is Pleasing to the Lord — David Wilkerson

Prayer That Is Pleasing to the Lord

This message is one of the Times Square Church pulpit series. It was recorded in the sanctuary of Times Square Church in Manhattan, New York City. Other tapes are available by writing World Challenge P .O. Box 260 Lindale, Texas 75771 or calling nine zero three nine six three eight six two six.

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Prayer that is pleasing unto the Lord now. There's a there's a kind of praying that is truly pleasing to the Lord. And let me say this not all prayer that is prayed today by Christians is a pleasing Manner of prayer to him and with the help of the Holy Spirit this morning.

I Just pray that God will change your thinking About prayer and how you pray from now on till Jesus comes or until the Lord takes you home in a chariot. God speak to our hearts this morning about the true Prayer.

Rejecting Complicated Prayer Formulas

Now, I have no intention this morning of complicating prayer. That's been done good enough by well-intentioned teachers and preachers all over the world today who have So complicated prayer into formulas and into strategies.

We have people now that dress up in combat Uniforms and boots because they call themselves prayer warriors, so they're going to look the part I'm not making fun of that, but I'm saying there are so many well-intentioned people that have so complicated prayer.

I know people now that go into the long prayer meetings. They have prayer guides. They have whole books on what to do for to fill up the four hours if you go to prayer. Just trying to fill up time. You don't even know prayers all about.

I Am NOT going to to add to that. I don't have a one two, three four step Program for you this morning, but what I do believe I have or some thoughts on prayer from the heart of God that came from the college of my knees.

Let me begin by saying right now, I believe most Christians want to pray. They are convicted by their prayerlessness and they pray for a while, but they soon stop. They can't maintain a life of prayer.

And the reason for that is because they really don't understand the purpose of prayer. They don't understand the real purpose of prayer and until you understand the purpose of prayer I think most of us are praying in vain.

You have to comprehend why God wants us to pray. The disciples said Lord teach us to pray. They wouldn't have said that unless they wanted to learn. And I believe most sitting here listening to me this morning want to learn how to pray.

You would pray if you knew its purpose. You would pray if there was some Knowledge that God had given to you about the eternal purpose of prayer. Now how many Christians I know pray only out of a sense of obligation?

They they say well, I'm supposed to pray. The Bible says I'm supposed to pray. The pastor keeps putting pressure on us to pray. Others around us are supposed to pray. Are praying. I I have to pray that's the Christian thing to do.

Folks what kind of a marriage would it be if the wife? Concerning intimacy thought it was only her duty. In fact, there are some grandmothers who taught their daughters that intimacy with her husband was a very difficult duty.

Now I want you to listen to me very closely now because the Lord's been laying some things on my heart. There are people who pray only when there's a tragedy or when a crisis strikes and then when the tragedy the crisis gone.

They don't pray anymore till the next crisis. But you can never you will never understand the importance of prayer until you understand one foundational truth and All prayer I believe is built upon this truth.

Prayer as Fellowship and Delight in the Lord

It is not just for the good of man. It's not just for my good that God wants me to pray. It's not just for my Welfare not for me to get relief not for me simply to get something out of God to try to extract something from God.

The true meaning of prayer is for the delight of the Lord as well as for my relief. Unless those two go together. You don't have a foundation upon which to build a prayer life. It is not just for my good.

It is for the delight of my Lord. Come. I mean how many of you are hearing this right now, it's not just for my benefit. I'm not going to just go to God and and and intercede. I'm not just going to ask him for things for me, but I'm going to see his need as well as understand my need.

Now Christians are very self-centered when it comes to prayer because we go to him only to unburden our troubles and sorrows and get a Supply of strength to go on to the next battle and that's good. It's scriptural and it works and we're invited to come boldly to the throne of grace in all of our times of need.

But prayer is not complete. Now listen to me closely prayer is not complete. It is not prayer. That's most pleasing to the Lord if we do not understand God's need. You don't go to prayer just to meet your own need.

God has a need. That is why he does hardly anything. I there's nothing you've been accomplished in my life. But through prayer and why is it that God has tied himself to this process of prayer? We seek relief and God seeks fellowship.

