The Three Pourings Of Prayer

TO THE READER-- Below are the first three Sermons in my Series entitled The Three Pourings Of Prayer. At this time, I just concluded preaching these Sermons last week in the Care Facilities. During the months I preached this particular Series, there were many Residents and even Visitors who often expressed their appreciation for these Sermons. I enjoyed preaching them. I am grateful to THE LORD for His frequently Blessing these Meetings. And now that the Sermons are finished, I now leave it with GOD for Him to bless and use that Divine Seed that yet remains in the hearts of my hearers from these Sermons.

--Dr. Paul Spence. At Glen Ullin, North Dakota. October 4th; 2026; LORD'S Day Morning.

SERMON I. I INTEND THIS DAY, as GOD shall help me, to commence a new Series of Sermons entitled The Three Pourings Of Prayer. In this my First Sermon, my work shall be broad and general. I intend to give a brief glimpse of the whole Subject all at once. In this brief glimpse, there are two things I invite you to think on. I. A simple display of the Three Pourings of Prayer with Scriptural Proofs. II. The Instructions that may be learned.

I begin. I. A simple display of the Three Pourings of Prayer with Scriptural Proofs. In the Scripture, GOD says there are Three Pourings that take place in True Prayer. The First Pouring is spoken of in Zechariah 12.10. GOD says: “I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of Grace and of Supplications: and they shall look upon Me.” In the Words, this First Pouring begins with GOD. For all good things begin with GOD. Nor does this First Pouring start on Earth. Since it begins with GOD, it starts up in Heaven. What takes place is, from up in Heaven, GOD pours down the Spirit of Prayer. Where this Spirit is poured down, Prayer takes place. The Second Pouring of Prayer is spoken in Psalm 62.8. GOD says: “Trust in Him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before Him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.” In the Words, this Second Pouring does not begin with GOD. It was the First Pouring that began with GOD. This Second Pouring takes place in the hearts of the godly while they are here in this world. What takes place is, down here on Earth, the godly pour out their Prayer before GOD. The Third Pouring of Prayer is spoken in Isaiah 44.3. GOD says: “For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour My Spirit upon thy seed, and My Blessing upon thine offspring.” In the Words, the Third Pouring takes place on Earth again. Now arrives the long, wished-for hour. What takes place is, after hearing the godly pour out their Prayer on Earth, GOD pours down the Gracious Answer from Heaven.

II. The Instructions that may be learned. There are Three Instructions. 1. The First Instruction is see what Prayer is. In this world, there are various ideas about Prayer. Not all of them are correct. Yet all of them give deep insight concerning those who hold them. Some say that Prayer is a waste of time. There are others who say that they believe in Prayer. But they think Prayer is hard. In their thinking, they suppose Prayer is so hard that they hardly spend any time in Prayer. Whereas in today's Sermon, I read to you GOD'S View of Prayer. I wonder, do you hold to GOD'S View of Prayer? In the three Verses I read, one Word that appears in all of them is the Word “pour.” In the First Pouring, GOD says: “I will pour the Spirit of Grace and of Supplications.” In the Second Pouring, GOD says: “Ye people, pour out your heart before Him.” In the Third Pouring, GOD says: “I will pour water upon him that is thirsty.” All which reflects that in every stage of Prayer, there is some sort of pouring that goes on. This shows what Prayer is. Therefore Prayer is not just an opinion. It is not just a mere recitation of words. In GOD'S mind, Prayer is a pouring out. This point is so pronounced that all those involved in Prayer do some sort of pouring. There are two times that GOD pours. GOD pours at the beginning and the end. On our side of things, there is a pouring in between. In Fact, the entire work of Prayer, the soul and substance of Prayer, is to pour out the heart to GOD. 2. The Second Instruction: What takes place in Prayer. In today's Sermon, the Scriptures I read show what takes place in Prayer. Prayer is a series of Gracious events. In a word, from the three Verses I recited, there are Three Pourings in Prayer. First, from on High, GOD pours down the Spirit of Prayer. This First Pouring is where it all commences. Then, when this Spirit of Prayer comes, the Spirit inwardly works and affects the hearts of godly. Once the godly are thus prevailed upon by this Spirit, they come to THE LORD. They pour out their Prayer before Him. THE LORD then hears Prayer, takes the matter in hand, and pours down the Answer. All which marks it out that great things take place in Prayer. I am persuaded, the deepest things that take place in this world do not take place in a classroom, in a science lab, or on a sports field. The deepest things that take place in this world take place in Prayer. To borrow from Psalm 42.7, Prayer is when “deep calleth unto deep.” For in Prayer, a deep human soul calls out to a deep unfathomable GOD. It is here, in Prayer, where man comes to GOD and speaks to Him. It is the sacred place where sins are forgiven—where souls are saved—and where Eternal Life first springs up. 3. The Third Instruction: What a glorious thing it is to walk with GOD. All the human race either walks with Satan or GOD. Not all of them know this. But it is so. The Scripture says so. This is a great reality in life. When you walk with Satan, you destroy yourself. Satan puts bad things in your mind. He influences you to sin. He debases your character. When you walk with GOD, it is a glorious thing. And you can walk with GOD. For the Scripture and Prayer are real. In the Scripture, GOD speaks to you. In Prayer, you speak with GOD. When you walk with GOD, you do the greatest thing for yourself that you could ever do. In a walk with GOD, GOD puts good things in your mind. He influences you toward true goodness. He reforms and refines your character. You brightly see this in the Three Pourings of Prayer. For GOD'S systems are transcendent. There is the system of the Four Seasons. From year to year, there is the Winter, the Spring, the Summer, and the Fall. GOD created all these Seasons. There is the system of Night and Day. From day to day, there is enough light to fill up what we think of as a day. There is enough darkness to fill up what we think of as the space of a night. I tell you, it is only GOD Who could create such systems. And it is a pure pleasure and privilege to live in them. When mankind creates systems, the rule is they quickly decline, ensnare the soul, hold it back, and bring it down. But as for GOD and His systems, they are sublime. And take note of this system of Prayer. GOD in Mercy pours down the Spirit of Prayer. He thereby brings hearts near to Him. Then sweet things take place. Mankind calls upon the Name of THE LORD. Prayer is poured forth from the heart. And GOD works again. For GOD does not ignore and forsake. GOD hears Prayer. At the appointed hour, GOD steps into this system again. He pours down the Answer of Prayer. I tell you, it is a wonder to be involved in GOD'S System of Prayer. To think that GOD would pour down THE SPIRIT! To think THIS SPIRIT would become the Spirit of Prayer! To think that we ourselves can come to THE LORD and pour out the heart before Him! We can tell Him our sins, our wants, and the wants of those around us! It is a glorious thing to walk with GOD. Amen.

