This is the third part of a series on prayer and supplication.  For part two in this series, see Prayer and Supplication with Fasting. For part three in this series, see Prayer and Supplication with Thanksgiving. This sermon is on Prayer and Supplication with Crying.  Prayer and supplication with crying is important:

1 Ki 8:28 in your need of God’s blessing.  Solomon cried out to God in his prayer of dedication for the temple. He brought his petitions to the Lord in supplication with crying.

Dr. Wilbur Chapman wrote to a friend: I have learned some great lessons concerning prayer. At one of our missions in England the audience was exceedingly small; but I received a note saying that an American missionary was going to pray for God‘s blessing on our work. He was known as Praying Hyde. Almost instantly, the tide turned. The hall became packed, and at my first invitation 50 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, and when he entered, he dropped to his knees.  He waited five minutes without a single syllable coming from his lips.  Soon, I felt hot tears running down my face.  I knew we were with God.  Then, with upturned face, while the tears were streaming, he said, “O God”.  Then for at least five minutes he was still again; and then, when he knew that he was talking with God, there came from the depths of his heart such petitions for me as I had never heard before.  I rose from my knees to know what real prayer is.  We believe that prayer is mighty; and now we believe it as we never did before.

Ezra 10:1-2 in your personal confession.  Is it not appropriate that we would weep over our sin?  We have become far too casual with God in our confession.  It doesn’t seem to grieve us that we keep coming to him with the same confession day after day.  At some point, we should weep and turn from our sin altogether.  

Ps 55:16-18 in your need for deliverance.  This is deliverance as in deliverance from the devil in temptation.  How desperately we need the Lord to help us when we are truly being attacked by our adversary.  Satan would say, “Blessed is he who does not pray, for he will become an easy prey”.

Ps 102:1-2 in your times of trouble and affliction.  We all go through trouble and affliction.  And sometimes, we don’t even know how to pray in the trouble we encounter.  Then we must rely upon the Holy Spirit to intercede for us as in Rom 8:26, with groanings which cannot be uttered.

As one preacher said, “In prayer, it is better to have a heart without words, than words without a heart”.

Ps 6:8-9 in your battle with the world.  In Ps 6:6-10, David wrote, “The Lord hath heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer”.  He was battling with his enemies.  And he knew the Lord had heard him.  In the context, you can see that David had been weeping.  In our battles against our worldly enemies, it would do us well to cry out to God like David did.

George Washington found relief in prayer during the trying times at Valley Forge.  Despite all the duties and worries of that time he spent regular time each day in prayer.  One day, a farmer who approached the camp heard someone praying.  As he got nearer, he saw Washington on his knees.  His cheeks were wet with tears as he prayed.  When the farmer returned to his home, he told his wife, “George Washington will succeed; we will secure our independence”.  His wife asked her husband why he thought that.  He replied to his wife, “I heard him praying out in the woods today. The Lord will surely hear his prayer”.

With strong crying and tears is how Jesus faced the worst enemy of all and defeated death, Heb 5:7.  If it were good for him to weep while he was praying, would it not be good for us to follow his example?  

Conclusion: Lord, teach us to pray.