The Lord seeks intimacy with us. Now folks you aren't you have to understand when you go into the presence of the Lord. That the Lord is waiting for you. The Lord is looking for fellowship now. Actually, the primary purpose of prayer ought to be fellowship with the Lord and the one who prays because.

Most of the things that we're praying about God's already promised to do. We are praying about things that God said we're not to pray about. He said we're not even give thought about it. How much of our prayer time has spent asking God for a better job and a better apartment?

Clothes and food and all of these things when Jesus said take no thought for your life. What you shall eat or what you drink nor yet for your body what you should put on. Your heavenly father feeds the fowls of the air.

They neither sow nor reap. Are you not more value than they. Your heavenly father knows you have need of these things. But seek first the kingdom of God his righteousness all these things shall be added unto you take no thought for the morrow.

For your father knoweth what things you have need of before you ask him and what I hear from that the Lord saying you. Come to me and focus on my righteousness or fellowship. Focus on just getting to know me on Intimacy, I'm just loving me and I'll take care of all your needs.

Don't put your focus on material things. Don't put focus even on your healing of your body. All of these things I know before you ask. I Know everything you need for. I've had four. I have four children.

I said I've had I have four children and And a number of grandchildren 11. I Know what my true all my lifetime. I've known what my children wanted. I've known it. He knows what we need and we spent you take you take the kind of petition out of our prayer life that many of us pray.

And there'd be nothing left. There'd be no prayer left because it is all asking. It's all petition and there's nothing wrong with that. But the Lord said if you want to really pray pleasing to me come and focus on my knee.

Come and focus on Fellowship with me. Come and focus on intimacy. I'll take care of everything else in your life and I've proven that and I believe with all my heart. There are so few Christians who know what it is to go in the presence of the Lord with delight.

With delight simply for the pleasure of his company. This is I've had a week along with the Lord and Prayer, and this is where this message was birthed. And I want you to I'm just praying that I can get it out to you the way the Lord put it into my heart.

I'm gonna ask you a question. Is prayer a burden to you and Do you pray out of a sense of obligation? Is it boring to you? Is it more of a duty that it is a pleasure? And this let's this idea of I've done it so many we call prayer work.

That work and labor. You've got a labor in prayer. You've got a work in prayer. Why is it we don't say that about the one we love the most if you you are happily married you love your mate. Do you call intimacy?

Do you call those times alone work? I Think we have it all wrong. The Lord is saying why would you consider it work to come into my presence? I Would not want to be in a marriage where a wife my wife would would say She would have this mindset that it was a duty it was an obligation.

Oh, no, I Did I have to have a time of intimacy? This is considered work considered an obligation and there's no delight in it. A man of a true Follower of Jesus someone who really loves the Lord. A man does not seek intimacy from his wife simply to alleviate his own needs.

That is the most hideous thought possible and In that either should think it's a duty or that it's work. But that time of intimacy the man gets his real joy. He should get his real pleasure out of The wife coming to him and saying and he knows he don't have to say anything.

But he knows that she is there and it's a delight. It is not an obligation. It is not a duty. It's a delight and his delight in seeing her having pleasure in his company. They're just he says in his heart.

She really wants to be with me. I'm first. I'm everything. It is not a burden. It is not boring. It is not an obligation. It is not duty. It's delight. She's not reluctant. She delights in him. She desires him above all others and he reaches out in reciprocation to her because She is responding in the same manner.

Delighting in the Lord Above All Others

Now we know the Lord delights in us. The scripture says how fair and how pleasant art thou? Oh love for delight song of Solomon. David said he delivered me because he delighted in me. Now I thank God that he taught me a long time ago that he loves me and delights in me.

He joys in his people. He sings over his people with delight. The scripture says Yeah, can you imagine the Lord dancing and and and just exuberant over his children. Because of their love and because of his fellowship.

We know he delights in us. But do you delight in him. The scripture says delight thyself also in the Lord and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. The Shunammite said I sat down under his shadow with great delight.

Now I've always wanted my prayers to be a delight to the Lord and a delight to me. I didn't want it to ever become work or a sense of duty or obligation or Trying to fill in time and say oh good. God has to bless my spend three hours in prayer last night.

As if God were obligated by the time I put in he's not obligated that way. He obligates himself to the delighted heart. Now this matter coming into his presence with delight is not just glee or exuberance.