SERMON II. IN TODAY'S SERMON, I aim to speak to you concerning The First Pouring Of Prayer. The First Pouring Of Prayer is recorded in Zechariah 12.10. In the Words, GOD says: “I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of Grace and of Supplications: and they shall look upon Me.” In the Text, there are four things. I. Who pours the First Pouring of Prayer. II. The Fact that GOD pours the First Pouring. III. Who GOD pours the First Pouring of Prayer on. IV. The result.

I. Who pours the First Pouring Of Prayer. As for Who pours the First Pouring of Prayer, there is no doubt. GOD has made it clear. Not only so, but at the same time, GOD has shown the importance of this thing by putting it first. For in the beginning of the Text, GOD says: “I will pour.” And Who is this “I?” The Text itself does not say. The Verse before the Text does not say. But if you continue to read—if you search for it—if you go back to Verse 8; there it is. GOD expressly says that the First Pouring of Prayer comes from Himself. Verse 8 says: “In that day shall the Lord.” Which speaks that the First Pouring does not come from the influences of Earth. It is not man who starts the movement of Prayer. Man cannot. Man does not have the Power. The First Pouring takes place in Heaven and comes straight down from the Person of GOD.

II. The Fact that GOD pours the First Pouring of Prayer. In the Text, there is only one thing that GOD says He does in the First Pouring. GOD says that He “pours.” Yet this one Act is more than sufficient to begin the wheels of Prayer. When man pours, it is simple. He commonly pours such mundane things as milk or juice. But when GOD pours, it is a far greater matter. GOD says: “I will pour.” In the Hebrew, the idea is “to spill forth.” Which speaks that in this First Pouring of Prayer, GOD “pours” or “spills forth” “the Spirit of Grace and of Supplications.” Therefore GOD does not say He sends the Spirit of Prayer in drops. GOD says that He pours this Spirit. He “spills it forth.” It comes down like a flood. GOD says He “pours” and “spills forth” the Spirit of Prayer because the rest of Scripture testifies that if GOD did not, there would be no Prayer. For man is a sinner. His tendency is sin. By nature, he is completely devoid of Prayer. But when GOD sends the Spirit of Prayer, He pours this Spirit. So that when this Spirit comes, He overcomes. He reveals spiritual need. He moves the heart to come to GOD.

III. Who GOD pours the First Pouring of Prayer on. It is apparent both from experience and the Text that GOD does not pour this First Pouring of Prayer upon all. There are plenty of people who do not pray. In the Text, GOD identifies who He pours the First Pouring on. GOD says: “I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem.” In the Words, GOD says He pours the First Pouring of Prayer on two classes of people. GOD pours upon “the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem.” “The house of David” refers to the Jewish kings. “The inhabitants of Jerusalem” refers to those who lived nearby and attended the House of GOD. In those days, the Jewish House of GOD was in the city of Jerusalem. All which speaks that all who come to GOD need the Spirit of Prayer. Unless they be given this Spirit, not even they will pray. The point is if you are a king and fill a high station in life—or if you simply dwell in a city—if you are rich or poor—if you have great talents or small talents—if you have followed THE LORD for many years or if you are just starting out—if GOD means something to you—you need the Spirit of Prayer.

