“We have instant coffee and instant tea. Dr. Tozer quips about instant Christians. But there is no instant prayer. Granted that there are times when prayer is answered like a flash and that emergency calls get emergency answers; nevertheless, most prayer seems to need an incubation period” (Leonard Ravenhill, Revival Praying, p. 140).
To everything there is a season (cf. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). Jesus said, “The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear” (Mark 4:28 ESV). And while God can certainly bypass the natural with the supernatural (Aaron’s rod had buds, blossoms, and almonds all at once—cf. Numbers 17:8) most generally there are seasons in our prayers: earth produces, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
Again, Watchman Nee in Let us Pray brings some attention to this season thought of prayer.
“There was once a Christian who well knew how to pray. He declared this, that all spiritual works include four steps: The first step is that God conceives a thought, which is His will: The second step is that God reveals this will to His children through the Holy Spirit, causing them to know that He has a will, a plan, a demand and expectation: The third step is that God’s children return His will by praying to Him, for prayer is responding to God’s will—if our heart is wholly one with His heart, we will naturally voice in our prayer what He intends to do: And the fourth step is that God will accomplish this very thing.”
By illustration God “conceives” a thought (the earth produces by itself); He plants it in the earth (man) and a blade of God’s will, plan, and expectation sprouts; as God’s children pray “the ear” appears; and finally God’s will is accomplished as the “full grain of ear” is produced through our prayer time that is mixed “son light” (praying the Word) and water (tears and/or the Holy Spirit).
PRAYER FOCUS
Be encouraged today knowing that there are seasons in your various prayers. Just as seeds all have various times of gestation in producing their fruit, so do your prayers. (But don’t forget there is always the possibility of the supernatural action of the entire season manifested at once.) Whichever it may be, rejoice that the Lord hears your prayers and learn to be patient. Meditate on Psalms 27:14: “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.”