No, it's it's much more than that. It boils down this and this is what the Holy Spirit told me delight in the Lord is simply this. I would rather be with Jesus than anyone else on earth. I Would rather be with him more than my wife more than my husband more than my family.

More than the president the United States more than all world leaders more than any counselor more than any famous person. I would rather be with him. That is the light. I would rather Spend time with him than with anybody else.

Now if you can't say that you don't know the prayer that's pleasing to his heart. If you cannot in every crisis say I'll be all right. I've got to get to him. I Be all right, as soon as I get to him, who do you go to when you're in trouble?

Where do you go when you have a Christ? Who's the first one you get in touch with? Is it your husband? Do you get on the phone and call counselor? Some of us don't know any other voice than the voice of a pastor or counselor or husband or wife or friend.

Don't even know the voice of the Lord. Who do you go to? Folks, can you imagine what it must do to the heart of the Lord when he is there waiting with all the resources? Everything that we need to comfort and strengthen and empower us and we run off to somebody else.

Are we sitting brood right there in his company? We just sit there and will not run to him. Folks this delight is something that God recognized. That's something the Lord sees when you come to him, but when everything.

Every day doesn't have to be a crisis. But anytime you just you say I've got to get away. In fact, if you really delight in the Lord you will. Everything that hinders your coming is going to bother you.

You go say well, I love people but I got to get away. I got to spend time with him. He's waiting and you'll get lonely. You'll get heart sick. If you I know I know what's happened to me if I go a day without the Lord without time alone with him.

In real intimacy I get Lonesome, I get terribly lonesome inside that because that's a kind of lonesomeness that no human being can feel. No one can touch that spot, but Jesus nobody. I love my family, but they can't touch what's inside my heart.

I have to have him. I've got to run to him and when Jesus sees you want him more than anybody else you go to him first. That is the delight. Oh, I know a lot of people I'm getting ahead of myself. Oh He wants to know that you prefer him above all else that Is delight?

Bringing Sadness and Grief to God

Now another thought on prayer. Coming to him with delight does not mean you cannot come to him with sadness and grief. So many times I've come into his presence I mean burdened and heavy with grief and sadness in my heart.

Now remember my definition of delight in the Lord. Preferring to be with him above all others. That's my explanation of delighting in the Lord and this is Exemplified in the life of Hannah. You remember Hannah who dated who dated came to the Lord's presence and she came one time to the temple.

Sad of heart and weeping with a sorrowful spirit. The Bible said she was in bitterness of soul and prayed unto the Lord and wept sore. Her husband shared her with another wife by the name of Penina. And Penina had given her husband okay, you know a number of children, especially men children boy boy children and She became an adversary to Hannah and would harass her night and day.

The scripture effect. Hannah said she provoked me sore. She provoked me. And it was dearly loved by her husband but in her sorrow he couldn't comfort her he said am I not better to you than ten sons. It's and I know in her heart.

She said you're not understanding. I have a need that you can't meet folks. That's one of the greatest lessons you can learn that no human being can meet that need in you that deep Yearning that longing nobody.

That's why so many people get married and divorced and remarried and remarried. They're looking for somebody to meet that need. That's why people run around looking for some person some Individual they go to counselors and psychiatrists and psychologists are trying to meet a need there that only the Lord can meet.

Nobody else can meet it. She testified to Eli. I'm a woman of sorrowful spirit and I poured out my soul before the Lord. Out of the abundance of my sorrow and my grief have I spoken hitherto? She She was not afraid to come into his presence with her sadness.

See, we've been so programmed to come into the presence of the Lord with joy and gladness now the scripture It makes many references to coming into his presence with joy and gladness. But there's some people who will not come into his presence because they're sad.

They're downcast. They're going through a trial. They're weeping and they're broken and it's almost as if they're saying I'll come into his presence. But I don't want to offend him coming the way I am.

I'll wait till I'm happy. I'll wait till I have joy and then I'll come into his presence. We're so used to coming in with clapping and with praising and happiness and joy. But the scripture makes it very very clear that he wants us to come even in our saddest moment.

Don't hide from the Lord. Don't run anywhere else go right into his presence. Weep it out before the Lord tell him everything that you're going through. Let him have your sadness. The scripture says in this time of brokenness Eli said the Lord will answer your prayer.

