In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of having a deep desire and hunger for God. He encourages listeners not to worry about running out of things to say in their prayers, but rather to let their innermost being cry out to God for mercy. The speaker then shares a story about a man who witnessed the powerful prayers of a minister named Robert Murray Machine. He explains that sometimes, when we are faithful and pray with sincerity, there may be moments when we are beyond words and our hearts cry out to God, resulting in tears of genuine emotion. The speaker concludes by reminding listeners that God is keeping records of our words, meditations, stewardship, and obedience, and that He desires to reward us throughout eternity.

Praise the Lord. Amen. It's good to be together in the Lord, in his presence, sitting at his feet, his feet. Oh, may the Lord help us in this second session of our prayer advance. May the words of my mouth, and the meditations, and the desires, and the longings, and the prayers of all of our hearts be pleasing to the Lord. I speak on what, in my book, Mighty Prevailing Prayer, in chapter 11, I call the dynamic of desire. I've sometimes preached and called it the dynamic of holy hunger. However you wish to express it, the dynamic of a deep thirst for God, whatever you want to say, desire, holy hunger, thirst. I believe this is so basic to all effective intercession. Desire, hunger, thirst has tremendous motivating power. And God is touched by a hungry heart. He is moved by hunger. I suppose it's because God is so hungry hearted himself. That he is so moved by a heart that hungers. But there seems to be special spiritual power when a person really hungers for something from God. God give you holy hungers for your churches, for your people. God give you holy hungers for your communities. Is it too late for America? No. If God can give his church holy hunger across America, we can see accomplished what politicians can't accomplish. All is not lost. It may look like abortion is going to surge. It may look like homosexuality is going to surge. But if there can come a surge of holy hunger across God's people, our eyes are not on man. We often look to man. We hope that man will do this and that. But above and beyond man, our eyes must be on God. And we must not dare to be dismayed. We must take new courage. We must take new determination. We must take our stand to see it to victory. Desire has great power. The deeper your desire to see God's answers, the deeper your hunger to see God's hand made bare, the deeper your thirst for the triumph of Christ, the more urgent your heart cry, the more God can use your praying. Then the Holy Spirit can pray through you with his deep groanings. Then he can pray through you with a special, special fervency, a special focusing, pinpointing. Generalities don't accomplish much. It's sincerity, it's specifics that God hears and answers. Solomon, at the sad end of a misspent life, God had revealed himself to him twice, but he'd gone away from God. He had partaken in his many wives' idolatries. He had blasted the hopes of Israel that had been raised so high by David's presidency. And Solomon, in the aging years of his life, said, Vanity, vanity, all is vanity. That's all that was left in his life. And I, as I was praying about this some time ago, I said to myself, as the angels of God observe us, for they're observing us, they're watching us, they're listening to us, they're keeping records, God is keeping records, you can be sure of this, of the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts. God is keeping records of our stewardship and our obedience. He wants to reward us throughout eternity. I feel so many, many Christians are missing this. And I was encouraged yesterday, as a brother came to me, and he had read my book, Measure Your Life, and he said, no, she, the lady, and she said, oh, she said, God has spoken to me through that book. Why don't we hear more messages on that, she said. The rewards that God is longing to give to his people. And God is so gracious. He wants to bless us. And he will take every opportunity to bless us. But he has told us specifically, that our rewards will be according to how we build upon Jesus Christ. He is the only foundation which can be laid. We, you and I, will never face our sins again at the judgment bar of God. Thank God, that's taken care of. But we will face how we have invested our lives. Whether with gold, silver, precious stone, that which will last, or what I fear, is filling so many Christians' lives. Because that scripture is not a scripture for sinners. That's for people building on Jesus Christ with wood, hay, and straw. And Paul says, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that if any man's work abide, that day, the fire of that day, the testing fire of God's judgment throne, if any man's work abide, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work be burned, he shall suffer loss. There are good Christians that are suffering loss now in what their life could be for God, and they're going to suffer loss of reward in eternity. Because there's so much of the wood, and the hay, and the straw in their lives. And even the prayers of some people are almost