IV. The result. Causes have results. Good causes have good results. In the Text, GOD has the best results. In the Text, first, there are 21 Words respecting the First Pouring of Prayer. GOD says: “I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of Grace and of Supplications.” These Words are many. GOD has much to say. The Words give details about the First Pouring of Prayer. And what follows? The best results. Yet to give all Glory to GOD, the best results are related in the fewest Words. For in the next Words, GOD says: “And they shall look upon Me.” So that in the Text, first, GOD pours the Spirit of Prayer. This is an Act of GOD. The Pouring of this Spirit is spoken of gloriously. Then the people upon whom this Spirit is poured “look upon Him.” They come. They pray. They pour out their hearts to GOD. Which shows there are successful results to the Spirit of Prayer. In the days before the Flood, Genesis 6.3 says the people had turned away from GOD. When GOD'S Spirit came to work in their hearts, He had to “strive” with them. Yet this striving did no good. But it is not so with the Spirit of Prayer. In the Text, GOD says that when He pours out the Spirit of Prayer, “they shall look upon Me.” Which speaks that this Spirit of Prayer would not “strive.” Instead, He would subdue. He would bend hearts to repent, believe, and walk in GOD'S Ways.

From today's Sermon, there are Four Instructions. 1. The First Instruction is see where Prayer comes from. Where does Prayer come from? Today's Text solves the question. Prayer comes from GOD. When people come to GOD in Prayer, it is because GOD first came to them and moved their hearts to pray. 2. The Second Instruction: The Truth about prayerlessness. If Prayer comes from GOD, then it follows that prayerlessness is the result of the absence of GOD. Where GOD is not, there can be no Prayer. Acceptable Prayer cannot be made while GOD is not cherished. 3. The Third Instruction: GOD is in charge of those who come to Him. In Prayer, GOD is not only the Person to Whom Prayer is made; but GOD stands, as it were, as the servant by the door, in charge of those who come in. Psalm 65.4 says: “Blessed is the man, O God, whom Thou choosest and causest to approach unto Thee, that he may dwell in Thy courts.” Therefore just as in Exodus 33.19 GOD says that “He will be Gracious to whom He will be gracious,” just so does GOD give the Spirit of Prayer to whom He will. 4. The Fourth Instruction: Yet none ought to wait till GOD stirs their hearts to pray. In Isaiah 64.7, GOD says that “there was none” in those days that called on His Name or “that stirred up himself to take hold of God.” In II Timothy 1.3-6, the Apostle says “to stir up the Gift of God.” Which shows that none are to idly wait till GOD stirs the heart to pray. There are things you can do to encourage yourself to pray. Singing Psalms, reading Scripture, attending Scriptural Sermons, and asking for GOD'S Help are good means whereby you can stir yourself up to come to THE LORD. It is living in these things where you are most likely to receive the Spirit of Prayer. Amen.

SERMON III. IN TODAY'S SERMON, I aim to preach The Greatness Of GOD As It Is Seen In The First Pouring Of Prayer. To provide some taste of this Divine Greatness, there are two things. I. A steadfast Scriptural Rule. Which is, that in every instance of GOD'S Works, He constantly shows forth some aspect of His Greatness. II. Something of the Greatness of GOD as it is seen in the First Pouring of Prayer.

I. A steadfast Scriptural Rule. Which is, that in every instance of GOD'S Works, He constantly shows forth some aspect of His Greatness. When man's works are considered, they frequently testify against him. They demonstrate he is a sinner. But all the Works of GOD declare His Greatness. Psalm 145.3 says: “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable.” The first Work of GOD was the Creation of all things. Genesis 1 records the full Account. The Chapter relates that during the first week of time, from day by day, GOD worked and accomplished the Creation of all that is seen. Romans 1.20 says that in this extraordinary Creation “God's Eternal Power and Godhead” were made known. The second Work of GOD has often been called the Providence of GOD. This Work immediately followed Creation. For when Creation finished, the Providence of GOD began. GOD'S Providence is considerably spelled out in Ephesians 1.11. The Verse says that “God worketh all things after the counsel of His own Will.” Which speaks that all creatures and all their actions take place according to the Will of GOD. Concerning this Providence of GOD, Romans 11.33 says: “O the depth of the riches both of the Wisdom and Knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His Judgments, and His Ways past finding out!” All which serves to show that in every instance of GOD'S Works, He constantly shows forth some aspect of His Greatness.