She went away and did he and her countenance was no more sad. Hallelujah, and what strikes me is that when I am overcome with grief and sadness There's a tendency in all of us to just shy away and say Lord Let me work this out first and then I'll come to you.

I don't want to bring it to you now. That is so wrong. I Recently had a time of unexplained sadness. There's no real reason for it. It was not What do you call. No, the blues or depression. It was just sadness that anybody here ever get a Time of just sadness.

You don't understand it now and I couldn't understand it and I tried I was going to go the Lord in prayer and I said now Lord If you'll just wait this might think if you'll just wait till this evening, I'll be okay.

Then I'll pray. And Holy Spirit led me to go to the Old Testament about Nehemiah and I hadn't seen it before and I read this and I just broke me down began to weep in the presence of the Lord and say thank you Lord and I had a great time and it in a few hours.

He took it all away. But I had to come to him with sadness. Nehemiah was a cupbearer for King Artaxerxes. And he tasted the wine before he would give it to the king. First of all to see if it was poisoned he would die first and Also to bring the quality wines to his table.

He'd become a very trusted servant to this king. But he'd heard a report. Nehemiah had heard a report from his brother Hanana about the ruined conditions of Jerusalem and he said to Nehemiah the walls are torn down the cities in ruins the people are Are in terrible straits and it's disintegrating it's getting worse every day and it just tore his heart bit a love for Judah and for Jerusalem and It carried over into his life a sadness gripped Nehemiah and he comes to the king one day and it came to pass.

This is Nehemiah speaking. I took up the wine and I gave it under the king now up to this time I had never been sad in his presence. I'd never been sad and When when I read those words sad in his presence It just hit me Lord.

That's me right now sad in your presence. The king asked why is thy countenance sad seeing thou are not sick. This is nothing but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid and the reason he was afraid because you dare not by decree come into a king's presence.

Especially if you were in the king's court, you dared not come in with anything but a smile. You could have your head chopped off and now he's very afraid because he knows the decree and rather than The king chopped his head off.

He was moved with compassion and the scripture makes it very clear if you read the story That Nehemiah is given a leave of absence. He's given him letters of credit the King's treasures open to him and he gets the desire of his heart and he is told to go to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple in the walls.

Nehemiah’s Favor and God’s Provision

Now, let me here's the point. In this all these things are written for our benefit. The scripture said upon whom the ends of the world have come. They're all patterns for us this whole story is about us if if a man of God can go into the presence of a pagan king and Find compassion and Have every need met and the burden lifted so that he comes out of that King's presence with every need supplied.

How much more will King Jesus? Supply your need take away your burden when you come sat in his presence. Hallelujah. I Looked at that said Lord. He's a pagan king and he has compassion. You are ever loving every merciful.

I come into your courts with this burden. I come to you broken. I come to you cast down. I come with sadness. But folks you still delight in the Lord because in your sadness. Remember my definition of sadness is coming to him first preferring him above all others.

You still come with delight. Even though you don't feel happy. You don't feel joyful. The real meaning of delight is that I go to him first. I prefer his company the pleasure of his company. Hallelujah now if we're going to learn to pray.

Praying Through the Trial

Pleasing unto the Lord. We've got to learn to pray through. That's my next thought. Now praying through is a term that was coined by early Pentecostals. To them it simply meant you stay on your knees till you're assured you have the answer you just stay there till you Believe that you have the answer and others talked about.

This term of praying through is Keep coming back to the Lord and coming back and coming back until you get your answer. That is Praying through they call it persevering in prayer. In fact when I was a boy at camp meeting Everybody prayed they get up test.

I'm going to lay hold of the horns on the altar not let go until God answers. But folks that's not what I see in the spirit about Praying through the Lord has really changed my concept of what it means to pray through.

Now some of you talk about praying through but let me try to explain what I've seen in the spirit. Her actually is not complete. In fact until you pray it through Many prayers are wasted. They're aborted.

They're lost because they've not been carried through. Now I'm telling you you can delight in the Lord. You can go to him and he can lift your spirit he can satisfy your heart. He empowers you and you feel like you're ready to face every crisis and everything else.

