Anguished Prayer: When Christ Is Formed in Us

By Harold Vaughan

“God’s greatest gifts to man come through travail. Whether we look into the spiritual or temporal sphere, can we discover anything, any great reform, any beneficial discovery, any soul-awakening revival, which did not come through the toils and tears?” F.B. Meyer

Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, says, “My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you (4:19).” He spoke of experiencing distress, like labor pains, as he prayed for the Galatian believers. He compared this process to the anguish of childbirth, which includes long periods of prolonged pain and difficulty.

The word “formed” means to fashion, or form, like a sculptor shaping material into a clay vessel. The Potter is shaping and molding the clay (us) into a particular form to suit His purpose. He uses prayer as a “shaping” tool.

Prayer not only shapes the person who is prayed for, but it also shapes the person who is praying.

As long as we are alive, we will be on the Potter’s wheel being fashioned by the Potter’s hand. Never discount how the Potter uses intercession to affect the world and mold His vessels. E. M. Bounds put it well when he said, “God shapes the world through prayer.”

Elijah’s Example

Recall when Elijah prayed on Mount Carmel. There he ascended the hill, knelt on the ground, and put his face between his knees (1 Kings 18:42). He took the birthing position, travailing in prayer for rain. Elijah humbly knelt with his head so low that it touched his knees. Then he sent his servant to survey the sky. The servant went and observed the horizon, but there were no clouds. Elijah continued to pray and sent his servant to view the heavens six more times, to no avail. The seventh time, however, the servant saw a cloud the size of a man’s hand. The prophet discerned that the cloud was a forecast of coming rain. Elijah instinctively knew his prayer had prevailed and that a downpour was imminent.

He prayed until the word of the Lord was established in the earth.

Through prayer, spiritual forces are set in motion to accomplish the will of God. His intervening power is released into circumstances and lives by intensified intercession. The desired rain was preceded by wrestling prayer. Prostrated with his face to his knees, Elijah prayed fervently. His fetal body language corresponded to the desperation he felt in his heart. And his prayer prevailed.

Concentrated Prayer

Agonizing in prayer constitutes yet another type of intensive prayer. In the New Testament, we see how Jesus agonized in Gethsemane prior to the cross. In the garden, He prayed, “Not my will, but thine be done (Luke 22:42).”  He anticipated the dense darkness and the dread of becoming sin. The crushing thought of suffering the righteous wrath of God was overwhelming. This agonizing process took a toll on His entire being. Here, He surrendered His will to the eternal purposes of God. On the cross, Christ gave Himself as the supreme and final sacrifice for sin. He prayed like no one ever prayed, and He prayed for our sakes.

I have heard that kneeling for prayer was not customary in New Testament times. But the burden was so great that Jesus knelt (Luke 22:41). Not only did He kneel, but He also fell on His face (Matthew 26:39; Mark 14:35).

You see, Jesus had to die in Gethsemane before He died on Calvary. There, He died to His will.

Yes, He was the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, but the outworking of the divine plan required subordination and synchronization prior to His cross work. The agonizing prayer in the garden was deeper and more intense than any prayer that has ever been prayed.

Joining Christ in the Fellowship of Intercession

Wesley Duewel writes, “Christ is the interceding Sovereign of the universe. His throne is one of intercession. One day, He will rule by the rod—today by His almighty power. Today, He rules by His uplifted and extended hand—by prayer. His intercession is not symbolic but real, as real as it was when He interceded on earth. He is on the throne interceding for us and waiting for us to join Him as intercessors.”

Seasons of agonizing prayer, being so strenuous, are limited in their duration. It has been said that Jesus’s wrestling in Gethsemane lasted about three hours. And no one ever prayed as intensely as Christ when He prayed with sweat like great drops of blood falling from his brow (Luke 22:44). Such focused concentration is extremely rare.

Dr. Wilbur Chapman wrote to a friend,

“I have learned some great lessons concerning prayer. At one of our missions in England, the audiences were exceedingly small. But I received a note saying that an American missionary . . . was going to pray God’s blessing down upon our work. He was known as ‘Praying Hyde.’ Almost instantly, the tide turned. The hall became packed, and at my first invitation, fifty men accepted Christ as their Savior. As we were leaving, I said, ‘Mr. Hyde, I want you to pray for me.’ He came to my room, turned the key in the door and dropped on his knees and waited five minutes without a single syllable coming from his lips. I could hear my own heart thumping and his beating. I felt the hot tears running down my face. I knew I was with God. Then, with upturned face, down which the tears were streaming, he said ‘O God!’ Then for five minutes at least he was still again; and then, when he knew that he was talking with God . . . there came up from the depth of his heart such petitions for men as I had never heard before. I rose from my knees to know what real prayer was. We believe that prayer is mighty, and we believe it as we never did before.”

Dr. Chapman used to say, “It was a season of prayer with John Hyde that made me realize what real prayer was. I owe to him more than I owe to any man for showing me what a prayer-life is, and what a real consecrated life is. . . . Jesus Christ became a new Ideal to me, and I had a glimpse of His prayer-life; and I had a longing which has remained to this day to be a real praying man.”

Our humanity has limits, and the Lord knows the weakness of our frame. So, at times, the Lord guides us into fervent prayer according to the Spirit’s direction. At other times, He leads us in seasons of joyful communion and celebration. Our part is simply to cooperate and adapt to His leading. These rolling prayer burdens are God’s way of allowing us to sense His heart and participate in His plan. Under His gracious influence, He directs us to pray as we ought.

This excerpt was taken from Harold’s book “Next Level Praying: The Power of Intensified Intercession.”

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