II. Something of the Greatness of GOD that is seen in the First Pouring Of Prayer. In agreement with the Scriptural Rule that I have set down, it is manifest that in the First Pouring of Prayer GOD shows forth bright beams of His Greatness. For it is in the First Pouring that Prayer begins. And Who stands up at the head of it? Not man. If Prayer were left in the hand of man, it would be spoiled. There would be no Prayer that would ever take place in this world. Mankind might speak among themselves; yet no True Prayer would ever be lifted up to GOD. But the Fact that the First Pouring of Prayer takes place from the hand of GOD—I mean, that He begins it and pours it down—insures that that there will always be Prayer for as long as GOD Wills. Which makes Prayer like the sun, the moon, or the stars. It is upheld and supported by an Almighty hand.

In Zechariah 12.10, GOD says: “I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of Grace and of Supplications.” In the Words, I would have you to see something of the Greatness of GOD as it is seen in the First Pouring of Prayer. In general, observe the Divine Name that is given to GOD. GOD is here styled as He Who pours the Spirit of Grace and of Supplications on whom He will. Along with this general consideration, there are six specifics— 1. This Work involves the bringing of the soul to GOD. Which is a Divine Work. I suppose that all will admit that in Prayer the soul comes to GOD. It is GOD Who is addressed in all True Prayer. And yet look. In the Text, what influence brings the soul to GOD to pray? It is GOD. GOD is the Person Who draws, attracts, and brings the soul to Himself. 2. This Work has to do with the heart. For where is a Spirit received? Surely not in the arm or leg. It is in the heart. I Peter 3.4 says: “Let it be the hidden man of the heart.” And what does the Apostle want to be in “the hidden man of the heart?” He says: “A meek and quiet spirit.” So that in this Glorious Name that is ascribed to GOD in this First Pouring, it is apparent that He works in the heart. It is only GOD Who can so work in the heart. 3. GOD is sovereign in the heart. In Ezekiel 11.5, GOD says: “Thus saith the Lord; I know the things that come in your mind, every one of them.” Yet GOD does more than just “know the things” that come into the mind. In Proverbs 21.1, GOD says: “The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever He will.” This is what GOD does in the First Pouring of Prayer. He “turns” the heart. For in the Text, GOD is considered as pouring the Spirit of Prayer in the heart, conquering it, and bringing it into Prayer. 4. GOD knows what He is doing. In the Text, GOD does not say: “I might.” He speaks more assuredly. He says: “I will.” “I will pour.” Which presents a GOD, Who, as He goes throughout the Earth, knows what He is doing. He has Plans with Him. He works according to those plans. He knows whom He desires to give the Spirit of Prayer. 5. How GOD works. In I Samuel 14.24, the Jews were “distressed” because King Saul sent them out into war without any food. But GOD does not Work like this. He does not tell His People to pray and then leave them with a prayerless heart. Instead, GOD pours down the Spirit of Prayer. GOD inclines His People to desire to pray. So that when they pray, they pray from their hearts. Which brings me to— 6. A survey of what GOD does in the First Pouring of Prayer. GOD says: “I will pour the Spirit of Grace and of Supplications.” First: It is “the Spirit of Grace.” The Hebrew signifies that as GOD pours, He “bends” or “stoops.” That is, He is Gracious in this Gift. Yet on their side, His People find this Spirit to be “the Spirit of Supplications.” The Hebrew for “supplications” is “earnest Prayer.” Which speaks that they do not just pray. They earnestly pray. The Hebrew Word is akin to the Greek Word that is used in James 5.17. The Verse says: “Elijah prayed earnestly.” The Greek reads: “He prayed in his prayer.” Which speaks that the Prophet did not just use the posture or the words of Prayer; but in his Prayer, he prayed. This is the type of Prayer that GOD pours upon His People.

From today's Sermon, there are Two Instructions. 1. The First Instruction is GOD is a Great GOD. Psalm 147.17 says He gives the cold. Matthew 5.45 says He gives the sunshine and the rain. I Timothy 6.17 says He “giveth all things.” And I would have you to further see that GOD is great in the sense that He gives the Spirit of Prayer. For GOD is not only “the Father of Spirits,” as Hebrews 12.9 says; but GOD'S Greatness is such as that II Samuel 7.27 says He puts it in the heart to pray. 2. The Second Instruction: None should despair of Prayer. Since sin is bound up in the human heart, there is a real human backwardness to Prayer. In sinners, this tendency often reigns supreme. In Christians, sometimes they are oppressed with a backwardness to Prayer. Yet none should despair of Prayer. In Acts 9.1, Paul breathed out “threatenings and slaughter” against Christians. Yet by Verse 11, GOD changed him and moved his heart to pray. It was then said of him: “Behold, he prayeth.” For if the Spirit of Prayer comes from GOD, there is hope. GOD can change the hardest heart and turn it unto Prayer. GOD is greater than man. Amen.