THE PRIVILEGE AND POWER OF PRAYER
“And Jesus
spake a parable unto them to this end that men ought always to pray and not to
faint.”-Luke 18:1-8.
To the
thoughtful, appreciative mind, one of the greatest privileges which the Word of
God offers is that of personal audience and communion with the King of kings
and Lord of lords. When we consider how great is our God, and how exalted his
station, how wonderful is the condescension that thus regards our low estate! He
it is whose glory covereth the heavens, and whose kingdom ruleth over the whole
universe. He it is who is without beginning of days or end of years: “From
everlasting to everlasting thou art God.” He is the immortal, the
self-existing One, “dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto, whom
no man hath seen nor can see.” The heavens declare his glory and the firmament
showeth his handiwork. In all his vast universal domain there is nothing
hidden from him, nor can he be wearied by its care. His wisdom, who can
fathom? and his ways, who can find them out? or who hath been his counsellor?
His mighty intellect grasps with ease all the interests of his wide dominion,
from immensity to minutia. His eye never slumbers nor sleeps, nor can the smallest
thing escape his notice, not even a sparrow’s fall; and the very hairs of our
heads are all numbered. It is his skill which clothes with life and beauty the
grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven. And
are not we, the creatures of his hand, “fearfully and wonderfully made,” and
the subjects, too, of his love and care?-“O Lord, thou hast searched me and
known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising; thou understandest my
thought afar off. Thou compasses my path and my lying down, and art acquainted
with all my ways; for there is not a word in my tongue, but lo, O Lord, thou
knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine
hand upon me.”
“Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
If I ascend up into heaven, thou are there; if I make my bed in the grave,
behold thou art there; if I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the
uttermost part of the sea, even there shall thy hand lead me, .... even the
night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee, but the
night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to
thee.”-Psa. 139:1-12.
Fallen creatures though we be, from the noble estate in which we were created,
God so loved our race, even while we were yet sinners, as to make provision at
great cost for our redemption and restitution and subsequent eternal glory.
And therefore it is,-because he loves us,-that through Christ he extends to us
the gracious favor of coming to him as children to a father. Wonderful is the
condescension, wonderful the love and favor of our God!
Yet our God is a God to be revered: he is not one like ourselves, our equal,
into whose presence we may come without that ceremony and decorum due to his
glorious person and office. (Job. 9:1-35) The court of heaven has regulations
and ceremonies of respect and due deference which must be complied with by
every man who would gain an audience with the King of kings; and it behooves us
to inquire what those regulations are before we presume to address him. Here
the Word of God gives explicit directions. Our Lord Jesus, the appointed
“days-man” for which Job so earnestly longed (Job. 9:32, 33), said, “No man
cometh unto the Father, but by me. I am the way.” (John 14:6) Then he gave
us an illustration of the manner in which we should address him, in what is
known as the Lord’s prayer. (Matt. 6:9-13) The illustration teaches (1) that
we (believers in Christ) may consider ourselves as in God’s estimation
reinstated (through faith in Christ) to the original position of sons of God,
and that we may therefore confidently address him-“Our Father.” (2) It
indicates on our part worshipful adoration of the high and holy One, and
profound reverence for the glorious character and attributes of Our
God.-“Hallowed be thy name.” (3) It expresses full sympathy with his revealed
plan for a coming kingdom of righteousness, which will be according to his
will.-“Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is done in heaven.”
This shows the attitude of heart to be toward righteousness, and fully
submitted to the divine will and purpose, that God may work in it to will and
to do his good pleasure. (4) It expresses in plain and simple language its
dependence on God for daily needs, and the confidence of a child in the Father
for the supply of those needs out of his abundant fullness.-“Give us this day
our daily bread.” (5) It seeks forgiveness for trespasses, and recognizes also
the obligation thus incurred to render the same to those trespassing against
us-“And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors;” and (6) it seeks to be
guarded against temptations and to be fortified by God’s abounding grace
against all the wiles of the adversary* -“And abandon us not to
trial, but preserve us from evil.”
