From the Doctor’s Diary-38- Casual Prayers

In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD.
(1 Samuel 1:10)

Ever heard that term? Well, it’s something that the Lord taught me recently. Many of our prayers are “Casual Prayers”; prayed just to complete the process, so as to say. Without any real burden! That’s what it means. Have you been praying like that without realizing it? You need to change that burden less prayer that you have been praying all along. That’s if you have to get some positive and concrete answers to what you are praying for.

Look into the Word and we see some of the Biblical heroes and heroines praying with passion and burden. And did they get results? You bet, they did. Hannah prayed with such a heavy burden that the Lord answered her in a marvelous way. Jacob was determined not to let go off the angel until he received the blessing. The psalmists prayed to the Lord with such a heavy burden that they had the confidence that the Lord would answer them. Many of the psalms of David begin with sorrowful laments to the Lord, but he mostly ends on a positive note, his faith having been renewed that the Lord will take care of him in all situations.

The same is true when we pray for the lost masses, be it some of our own or people unknown. Unless we have the burden that these unsaved will perish and experience infinite suffering and unless that thought touches our heart and we feel it in ourselves like Jesus carried the burden of the human race, we aren’t really achieving much in prayer. But pray with a burden and see the difference. Praying with a burden touches the Father’s heart.

I have personally experienced that when I carry a burden and pray and there are tears in my eyes that testify to the intensity with which I have interceded, a positive result with come forth. And I also believe it is not easy to have a burden for every prayer topic that I have at hand.

The Bible exhorts us to “carry each other’s burdens” and this can very simply be applied to our lives not only by helping others but also by praying with a burden for them. That will bring about wonderful results. May the Lord help us all in this.