straw. They're just so meaningless. They're such generalities. There's no deep longing. It's just the done thing. It's the thing you say. You pray, yes, of course. I'm a Christian, yes. I'm a Methodist. I'm a Baptist. Yes, I love Jesus. I think so often of those words of John Stott. I love Jesus are the cheapest words in Britain today. You can say words without very much meaning. And I fear that there is a lot of praying that is practically nominal praying. And there may even be almost nominal praying. I won't say it's fully nominal. Almost nominal praying by born-again Christians who have so little spiritual desire. I can't explain it. They seem so little moved by the Holy Spirit when they pray. There seems so little thirsting for God. There seems so little recognition of the kingdom of God. Of the value of a soul. Of the need of our nation. They seem to be able to go blindly. I can't understand it. It's in God's hands, not mine. But I fear that sometimes the angels who keep records for the day of rewards must look and listen to some Christians generalities and say, like Solomon, meaningless, meaningless, doesn't mean a thing. Doesn't really mean a thing. But oh, that we could have that holy desire which draws us and makes us dear to the heart of God. Oh, that he could see in us a reflection of his own infinite desires of all that he longs to. That is the prayer that becomes powerful before God. That begins to share the heartbeat of God. That begins to share the infinite compassion of God and the longing heart of God as he looks out. Now, you don't arrive at that depth of hunger instantly. And you may not have it on any specific day as you begin to pray. But as you pray on, the Holy Spirit can deepen that desire. You do not always have the same emotional awareness of that desire, but you can have a set of your soul so that it is your prayer. You do not need to restrict your praying to only those times when your desire is that deep. Pray whether you feel like it or not. Pray whether you hunger or not. Set the discipline of your soul. You know that this is God's priority, and so I will make it my priority. I will put myself, set my goal, set my face. I will seek his face for this. I believe it is the will of God. You do that. And the time will come when the desire will be deepened. And the time will come when perhaps your eyes will have tears. Not the tears of self-pity. Not the tears that you're working up. But tears flowing from the heart of God. If they aren't in your eyes, at least they should be in your heart. Did I put... Yes. Let me read you a poem that I wrote many years ago. Entitled, Tears of Jesus. Oh, the flowing of... So many people talk about, when they quote the Scripture, Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever. I think they're thinking primarily of Jesus' power. And that is correct. Jesus Christ is the same in power as he ever was. But I believe that's a picture of the totality of our Lord's personality. His holy being. And I believe he loves as much as he ever did. And I believe that the pictures that we see of him in the Bible are pictures which are realities today. And if Jesus wept over Jerusalem, I believe he's weeping over New York, and Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. And I believe he is weeping over Hong Kong, and Calcutta, and Benares. But there are Christians in those cities that have no tears in their eyes. If Jesus loved that young man who came running to Jesus, I believe Jesus is looking with eagerness at our young people. And he loves and wants to take in his arms every young person that comes with a new enthusiasm and the spark of a new experience in Christ Jesus and goes running to the heart. I believe it blesses the heart of Jesus. I have a friend who is very burdened for the street children of the world. Doug Nichols. And I believe if Jesus took the children in his arms when he was here, I believe Jesus longs to take the children of Bogota, Colombia, the street children, and the street children of Bangkok, and the street children of Bombay, longs to take them in his arms. The street children. I believe we got the same Jesus yesterday, today, and forever. Let me get back here. Oh, the flowing tears of Jesus as he weeps o'er man astray. He who wept and died to save man loves no less our world today. Once he stood upon the mountain, weeping that man did not know, with tears coursing as a fountain for Jerusalem below. Now Christ stands on heaven's summit, longing still for man below. Once he bore the cross to save it, but this world still does not know. Oh, how often he longs to gather earth's vast millions in his arms. Oh, how often he would rather shield it from the judgment storm. Tears of Jesus ever flowing for the millions of our earth in their sin and folly going lost in worldliness and mirth, laughing while the Savior weeps, deaf to his repeated call, sleeping while he patience keepeth brokenhearted for them all. Tears of Jesus, man of sorrow, weeping for his saints at ease, blind to their eternal moral, thinking most how self to please, blind to their unfinished mission, seldom on their knees to plead, heedless of the great commission, knowing not to intercede. Wounded Jesus, thou art weeping? Dost thou weep again o'er