{"id":5043,"date":"2018-06-15T00:51:37","date_gmt":"2018-06-15T05:51:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vnsalvation.org\/?p=5043"},"modified":"2022-05-17T04:00:11","modified_gmt":"2022-05-17T04:00:11","slug":"5043-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hahosa.com\/vnsalvation\/5043-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting Hold of God"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Getting Hold of God
\n<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/span>By Evangelist Paul Mershon
\nMarch 1, 2010<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he
\nprevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of
\nJacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. And he said, Let<\/span> me go, for the day breaketh<\/span>.
\nAnd he said, I WILL NOT LET THEE GO, except thou bless me. And he said unto
\nhim, What<\/span> is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a
\nprince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.\u00a0 And
\nJacob asked him, and said,\u00a0<\/span>Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore<\/span>
\nis it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. And Jacob
\ncalled the name of the place Peniel<\/span>: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved\u201d (Genesis 32:24-30).<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

After the death of D. L. Moody, a Presbyterian by the name of J.
\nWilbur Chapman became the best known American evangelist before the rise
\nof Billy Sunday. In 1911, Chapman was on an evangelistic preaching tour in
\nShrewsbury, Wales. A large hall was rented for the planned ten day
\ncrusade. For three days the crowds were sparse and there was no response to Chapman\u2019s
\ninvitations for salvation. In desperation, he asked to meet with the
\nlocal pastors and leaders for prayer and counsel to find out if anything could
\nbe done to stir the hearts of the people. His appeal to these ministry
\nleaders was met with a tepid response. Chapman left the meeting deeply discouraged.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Unknown to Chapman, an American Presbyterian missionary from India
\nby the name of John Hyde was in that meeting of ministers. He was on
\nfurlough and visiting a fellow missionary friend in Shrewsbury. Hyde had been
\nworking in India for 20 years and gained the nick-name \u201cPraying Hyde\u201d because of
\nhis remarkable commitment to intercessory prayer. When he received a burden
\nof prayer, all else was forgotten. He would go days without food or sleep,
\ndevoted to intense prayer. His prayers radically changed the climate of northern
\nIndia. Everywhere he went, revival fires burned.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Although John Hyde had only intended to hear Chapman preach one
\nnight, after that pastor\u2019s meeting and feeling the chilly spiritual
\nclimate, he changed his plans. He immediately went to work in prayer, interceding on
\nChapman\u2019s behalf saying, \u201cI cannot leave a brother minister to bear this
\nburden alone.\u201d Day and night, unseen by anyone, Hyde prayed for God\u2019s touch
\nupon Chapman, that God\u2019s power would crush the spiritual indifference, and
\nthat souls would be birthed into God\u2019s kingdom. At the next meeting, Chapman
\nwrites,
\n\u201cAlmost instantly the tide changed\u2013 the hall was packed, and my first
\ninvitation meant 50 men for Jesus Christ.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The crusade ended being very fruitful. Chapman had learned of John
\nHyde\u2019s intercessions on his behalf and asked to pray with him before he
\nleft. Chapman says that Hyde entered the room, closed the door, dropped to his knees
\nand for five minutes did not utter a word. Hyde turned his face up to God,<\/span> then turned the fountains of his great heart
\nopen.\u00a0 Chapman adds, \u201cI felt the hot tears running down my face.\u00a0 I knew that we had entered into
\nthe presence of God.\u201d\u00a0 With upturned face, down which the tears were streaming, John Hyde said two words: \u201cOh
\nGod!\u201d
\nThere was silence again for another five minutes. Then Hyde put his arm around
\nChapman\u2019s shoulders and Chapman writes,<\/span><\/em><\/span>
\n
\n\u201cThere came up from the depths of his heart such petitions for men as I
\nhave never heard before, and I rose from my knees to know what real
\nprayer was.\u201d (Copied)<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

“John Hyde, the Apostle of Prayer,” says Francis A. McGaw<\/span>,
\n“was reared in a home where Jesus was an abiding guest and where the
\nfamily in that home breathed an atmosphere of prayer.” John’s father,
\nDr. Smith Harris Hyde, was himself a man of prayer . . . John Hyde surpassed
\nhis distinguished father in the holy exercise of prayer and left India an
\nindenture in the praying records. He was in India only nineteen years, but what
\nglorious years! What inspiration others got from this wrestling Jacob! Some knew
\nthe more intimate seasons that Hyde had with God.<\/span><\/em>\u00a0\u00a0God knew John Hyde;
\nJohn Hyde knew God. Again I say,<\/span> there is all the difference in the world between knowing the Word of God and knowing the
\nGod of the Word. John Hyde’s “homing instinct of the soul” led him to the
\nprayer closet. That was his habitat. There he soared; there he listened;
\nthere he heard; there he grew; there he wept; there he developed spiritual
\nmuscle . .
\n. John Hyde had a prayer harbor where his soul delighted in the Lord and
\nwhere the Lord delighted in him . . . Listening by John’s door, men heard him
\nweeping, even as Jesus wept over Jerusalem and even as the Apostle Paul wept for
\nthe stubborn sinners of his day. <\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

