Lord, Quicken Our Prayers!

I believe Mark 7:31-37 illustrates a state of prayerlessness.

There are 3 key points I want to draw out of this portion of Scripture.
• Jesus us must lead us away from a crowd of unbelieving voices (verse 33)
• Jesus must touch our ears (verse 33 and 35)
• Jesus must heal our tongues (verse 33 and 35)

Jesus must lead us away from unbelieving voices
There was a crowd who brought to Jesus a man who was deaf and mute. They begged Jesus to touch him, but Jesus took the man aside. I believe this crowd can represent many believers who demand by some tangible evidence that God can perform a miracle in order to believe.

Prayer is not the evidence of things hoped, rather it is faith. Hebrews 11:1 says “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

God answers prayer but in the manner He so desires. We must move away from the voices that dull our hearing and mute our mouths from crying out to Him regardless to what is seen or felt in the natural. Unfortunately, there will always be a crowd standing on the edge of God’s promises like the Israelites who failed to enter into the Promise Land because of unbelief. They rather have the giants removed before crossing the Jordan!

Jesus must touch our ears
Too often we listen to other voices that only dull our hearing of God’s voice.

Think of Samuel when God called him three times before Eli told him it was God who was speaking. Consider Jesus walking on the road to Emmaus speaking to the disciples who could not tell it was Christ who was speaking to them. Mary thought Jesus was the gardener until Jesus spoke her name.

Paul in Romans 10:17 writes, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” We must hear God clearly so we can prayer effectively.

We can superimpose a familiar voice over the voice of God who is speaking to us (like Samuel who thought it was Eli – I Samuel 3:6-10) so our hearing can become selective and distorted. There are some people who we tune out while others we listen closely. These voices can influence how we hear and what we think we hear from God.

Jesus must touch our tongues
After Jesus spits He touches the man’s tongue. In the original, the word mute means, one who has a hoarse, hollow voice, speaking with a harsh or thick voice. Think of Moses who said he couldn't speak because he was unskilled. (Exodus 6:30). The word Moses used is “uncircumcised” as if to say “God my lips are like those of a pagan, unclean!” Consider Isaiah who lips were also purged when a coal touch his lips.

Jesus, take us by the hand and into us in secret closet to pray! Open our ears that we may truly listen to Your voice alone! And quicken our tongues to rehearse the wonderful deeds You are doing in us and throughout the earth!