me? Long I've carelessly been sleeping. Show me once more calvary. Wounded Jesus, see, I love thee. I would give thee joy and cheer. Take me, break me, mold me, use me. Let me dry away thy tear. And I believe that when we begin to get a deep desire, it is because the blessed Holy Spirit is letting us feel more of the deep, deep, deep desire in the heart of God. We will never be able to fully know how deeply God longs for our world, how deeply Christ longs to revive our church. We will never know how deeply Christ longs for every single sinner and how he loves our young people and how he hurts when a young person strays and how he weeps. I believe if Jesus wept when he was here on earth, there are tears in his eyes in heaven. I can't prove that from the Bible, but I believe he is the same. At least there are the equivalent of tears, whatever it is. I believe that Jesus is the same in yearning, in longing, as we saw him here on earth. Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how oft I have longed. I believe that longing is going on today. That's why you get so blessed in your heart when you begin to take the lost world on your heart. When you begin to intercede. Oh, how much prayer is all inward focused around self and little trivial interests of self. When we begin to take the world on our heart, how this pleases the heart of God. Back to my message. Repetition of meaningless words is nausea to God. But repetition of a deep felt heart cry is sweet to the heart of God. You needn't worry when your heart is crying out to God if you say the same thing five times. You needn't worry if your heart cries out, Oh, Jesus, I don't know how to tell you. You are but sharing a little bit of the heart of God. Jesus repeated himself in the garden. That's why John Calvin said, if anyone has gotten beyond repetition, he's gotten farther than Jesus ever got. Some people say, well, you know, I run out pretty quick because I've said all that I know to say. Listen, when the desire and the hunger in your soul and the thirst gets so deep, your heart will cry out for God's mercy and you won't count the times you've said it. It's just because it's what the innermost being is crying out to God for. I want to read these words from Paul. By the way, as I was walking up the hill at the break, I suddenly realized I didn't even read my scripture lesson in that first session. I had it here in my marker in my pocket. Oh, help us. Okay, Romans 9. You all know this passage. Let me read it to you. Paul is... I'm so glad the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write this. I speak the truth. Isn't that an odd statement? Why would Paul have to tell us he's speaking the truth? Paul says, I speak the truth in Christ. Now, that adds deeper meaning there. I'm telling you the truth as a Christian, being in Christ and in the presence of Christ, before Christ, as much as I know how, I am speaking the truth in what he's going to say here. I speak the truth in Christ. I'm not lying. It sounds like he's afraid that someone is going to disagree. Someone is going to say, Oh, Paul, you're speaking evangelistically. I am speaking the truth in Christ. I'm not lying. My conscience, my conscience confirms it. My conscience knows I am telling you the total truth, nothing but the truth. I'm not lying. My conscience confirms it. In the Holy Spirit. So in Christ and in the Holy Spirit. I'm calling Christ to my witness. I'm calling the Holy Spirit to my witness. This is the truth. I am speaking the truth. I'm not lying. My conscience confirms it. In the Holy Spirit. What? I have great sorrow. You don't know me. I'm a broken hearted man. I have great sorrow. You don't see it. But I'm carrying a great sorrow. There may be some of you have a great sorrow today. God knows all about it. I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. That's the word for agony. Agonia. I have agony. My heart is agonizing. It's a stabbing pain. I have unceasing agony in my heart. When you have this kind of agony, you practically say, how can I go on living? How long can I go on like this? Paul says, I'm speaking the truth in Christ. I am not lying. My conscience confirms it. In the Holy Spirit. I have a great sorrow and unceasing agony in my heart. For I, believe me, I could wish that I myself were cursed. This is why Paul fortified it before he said it. I'm not trying to impress you. I'm not trying to impress anybody. God knows it's a truth in my heart. I could wish that I were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel. Oh yes, I know God called me to the Gentiles. I know that I'm the apostle to the Gentiles. I know that my people are trying to kill me. I know they have stolen me. I know they have thrown me in jail. I know they want me dead. I know they have watched the gates of the city to try to get me. I know thereafter am I alive. But I speak the truth in Christ. I'm not lying. My conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit that I have great sorrow and constant unceasing agony in my heart because I could wish that I myself would be cursed and cut off from Christ and go to hell. I'd be willing to endure hell for eternity if somehow my brothers could just be saved. What do I know about that kind of prayer hunger? What