No Bible school can teach us this art of tears. Hyde knew those “groanings<\/span>
\nwhich cannot be uttered.” . . . He would stay on his face before God
\nuntil the answer came clear.\u00a0 Even if he had to stay alone for as long as forty hours, yet he would not let God go until
\nhe knew the yea or nay of the Spirit in the matter for which he sought God .
\n. .
\n.(From, \u201cRevival Praying,\u201d by Leonard Ravenhill<\/span>)<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

When asked in what area of my Christian life I am most dissatisfied, the answer comes very
\neasily.\u00a0 I don\u2019t even have to give the question a second thought, and I am able to answer instantly.\u00a0 It would be in the area of prayer that I findmyself most lacking.\u00a0 It is certainly not
\nthat I do not pray, for I do, and I delight in entering into the presence of the Lord with my supplications and intercessions.\u00a0 But
\nI have sensed for some time that my prayer-life does not have the depth that it should. Recently God allowed
\nme to enter into a period of severe trial and testing all designed to teach me
\nhow to have a deeper and more plaintive prayer life.
\nThere have been more than a few nights when I found myself awake
\nand meeting with the Lord into the early hours of the morning, and through
\nall of this I have found that God is teaching me what it is to get hold of Him
\nin a new and much more meaningful way.
\nIndeed, I have found new joy and power in long hours at the
\nThrone of Grace.\u00a0 With the tears that come with a
\npleading heart, I have found a fresh measure of peace and assurance as I
\nhave sought the face of the Lord.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

I am just finishing up a month of filling the pulpit in the absence of my pastor while he
\nhas been in the Philippines.\u00a0 As I prayed for
\nGod\u2019s leading as to that which He would have me preach yesterday
\nmorning, it was the subject of prayer that kept coming to heart.\u00a0 I
\nwas reminded of having read of the powerful prayer-life of John Hyde many years ago.
\nI can remember how moved I was when I read his biography, and
\neven more moved by the testimonies of men who knew him during his missionary years
\nin India.\u00a0 I have never forgotten the words of J. Wilbur Chapman and his account of those precious moments when he
\nand John Hyde bowed in prayer together in that little room.\u00a0 Even now I weep when I think of how powerful
\nan experience it must have been for Wilbur Chapman as Brother Hyde uttered the
\nwords, \u201cOh, God!\u201d\u00a0 <\/em>I am reminded of David\u2019s prayer recorded
\nin Psalm 63. \u201cO God, thou art my God; early will
\nI seek thee: my soul thirsteth<\/span> for thee, my flesh longeth<\/span>
\nfor thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power
\nand thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. Because thy lovingkindness<\/span>
\nis better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee
\nwhile I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.<\/span> My
\nsoul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise
\nthee with joyful lips: When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee
\nin the night watches. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow
\nof thy wings will I rejoice.<\/span> My soul followeth<\/span>
\nhard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth<\/span>
\nme\u201d (Psalms 63:1-8).\u00a0 <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Through the crucible of trials and tears, God has used it all to teach me one very important
\nlesson about prayer.\u00a0 It seems to me that there
\nis a monumental difference between praying and truly getting hold of
\nGod.\u00a0 John Hyde really knew how to get hold of
\nGod.\u00a0 I genuinely believe that many, if not most
\nChristians pray with little real power or effect.\u00a0 I
\nam not sure that all of God\u2019s people know
\nhow to get hold of God and really enter into His presence.
\nSince I was saved 36 years ago I have
\ncertainly made prayer a part of my life and walk with the Lord.\u00a0 Certainly there have been those seasons of
\nfervency and great blessing as I have sought the Lord in prayer, but it has
\nonly been recently that I have come to realize that my prayer-life has
\nnot had the depth of a John Hyde.\u00a0 I have been
\npraying, but have I really been getting hold of God?\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Luke 11:1 wa brought
\nto memory as I contemplated all of this.
\n\u201cAnd it came to pass, that, as he was
\npraying in a certain place, when
\nhe ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray,
\nas John also taught his disciples\u201d \u00a0As<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/strong>
\nthe disciples must have observed the Lord Jesus in prayer many times,
\nthey surely saw a difference in the way he prayed as opposed to the way they
\nprayed.\u00a0 They must have been observing Him on this occasion as well. When he ceased His praying, one the
\ndisciples asked that he teach<\/span> them to pray.\u00a0 They did not ask Him to teach them how to
\npreach, but how to pray \u2013 how to really get hold of God in prayer.\u00a0 Again, there is a monumental difference
\nbetween praying and truly getting hold of God.
\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