But what happens when you leave that secret place of communion? You are not on your knees now. You are not shut in with God at this time. What happens when you leave that hallowed place of intimacy and you go back to a situation that hasn't changed?

The same devil is there the same problems are there the same emptiness and Everything that brought about your sad condition is still there waiting to pounce on you again and Bring you down once again suddenly under its power.

Now here's what I mean by praying through what you get from the Lord when you're shut in with him. The strength encouragement the empowerment. Must see you through the trial. That's just ahead. If you don't get it in prayer, what did you get if it doesn't see you through the problem?

Is it an aborted prayer if it does not see you through is it a completed prayer? Praying through is waiting for the completion of your prayer till it's totally completed. Many of us have never seen completed prayers.

We've seen half-answered prayers. It's not been completed. So you can be shut in with the Lord and the Mount of Transfiguration and you can glory in that and delight in his presence and Then you come down To the valley and the demoniacs are waiting and the crisis is there and problem after problem confusion after confusion.

What good is it if you get the glory on the mountain? It won't see you through the battle. What you get in this secret closet the victory you get in a secret closet has to give You victory on the battlefield.

I don't want to pray For an overwhelming blessing of power and anointing from God. I don't want a Tremendous surge of assurance from the Lord in the secret closet. And that's what you get when you shut in with the Lord you get peace.

The first thing he tells you is don't be afraid. I'm with you and he settles your spirit and he brings joy. He brings peace and you walk out with that glory on your face. But folks what about the next day?

What about the trial because most of times prayer doesn't change? Situations or Circumstances. It changes you and puts you above the circumstances. And some of you get discouraged because you haven't prayed your circumstances to change you.

You have believed God for that. Now sometimes he does but many times you go from the wonderful mountaintop experience of intimacy with Jesus and go right into a battle. All the demon powers of hell raid against you, but folks it's not a finished prayer.

It's not a completed prayer. Until you get through until you're through the problem through the crisis you come out on the other side in triumph. God fully intends that what we get with human intimacy is Going to supply us with everything we need for the battle and folks if you're not intimate with the Lord.

And you're not seeking him in a way pleasing to him. How do you fight the enemy? How do you face your trials? I could not. I can't face anything without running to him and getting my soul Fired up and getting the peace and the joy and the rest of God in my soul.

I don't know what even Christians do who don't know how to pray according to his mind. Now I confess that at this point. I have failed miserably in the past. I've known great times of ecstasy. I know what it is to get lonely for Jesus even after 24 hours and have to run to him to Have that wonderful intimacy with him and I know what it is to run to him with heaviness and sorrow and tears flowing.

And I've experienced that awesome touch that you get and you come out with relief. But then when I face a crisis the next day or the next week. This is the end of side one. You may now turn the tape over to side two seems to evaporate.

Come on now. I think the reason is getting so quiet here. I'm touching somebody's nerve. Mm-hmm. Oh you had such power when you prayed you had such an anointing came to church. You were blessed the glory of the Lord was here.

And then you went right out the door and all the demon powers of hell out there waiting. You went home and your husband screamed at you yelled at you. You everything went wrong. You went to work on Monday and everything went crazy and Where is that joy?

Where is that? Peace? Where is that rest that you've got an intimacy with Jesus? Your prayer hasn't been prayed through. Because your prayers not prayed through till you've lived it through. Now what is the end purpose of prayer.

Is it just to give you ecstasy is it just to give you rest and peace? No folks. It's got to be a grief to the Heavenly Father. It's got to be a grief to the heart of the Lord that he gives us everything We need that tends to godliness and righteousness.

Everything we need for life is in him and he gives it to us in that time of intimacy. He builds us up and it must grieve his heart that we don't see it that way that somehow between this glory and the crisis We lose Everything that we have got and gained in intimacy in prayer with the Lord.

Hearing God’s Voice in Prayer

So how do you keep it? What do you do? To maintain the victory so that your prayer is prayed through to to a triumphant conclusion. What is it going to take it folks. I I really prayed about this because Christians everywhere are hurting.

We get 30 to 40 thousand letters a month From our mailing list. There are over 700 ,000 people on our mailing list that get these messages and Folks I've never we've never Heard what we hear now of the hurting of the people.