do I know? That's the dynamic of holy hunger. That's something of what Moses felt when he wanted to throw himself in the gap. If not, blot my name out. Only it seems to me maybe Paul went a little further. Where did Paul ever get that kind of a desire? Where did Paul ever get that kind of a hunger? Where did Paul ever begin to experience that kind of stabbing pain, unceasing agony in his heart? He got it from the Old Testament. That was the only scripture he had. Probably Paul wrote the first book of the New Testament before the Gospels were written. What did Paul have but the Old Testament? Why do so many preachers steer so clear of the Old Testament? Yes, I think we maybe should preach more from the New Testament than the Old. I don't think we should steer away from it. And I believe that Paul heard the voice of God in Isaiah 65, 2. All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people who walk in ways not good. Let me back up. I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me. I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name I said, Here am I, here am I. I'm sought. God is offering himself to people who have not sought him. He is speaking specifically of the Jewish nation there. But I put that in the context of India because I was called to India. And I knew the seeking of India. And I could see in my mind's eye Jesus standing in India. And I didn't think it all through in those youthful years as I feel perhaps I understand it better now. Jesus standing. I have stood when 7 million people around me were pressing to the river or in the river trying to wash away their sins. The awesome darkness. Spiritual darkness. But in my mind's eye, above that crowd, above that turbid river, unseen by anybody there, was standing the Son of God saying, Here I am, here I am, here I am. That's what Isaiah said. That's the vision he had of God. Israel going on in their idolatry. And he says all the time I'm there with my arms out. All day long I hold out my arms. Here I am, here I am. Do you see the heart of God? Oh how God, I believe he stands in Washington DC. I believe he stands in New York. I believe he stands in Roanoke. I believe he stands in his omnipresence across this world calling to people. Here I am, here I am, here, here. Come, come. I think that's what Paul saw. I think that's why Paul had such pain in his heart. I believe that's why Paul could say, I'd be willing to be cursed if somehow I could just bring that to pass which would gratify and satisfy the hungry heart of God if I could be a sacrifice for them. If that would do it, here I would give myself to God. As much as I love God, as much as I'm loyal to Jesus Christ, as much as I would die for him, but that's what I would do. If somehow, that's the desire, that's the hunger in my heart. I believe he got that from the Old Testament. I believe he got that from Isaiah. I believe he heard in Ezekiel, turn you, turn you from your evil ways, why will you die? Who speaks like that? That's the heart of God. God doesn't desire the death of a sinner. God longing to save them. He will not force himself upon a soul, but if he is to get to that, someone has to pick up his heartbeat. Somebody has to begin to hunger with the hunger of God. Someone has to sense the longings of the Holy Spirit. Someone has to catch a vision. Someone has to pour out their soul. And that's pleading intercession. That's what makes prayer so powerful. God is moved by that kind of prayer. Can you hear Hosea? How can I give you up? My compassion is aroused. God doesn't want to give up on the people that still have their back turned to God. Oh, Ephraim, Ephraim. And so who is going to be the Isaiah today? Who is going to be the Ezekiel today? Who is going to be the Hosea of 1993? Will you be able to echo the heartbeat of God? Will I be able to until the people we minister to catch a new glimpse of the hungry heart of God? And it transforms their thinking and transforms their values and transforms their standards and transforms their praying. That's what we want. Then revival can come. Then God will move in in power. Desire makes prayer specific. No generalities now. We know what our heart is crying for. We know what we would rather have than almost anything else in this world. That holy hunger makes our prayer specific. That pinpoints it. We know what the heart of God is calling for and our heart calls for it too. David said, One thing I desire. He had one priority. He just wanted to be near God in the house of God. And that's beautiful. And that's commendable. We need that holy hunger for communion. But there is also now in New Testament days clarified for us the holy hunger for intercession. The holy hunger for a dying world. David didn't have the vision of a dying world that we have. David didn't have the example of the Lord Jesus that we have. And now God wants us to be moved by that kind of a holy hunger which to transform our praying. How can we get that hunger? I said at the beginning, don't think that the only time to pray is when you are convulsed with an insatiable hunger. Praise God for those moments when you really hunger. Praise God for those moments when your heart cries to God. Whether you have tears in your eyes or not, your soul is