I have watched men over the years and noticed that there is a marked holiness about those
\nwho really get hold of God in prayer.\u00a0 As Jacob prevailed as he wrestled with whom I believe to be a
\npre-incarnate, Theophanous manifestation of Christ, he prevailed in his rudimentary
\nform of prayer.\u00a0 Men who get hold of God in prayer are always
\nmen of marked holiness, and men who prevail with God in prayer.\u00a0 John Hyde was just such a man.\u00a0 But
\nif we are to pray and get hold of God as did Hyde, and others of like surrender, we need to be certain that there
\nis nothing that would hinder our prayers, no besetting weight or sin.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u201cIf I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me\u201d (Psalms 66:18).<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u201cI will therefore that men pray every where<\/span>, lifting up holy
\nhands, without wrath and doubting\u201d (1 Timothy 2:8).<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Today I retrieved from my library Leonard Ravenhill\u2019s<\/span> book
\nentitled, \u201cRevival Praying<\/span>.\u201d\u00a0 <\/em>In closing, I want to quote the following
\nfor your prayerful thought and edification.\u00a0 May I also say that I covet and welcome your thoughts and
\nfeedback on this particular Revival Thought.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/em>I would
\nbe interested in your thoughts.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Prayer –
\nprotracted prayer, groaning prayer, fasting prayer, weeping prayer,
\nspeechless
\nprayer – belongs to those initiated in a spirit of prayer, that is, into
\n\u201cpraying in the Holy Ghost.\u201d To the uninstructed, terms like these mean
\n\u201cworks.\u201d\u00a0 But praying friend, faint not;
\nsuch critics may yet learn. In the language of Horatius<\/span>
\nBonar it may be said of protracted, groaning, speechless prayer, \u201cIt is
\nthe way
\nthe Master went. Should not the servant tread it still?\u201d. . .<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

. . . I believe
\nmost of us will need the tears wiped from our eyes when the books are
\nopened at
\nthe judgment bar of God, and our personal prayer record is read. By a
\nstrange
\nparadox those who pray most, feel they pray little. This much is sure:
\nNo man
\nwho prays,<\/span> struts! . . . .<\/span><\/em> <\/span><\/p>\n

Has the blessed
\nSpirit toned down His operations? With reverence we ask, \u201cDid God close
\ndown
\nHis production lines after the Spirit had come upon Wesley, upon Finney,
\nand
\nsuch men? Were those leaders<\/span> spiritual
\nfreaks? Were
\nthey oddities of grace, eccentrics who were a little off in their
\nspiritual
\noperations?’ These days we are spiritually so <\/span><\/em>subnormal
\n<\/span><\/em>that to be just normal
\n(according to
\nthe New Testament pattern) seems to make us <\/span><\/em>abnormal .
\n. . <\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

. . . In prayer we
\nneed <\/span><\/em>holy <\/span><\/em>men, for the holy
\nmen are bold, reaching out in the Spirit and feeling the tug of divine
\nyearnings. Like their Master, holy men also know strong crying and
\ntears. Would
\nto God our Bible schools would give a special period each year to
\ntraining men
\nin prayer.<\/span><\/em> <\/span><\/p>\n

Satan fears prayer
\nand offsets it at every angle. At every opportunity he stalls the
\nimpulse to
\ntake part in it, for he has felt the smart of men who pray in the Holy
\nGhost .
\n. . In the book of Acts we read that demons cried, \u201cJesus I know and <\/span><\/em>Paul I
\nknow.\u201d <\/span><\/em>Because Paul
\nknew
\nhow to pray in the Holy Ghost, hell rocked in fury. Bloody Mary is said
\nto have
\nfeared the prayers of John Knox more than the tramping feet of armies.
\nHas the
\ndevil less intelligence than that queen? Ah brethren, in this kind of
\npraying
\nmost of us feel like worms (Isaiah 41:14) – a blessed experience if it
\nis not
\nmock humility . . . <\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The early church
\nprayed; every revival church has prayed; every participant in revival
\nprayer
\nhas known travail. Though there are some tearful intercessors behind the
\nscenes, I grant you that to our modern Christianity, praying is foreign.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Getting Hold of God By Evangelist Paul Mershon March 1, 2010 \u201cAnd Jacob was left alone; and there<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[105,109,94],"tags":[],"series":[],"class_list":["post-5043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cau-nguyen-prayer","category-faith-duc-tin","category-phuc-hung-spiritual-awakening"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hahosa.com\/vnsalvation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5043","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hahosa.com\/vnsalvation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hahosa.com\/vnsalvation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hahosa.com\/vnsalvation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hahosa.com\/vnsalvation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5043"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hahosa.com\/vnsalvation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5043\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22501,"href":"https:\/\/hahosa.com\/vnsalvation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5043\/revisions\/22501"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hahosa.com\/vnsalvation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5043"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hahosa.com\/vnsalvation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5043"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hahosa.com\/vnsalvation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5043"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hahosa.com\/vnsalvation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=5043"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}