There are Christians that are so lonely. They can hardly see themselves through a day they have they are just Suffocating with a loneliness that is incredible especially during holidays. There are other Christians that write to us and it's probably representative right here of this own car of our own congregation here.

Going through all kinds of marital problems and family problems hurting pastors that are grief-stricken of what's happening in their Congregations many of the right to us that they they've had people rise up against them.

Some people they trusted the most just rise up against them and betray them. So bad, I can't add to that hurt that burden. What do I do and the Lord said what what what is needed is a word from the Lord on how to go to him in prayer become intimate and Receive the power and the authority to go through it a word from the Lord.

Folks, you know, I can't stand here and say why aren't you in victory? Why aren't you praying? Why are you sad? Be happy. What terrible people you are? Because you shouldn't after all these years you shouldn't be so downcast gotta have victory in your life.

I can't do that. Because sometimes I get downcast and I get sad. I'm not gonna be a phony as a preacher. Now, this is just mashed potatoes and gravy. All home cooking. I want to I want to get this out To you.

I said Lord, what do I do that? I can maintain victory take the victory from the prayer closet right through my battle come through the other side and then on the other side just the time of intimacy of praise and worship and thanksgiving for the greatness of God and his keeping saving delivering power first of all.

Listen. Listen, that's the word. He gave me most Christians. Don't listen to God. They go to talk. They go to talk. You go through this Bible you you look at any man that God has ever used and he had learned to Stay in God's presence till he heard his word till he heard his voice.

There'll be a word behind you saying this is the way walking in it when you go to the right hand or to the left. There'll be a word behind you. Now I'm going to tell you not. I want you to hear it. The Lord wants to talk to every one of us.

He wants to talk to the children. Like the little girl who was dying of leukemia and she was near death's door and she was having a terrible time even thinking the concept of death and the Mother came in the room the next day and she was all aglow and happy.

Mother said what happened? She said he said an angel came to me and said that I Was going to take a trip and God came took my hand took me to a beautiful garden walked me through the garden said You're coming here tomorrow.

It said took all the thing. God spoke to that little child. God spoke said tomorrow You're gonna be with me took all the pain out of her heart and she left. She was with the Lord the next day with joy in her heart.

God can speak to children. He can speak to anybody who will give him quality time. But see we go into his presence demanding we go into his presence in a hurried spirit. Oh. The one thing that God wants more than anything else is quiet quality time.

It's not it's not the length of time even but it's getting your soul stilled in his presence and saying now speak to me Lord, I'm gonna ask you when you got intimate with Jesus when you were shuddering with him.

Did you get your directions? Did he tell you what to do when to do and how to do it? I Know there are people don't believe that but my Bible says my sheep know my voice they hear when I call. I don't do anything anymore.

I haven't done in a long time. I don't do anything now until I get along with him and say Jesus that nobody on this earth I can tell me what to do. You're the only one who knows all things. You're the only one who knows the way through this and I'm staying here till you tell me what to do.

I won't do anything until you speak to my heart. That is the kind of praying. That is the kind of praying through where you stop and you hear his voice. And he says now you've got to make this thing, right?

You've got to make restitution here. You've got to make this call or You just stand still till next week. I'll tell you what to do a week from now. Don't get in a hurry. I want you to sit for a week and just trust me.

He will speak to you. He will give you direction folks the devil cannot come in and invade that private time when you are Really preferring him above all others and delighting in him in that way and you're trusting him in faith.

And then folks after he speaks to you just get this word out stay right there on your knees. Stay in with him and get this book and say Holy Spirit. Where do you first of all? You should have a time when you read through the book systematically you go right through the book and mark it.

But then you go alone with the Lord and say Lord speak to me through your words. Speak to me through your word. He'll say Psalm 33 and I go to Psalm 33 and by the way, what is Psalm 33 here? By the word of the Lord.

The heavens were made and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. Let all the earth fear the Lord. Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake and it was done. He commanded it stood still.

The Lord bringeth the counsel the heathen to nothing. He maketh a device of the people of none effect. Behold the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him. Upon them that hope in his mercy to deliver their soul from death to keep them alive in famine.

Our soul waited for the Lord. He's our help on our shield. Hallelujah, see he just spoke. He's given us the lesson. Honestly, thank you Jesus. Our hearts shall rejoice in him because we've trusted in his holy name.