crying to God. Praise God for those moments. But they only come to those who have set their soul on that long before. They come to those who have been making something a faithful part of their praying if not day by day then time and time and time again. And as they have prayed on, the Holy Spirit has deepened the hunger in their desire. And as they have prayed on on days when prayer seemed almost formal, but they knew their heart was set, their soul had not changed in its attitude toward God and they still declared themselves and put them on record before God. And they say, Oh God, Oh God. It is when you are faithful and being faithful to the vision and being faithful to the burden and when you pray on, whether you feel like it or not, but it's still the set of your soul, it's still the desire of your heart, then will come sometimes those precious moments when you are beyond words and your heart cries out to God. You have probably read the story and I think it's in one of my books about the man that went to the church where Robert Murray Machine, the Church of Scotland minister, had pastored. And his writings were beautiful and they were a blessing to many people and perhaps you have one of his books yourself. And this person came and so the sexton, the custodian in the church, took him and said, You want to see where Pastor Machine preached? Yes, yes, I'd like to. Come here. He came. He said, Stand in front of the pulpit here. He stood. Now he said, Put your elbows on the pulpit. So the man put his elbows on the pulpit. He said, Now put your face in your hands. Now he said, Let the tears flow. That was the way Mr. Machine did. He said, Come here to his office. He said, Sit in this chair. He sat down. He said, Put your elbows on the desk. He put his elbows on the desk. He said, Put your face in your hands. He said, Now let the tears flow. That's the way Mr. Machine did. You and I don't have those tears every day, but there may be some time. If you have been faithful praying for your people, if you have been praying faithful for your city, it may be that some night when no eye is there to see, you're not doing it to impress people or to impress yourself, but your heart cries out to God until the tears begin to come down your cheek. Oh, those are priceless in the sight of God. You don't have a record, but heaven has a record. You may have forgotten those occasional times in your life when the holy desires have gotten that, but you will forget. You don't put it down in your diary most probably, but God does not forget. That is precious in the sight of God. That is priceless. And one day those tears will bring answers. They may not bring answers as quick as you would like. I am increasingly convinced that the dimensions of revival depend a good deal upon the amount of prayer in preparing the way of the Lord. I have asked myself, why was it that the revival in the Hebrides remained in the Hebrides and didn't go across Britain? You see, when revival came to Wales, it leaped across to India. It leaped some into this country. It leaped in several places across the world. In the Scandinavian countries, I understand. But why did the Hebrides revival just stay in the Hebrides? Maybe the only place where there was adequate prayer preparation was in the Hebrides. It may take longer praying and more praying, not that we don't earn the Lord's answer. I'm not teaching that. I'm not saying that. I'm not saying that at all. But I just know that there is something in preparing the way of the Lord. I remember coming across many of God's real children nowadays in many different churches, many different denominations, different groups. There is a hunger for revival that's coming. I believe God is beginning to bring people to a holy desperation. And if this is the case, God doesn't play games with us. Then I'm praying that this will mean that once more a tide of holy ghost revival will come across our land. And my brothers, I want us all to be investing in it. We don't earn it. We do prepare the way of the Lord. As surely as John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus, as surely as for several decades across Wales, Seth Roberts and other preachers were preparing the way. They didn't know how or when it would come. It wasn't through them. It was through Evan Roberts. But in God's time, in God's sovereignty, he chose who he wanted to use. But when God's time came and the real preparation was there, then the fire could move from place to place to place. Yes, those tears are not lost. Those prayers prayed in the will of God. Is it God's will to revive the church? Of course it is God's will. He is a reviving God. That's the kind of God we serve. That's why he gave a covenant of revival in 2 Chronicles 7, 14. 