I am thoroughly convinced that a great spiritual awakening will come to this benighted world if the people of God will deny themselves of sleep and seek God in the peaceful hours of the morning. It is my firm conviction that the great Asbury revival set the pattern to be followed in order to have a great revival in this day and age of the world. God will hear His people when they see the importance of praying for others. Our Lord revealed this fact when He said, “Because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.” The man’s plea for bread was so insistent that he did not heed the protest of his sleepy friend. The need of the traveler who had come to him out of the night was more important than the rest needed by his friend’s entire family.

Is it possible that we are too indolent and indifferent to pray? Is there no passion for souls? Is there no sincere concern for the lost? Can it be that we are too sleepy to watch with Christ in the Gethsemane of prevailing prayer? Are our physical comforts more important than our praying for others?

Perhaps our Lord will draw some weary wayfarers to our door asking for help through our intercessory prayers. If He is pleased to trust us with such a responsibility, let us not fail to feed the famishing soul.

The man made an amazing confession when he said to his friend, “… I have nothing to set before him.” It is evident that Jesus is not calling attention to the man’s embarrassing poverty. He is showing us that our sufficiency is not of ourselves. Paul stated this fact when he said. “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.”—2 Corinthians 3:5.

We are woefully wanting in natural ability to help others spiritually; we have nothing to set before them. Unless we avail ourselves of the abundant resources of Christ through prayer, we will never have anything of spiritual worth to set before a starving world.

It is not difficult to imagine that the man had an easy chair and a comfortable bed to offer the tired traveler. But furniture is not a substitute for food. The welcome at the door, the furnishing of the house, and the entertaining conversation, cannot satisfy the hunger of the human heart. It requires the bread of life obtained from God to save a famishing soul from death.

Jesus encouraged us to avail ourselves of His resources when He said, “… He will rise and give him as many as he needeth.” We have nothing of ourselves to save a lost soul, but we have a faithful Friend, who will give us as much as we request in intercessory prayer. Jesus would have us understand that our importunate praying can overcome our discouragements and difficulties. He disclosed this fact when He said, “… He from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.” He is not saying that our heavenly Father is unwilling to grant our requests for others. The Master is teaching us not to cease praying when we encounter some opposing forces in life. There are times when it seems that our earnest requests have been denied. Let us keep in mind that our heavenly Father is willing to give the bread of life in answer to our intercessory petitions for others.

Anderson, Tony Marshall. 2007. Prayer Availeth Much. WORDsearch.

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