Subject: God does not require us to agonize in prayer.
Rees Howells: Intercessor (PDF): http://www.inspirationalchristians.org/downloads/rees-howells-intercessor-ebook.pdf
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- This can be a helpful book with powerful scripture references and inspiring examples from the life of a man who desired to serve God and do God's best will for his life. He saw miracles happen in answer to prayer and the course of World War 2 changed by way of his and others' prayers. This is a book to seek God through, but it does have errors, as most Christian books do. So, we Christians need to be Bereans (Acts 17:10-11). Use caution and discernment when reading this book.
I am certain that not everything Norman Grubb or Rees Howells said is true or biblically correct. Rees depended much on a voice he heard, but he needed to meditate on God's Word (the Bible) more.
- When we are grounded in God's Word (Acts 17:10-11), and as we seek to know God as our Abba Father in a personal relationship (Galatians 4:6-7), we will have better discernment to know what is of God and what isn't. Abba God does speak to us by His Spirit (John 16:13), but He does not tell us to do anything that is contradictory to His Nature as revealed through the Bible. God does not teach us to perform for Him or earn anything from Him (Romans 4:1-8). God does not teach us to go through agony in prayer (John 14:27). He gives us peace (John 14:27, John 16:33, John 20:19-23).
- There are more errors than I have been able to write about. So, again, we Christians need to be Bereans (Acts 17:10-11). I myself have been misled at times, so I offer this article with a desire to point out why God is a loving, caring, compassionate, patient, gracious, longsuffering Father. And, I offer this article to point out truth from God's Word (the Bible).
In the book Rees Howells: Intercessor, by Norman Grubb, a mistaken belief about intercession is taught. I don't presume to know all there is to know about prayer and intercession. I certainly don't.
But, there is a teaching about "agonizing" in prayer or having "agony" while praying or interceding which is not found in the Bible. I believe that Norman Grubb and Rees Howells meant well by speaking of this, but it is not accurate to God's Word.
Jesus in Gethsemane
It is true that Jesus had agony when He prayed to His Father (God the Father), but we need to look at the context of why the Only Begotten Son of God had agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. (Jesus in Gethsemane: Luke 22:39-46.)
Jesus knew that all the sins of the world would be put on Him and that He would be separated from God the Father's affection for a few hours (Matthew 27:46). The agony of bearing all the sins of the world and feeling separated from the Father's affection and intimacy was what drove the Savior of the world to weep drops of blood while in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Jesus does not call the Church to bear the sins of the world, for He alone bore them (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus does not call the Church to die on a literal wooden cross because He did that in our place, as a propitiation for our sins. He took our place and died once for the sins of the whole world (Hebrews 9:24-28). That is how God the Father and God the Son demonstrated God's love to us.
God's burden is light
The burden Jesus gives us Christians is very light (Matthew 11:28-30). Jesus in Matthew 11:30 said: "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." It is not a heavy thing. It is not agony. It is not hardship. It is peace, fellowship with Abba God, and rest of soul (John 14:27, Colossians 3:15, John 16:33).
Jesus did call us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him (Mark 8:34-38), but taking up the cross is symbolic. It is dying to the old ways we used to live in, and living with Christ in close fellowship with Him and with Abba Father God (1 John 1:3, 1 John 1:5-7, and all of 1 John 1). We must recognize that Jesus alone paid for all our sins, with His own blood (see "Footnote" below), and we must make Him our personal Savior and Lord (if we haven't). [To find out how to be saved, click here.]
We pay Him nothing for what He did because it is a gift. It is free. It was paid for by His precious blood about 2,000 years ago, on a Roman cross.
2 Corinthians 3:16-17
"[16] Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. [17] Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."
We are not under bondage but we have liberty from bondage and liberty from sin (2 Corinthians 3:16-18), so that we can walk in the newness of life (Romans 6:4), which is Christ living His live in us (Galatians 2:19-21). In this state of rest and peace, we can have great fellowship with Abba God and with Jesus Christ, the Son of God (1 John 1, John 17:3, 1 Corinthians 1:9).
Romans 6:4 says: "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."
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Footnote:
The Greek word teleó means: "to bring to an end, complete, fulfill" and it also means to "pay" and "discharge (a debt)" and "accomplish". That is the root word that Jesus spoke from the cross of Calvary. It is recorded in John 19:30.
John 19:30 says: "When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost."
Jesus finished and paid-in-full all the requirements we humans had to fulfill under the Law of Moses and under the Old Testament. God the Father knew that no one could fulfill all those requirements, except for Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Jesus fulfilled them for us and died in our place on the cross, so that we are free. Now, we are able, by the leading of the Holy Spirit, to walk in the new life that Jesus gives us, which is by His Holy Spirit working through us to walk in obedience to God and in fellowship with Him. Read the passage from Galatians 5 below to learn more about this new life in Christ.
Galatians 5:16-26
"[16.] This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
19. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20. Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21. Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
22. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23. Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another."
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