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Pastimes : Ask and You Shall Receive -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: gregor who wrote (579)	8/24/1998 5:12:00 PM
From: WTCausby	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 14396

Amen, Brother Gregor! In Christ, Tom

To: gregor who wrote (579)	8/26/1998 12:22:00 AM
From: Stan	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 14396

Hi Gregor, In our common usage, the term 'burden' only conveys the idea of a heavy load; and Christians often use the term because they've heard others say it in the context of prayer. Therefore, it is our language that is the source of confusion on this word 'burden'. It has a variety of separate uses in Scripture. A good example is that Jesus uses this idea of 'burden' in several but distinct ways in Matt. 11:28-30. He says to come to Him all who are "weary and heavy laden (burdened). He says later, ". . .take my yoke . . . for My Yoke is easy and my Burden is light." In the first statement, we are to give him our burdens (heavy weights and anxieties). In the second, we are to take on certain responsibilities (yoke and burden of verse 30). So, when christians say they are burdened for prayer for someone, they mean that they are being given the responsibility (a yoke and burden) of prayer by God. God actually performs the work, through the Spirit as the believer acts as His representative in faith. That representative must fulfill that burden according to its specialized need. Not all prayer 'Burdens' can be discharged the same way or with the same intensity or time frame. When the prayer is indeed discharged in accordance with God's will, the pray-er will be released from this 'charge' by either an abiding peace or by having the answer manifested. It is up to each person to learn how to pray fervently, efficiently and effectively. This isn't won overnight, because true prayer places demands upon every aspect of our being. Notice that the disciples (in the Gospels) only ever asked how to pray, never how to minister or preach!! Notice further, that after the Holy Spirit came upon them in Acts, they were always devoted to prayer. This is remarkable but enlightening. The crucial difference was that now the Spirit empowered them in the same manner that He does Jesus Himself. Becoming effective in it is a lifelong pursuit and is not as easy as it first looks. Every child of God has good works preordained for him to walk in. They can only be accomplished by obedience to His Word-taught principles and by the power and the leading of His Spirit. Perhaps using a synonymous term would alleviate the problem, such as "I've been charged by God to pray for. . ." or something similar. Actually, the word burden needs to be understood and accepted in more than one limited way. Stan