Such are the principles which must ever characterize our attitude of mind and
heart when we would avail ourselves of the privilege of addressing the throne
of heavenly grace. In brief, our prayers, to be
acceptable to God, must express confident faith, loving esteem and reverence,
full sympathy with the divine plan and submission to the divine will, childlike
dependence upon God, acknowledgment of sins and shortcomings and desire for
forgiveness, with a forgiving disposition on our part toward others and an
humble craving for the divine guidance and protection. These may not always
all be expressed in words, but such must at least be the attitude of the soul.
Those who thus come to God are privileged always to have their interests
considered at the throne of grace, and the welcome we shall always find there
may be judged of by the cordial invitations to come often and tarry long. Well
might we hesitate to avail ourselves of such privileges were we not thus
assured, but having this assurance we may come with confidence to the throne of
grace.-Heb. 4:16; 13:6.
The Lord knew how necessary to our spiritual life would be this communion with
himself. Tempest-tossed and tried, how much we need our Father’s care and the
comfort and consolation which his presence and sympathy realized imparts. And
have not all the meek and contrite in heart the promise not only of the
occasional attentive hearing, but of the abiding presence of both the Father
and the Son, our Lord Jesus? Jesus said, “He that hath my commandments and
keepeth them, he it is that loveth me, and he that loveth me shall be loved of
my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas-not
Iscariot-saith unto him, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto
us and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me,
he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him,
and make our abode with him.”-John 14:21-23.
The thought which this promise of the abiding presence of the Father and Son
conveys to our minds is that their thought and care and interest will be
constantly upon us, and that at any instant we may engage the special attention
of either or both. The same idea is also conveyed by the words of the Apostle
Peter (1 Pet. 3:12)-“For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his
ears are open unto their prayers.” And we are urged to be “instant in prayer,”
to “pray always, and not to faint,” to “pray without ceasing;” for “Like as a
Father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him; for he
knoweth our frame, he remembereth that we are dust.” “As the heaven is high
above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him,” and “As far
as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from
us.” Yea, “the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them
that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children, to such as keep
his covenant and to those that remember his commandments to do them.”-Rom.
12:12; Luke 18:1; 1 Thes. 5:17; Psa. 103:13, 14, 11, 12, 17, 18.
We cannot come too
often, then, to the throne of the heavenly grace, if we are of those who can
claim the abiding presence of the Father and the Son-if we are of them that
love him and keep his commandments and who recognize the Lord Jesus as the only
way of access to the Father. And even “if any man sin”-be overtaken in a fault-so
that from his outward conduct he might be judged as not loving the Lord, yet,
if he repent, let him remember that “we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus
Christ the righteous,” who “is the propitiation [satisfaction] for our sins,”
“who also maketh intercession for us.” “Who,” then “shall lay anything to the
charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth?
It is Christ that died, yea rather that is risen again, who is even at the
right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”-1 John 2:1, 2; Rom.
8:33, 34.
Wherefore, the Apostle urges, “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest
that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our
profession; for we have not a High Priest which cannot be touched with the
feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet
without sin. Let us, therefore, come with confidence to the throne of grace,
that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”-Heb. 4:14-l6.
With such urgent and loving invitations let no child of God hesitate to come to
him often or to tarry long in communion and fellowship with him. It is our
privilege to enter into our closets and shut the doors and pray to our Father
which seeth in secret, who will reward us openly. (Matt. 6:6) And not only so,
but he will go with us through all the business and hurry and commotion of the
day; and at any instant in the midst of cares and perplexities we may turn our
prayerful thoughts to him for wisdom, for strength and Christian fortitude, or
for comfort and consolation for ourselves or others. And though we hear no
responding voice, if we are attentive to the course of his providence we will
shortly see the shaping of events and circumstances for our good and the good
of others in answer to such prayers. Beloved, have we not many a time proved
this true?-in perplexities, in tribulations, in afflictions, in persecutions,
in bereavements, in temptations and trials?
In coming to God we need have no fear that he is too
busy with other matters of greater importance, or that he is weary of our
coming to him repeatedly with things of small importance. It was to assure us
against this very thing that our Lord spoke the parable of the importunate
widow, who was heard and answered on account of her importunity. In so doing
we evince both the earnestness of our desires and our faith that our prayers
will be answered if we faint not from lack of faith or zeal when the answer is
delayed, as often it must necessarily be, since time is an important element in
all God’s work.