14, 7, what is it? 7, 14. That's why no other God dares give covenants. Our God is willing to give a covenant because he's willing to fulfill his covenant. He hasn't had it there for centuries. And it's valid yet today. And God is not a God that lies. He doesn't play games with us. He doesn't deceive us. And if God's people will fulfill God's covenant, man's part of God's covenant, our covenant God will honor his word as his word draws heaven near to earth. God, give us that holy desire that when we pray again and again, sometimes in sheer and utter faithfulness, not because we are deeply moved, but because we deeply long and desire. But other times, sometimes, we will be deeply moved. Precious, precious moments. Don't be impressed by your own praying, but just obey God. Just obey God. So how do we get this deep God-given desire? First of all, welcome every beginnings of holy desire. Know this, that Satan is not the author. He does not do that. Only God gives holy desires, whether for the salvation of a sinner or the redemption of a backslider or the revival of a church or God's mercy upon a community only God gives holy desires. And when you know that you have desires that have been born not from your heart, but because they came somehow or other from the heart of God, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, when you sense that, be encouraged. Welcome those desires. Seize them. Clinton, this is something I must pray for. If this is what God's putting on my heart, Lord, I'll be faithful to this vision that you're giving me. I've caught what you want to do. Lord, I'm going to be faithful here. I'm going to pray. Welcome God-given desires. Second, in no way quench or lose them. How do you lose them? You can lose them in involvement in secular things. There are legitimate things, but sometimes you're just going to have to say no. When you feel your heart crying out to God, if there's any way you can postpone other events in your life, if you can get out of what you need to do the next half hour or the next hour, keep on praying. When the Spirit is striving in you, don't quench the Spirit. Pray on. Third, surrender your own desires. It doesn't have to begin in your church. It doesn't have to begin in your town. It doesn't have to begin in your group of association of churches or your denomination. It doesn't have to begin the way you think. It usually won't. You can't predict what God's going to do. You know, I referred earlier, no one figured that Peggy Smith and Christine Smith, those two old ladies, that they would be God's key in revival. Who would have thought that? But God used them. But if you are faithful in doing your part, let God give the assignments. Let God tap on the shoulder of those He wants to tap. Let God use the testimony that He wants to use. Let God use someone that you didn't expect Him to use. Just surrender your own program. Don't tell God how to do it. Just say, I'm believing for you to do it, Lord. And lastly, trust God for what you believe to have begun in His heart, not in yours. Since it's from God, trust Him for it. Believe His promise and begin to praise Him. You can't praise Him all the time. Someone said to me today, when you carry a burden for a long time, sometimes it becomes weary. That's right. And sometimes the Holy Spirit may lead you into praise. Not because you see the answer yet, but because of God's promise and you believe for the answer that's coming. You begin to praise before you have it. God can help you bring that place of joy. And that may not last. It may be that another occasion you will be under the burden again. But God knows that physically we cannot carry a heavy burden all the time. That's what they tell about praying high. As he would pray around Ludhiana in the Punjab. Sometimes he would, for one month before the convention began, he would spend most of his days and nights when he was awake praying. Sometimes he would not leave the room day or night for several days, except for necessary functions and right back there again. Praying and then they said sometimes in the middle of his weeping and pleading with God, he would suddenly break out into joy and holy laughter because God quickened a promise to him. Oh, wonderful promise, praise God, this is what God has said. I think that was the Holy Spirit letting praying high live longer. You know, you can't, your body, this feeble body of ours, it can't take certain things beyond a certain point and God knows that. And just at the right time, he'll quicken a promise to you, he'll give you something else and turn your morning into joy for the time being. Then you can go right back again the next day or the next time, whatever it is, with a burden bearing, carry on until victory comes. We don't give up. So cherish the hunger, treasure the hunger. Let God deepen the hunger. May God teach us to hunger and yearn until his answer comes. Don't look to me as the model. Sometimes the hunger comes deep and sometimes I feel myself too dry. But God knows my heart is still set on what I want to see. Be not weary in well-doing. You are not praying in vain. You are not interceding in vain. Your will be done. Your kingdom come is still the prayer we are to pray. We are to stand for God and his will, his righteousness. If the world turns and mocks us, whatever the world may say, we are set. Our soul is set. And at times we may have tears and at times we may be dry-eyed. But we are still set to see the will of God. We are to see God's will, God's will, God's will. And we will take our stand against darkness. And we will take our stand against doubt. And we will take our stand against the secularism about us. And keep our soul set until the answer comes by God's grace. Let's spend some time in prayer.