burden of God on a heart or the revelation received will issue in prayer depending on what happens to the heart on the reception of the revelation or burden. What happens will depend on what type of heart is involved.
When the Lord touches a heart and reveals the burden on His heart to that one, the extent to which the person will react will depend on what happens to the heart after the burden has been received. It is possible that the person receives the revelation but does not respond to the Lord. In that case the heart that was initially touched will become hardened. If the heart is hardened then there will be no discharge of burden. That means that the person will not pray at all. If that happens then the burden has been put to nought and the purpose of God hindered.
On the other hand the heart that is touched may respond in prayer immediately and thus discharge the burden that it has received, and not bother any more. The burden has thus been discharged at the stage “touched.” Because there was no further development in the heart after the burden was received, the burden discharged is on a small scale.
It is possible, on the other hand that the heart that is touched receives the burden and determines not to discharge it at once but rather, by seeking God further and crying out to God for expansion and transformation is changed into a heart that is willing. The heart that is willing will discharge the burden to a greater extent than if the burden had been discharged at the stage “touched.” On the other hand, the burden may be maintained and the Lord sought further so that the willing heart is transformed into a heart that is “moved.” It could then discharge the burden or bear the burden and press on for more of what will convert it into a heart that is “shined.” It may then discharge its burden or by the same process press on until it is a heart aflame. The heart that is aflamed will discharge the burden that it has received to the greatest extent possible for the human heart.
It should be noticed that the person concerned has a choice as to whether the burden will be discharged at any of the afore-mentioned stages. To carry a burden while dore for the heart to be transformed from one stage to the other is not easy. It demands dwelling in God’s presence. It demands heart-cries and heart-searches. It demands pleading with God that the burden will be preserved from discharge until the heart is in the condition in which it can do the greatest discharge. It is like a woman who labours to ensure that the baby is not born before term. It is like a farmer who labours to ensure that his crops reach maturity before harvest for he knows that the best prices are obtained only for those crops that are fully mature.
The question may be asked why one needs to bear the burden and suffer the discomfort of carrying a burden while are with God to have his heart condition changed for the better. To answer this question we say that if it purely a personal matter. There are some who feel that provided the burden is discharged, they would be satisfied and not bother about the quality of discharge. There are, however, others who feel that God deserves the best and that they would not offer anything to the Lord without ensuring that they have done all that they could do to improve its quality to the maximum possible. It is these who believe in giving God their utmost best that will languish with the burden until their hearts are such as can discharge all of it to the father’s satisfaction. May God raise many of this kind in His Body today. May God impart to His a dislike of all that is less than the best. May He give to His love of perfection so that this will put an end to mediocrity in prayer. Amen.
The other matter is that the heart condition touched, willing, moved, etc. vary from person to person, depending on his spiritual growth, sacrifice, consecration and experience. The heart aflame of a mature, consecrated believer will discharge burden to a far greater extent than that of the heart of an immature but consecrated believer.
It is imperative then that the believer should learn how to prevent pre-mature discharge of burden. He should also learn how to “block” the burden from recession to a lower stage in his labour to move it to a higher condition. He must learn how to consolidate the burden in a certain stage without discharging it. These are some of the lessons to be learnt in prayer.