All night, until the break of day, Jacob wrestled in prayer saying, “I
will not let thee go, unless thou bless me.” Paul thrice besought the
Lord until he was assured his grace would be sufficient for him. The Lord
himself frequently spent whole nights in prayer, and he prayed earnestly
and with many tears. (Luke 6:12; Matt. 14:23; Mark 6:46; 1:35; Luke 5:16; Heb.
5:7) And the Apostle Paul says, “In everything, by prayer and supplication
[earnest pleading] with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”-
Phil. 4:6.
The Apostle himself acted on this principle when he urged, in his letter to the
Romans, that the saints “strive together [Greek, agonize] with me in
prayers to God for me,” that he might safely accomplish a certain work which
seemed to be of the Spirit’s leading.-Rom. 15:28-32.
“In every thing.”-That signifies that our heavenly Father is deeply interested
in everything that relates to us and ours. What thing is too small for his
notice who numbers even the very hairs of our heads? In today’s household or
business cares, then, we may have his loving sympathy and helpfulness. Do a
mother’s counsel and a father’s wisdom seem inadequate to restrain and guide
aright the wayward course of impetuous and over-confident youth, they may bring
their cares and fears to the Lord; and, as the children cross the threshold to
meet the world’s temptations, his wisdom and providence may be invoked to so
shape their circumstances and surroundings as to show them eventually the sure
safe way and the folly of pursuing any other.
Do business cares perplex and annoy? remember the Lord’s caution, “Be not
overcharged with the cares of this life.” and the Apostle’s warning, “They that
will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and
hurtful lusts which drown men in destruction and utter ruin, for the love of
money is the root of all evil, which, while some coveted after, they have erred
from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O
man of God, flee these things and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith,
love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal
life.” And, remembering these things, come to the throne of the heavenly grace
for wisdom and direction as to how you may so adjust your temporal affairs as
not to be overcharged with the cares of this life. It is right to be
charged with them to the extent of diligence (Rom. 12:11) and the utilization
of such diligence in the Lord’s service but it is the overplus, the corroding
care, that interferes with peace of mind and communion with God, that is to be
avoided.
Does poverty pinch and cause anxious thought? take that also to the Lord in
prayer; and then, while diligently using the means at hand, to provide things
decent and honest, patiently and confidently wait and watch the indications of
providence, assured that he who feeds the fowl of the air, which neither sow
nor reap nor gather into barns, and who clothes the grass of the field, which
today is and tomorrow is cast into the oven, is both able and willing to clothe
and feed you and yours.
And so through all the list of earth’s trials and cares, its wants and its
woes, its bereavements and disappointments and calamities and distresses, its
failures and shortcomings and sins and mistakes, we may take them all to the
Lord in prayer and receive that strength and sympathy and consolation and help
we so much need. Let us live in the presence of the Father and the Son who
have promised to abide with us. It will sweeten our days and comfort our
nights and ease our burdens and lighten our cares and brighten our hopes, and,
in a word, it will lift us up above the world into a higher and purer
atmosphere. Such is the will of heaven concerning us: let us appreciate and
avail ourselves of the privilege.
By all the encouragements of precept and example, the Lord assures us that the
fervent prayer of a righteous man (a justified and consecrated child of God)
availeth much. (Jas. 5:16 ) We are urged also to come in faith. Jesus said,
“If ye have faith and doubt not, .... all things whatsoever ye shall ask in
prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” (Matt. 21:22) As he was addressing his
consecrated disciples, it must of course be understood that all their petitions
would be subjected to divine wisdom, and therefore the answers to their
prayers, though always sure, might not always be in the way expected, but they
would always be considered and answered in some way for their highest good.
What a blessed privilege, dear fellow-disciples of the
Lord, is ours, to be instant in prayer, to pray always-to lift up our hearts
and minds to God at any time and in any place and to realize thus daily and
hourly that the Father and our dear Lord Jesus continually abide with us. And
then, when the active duties of the day have been performed under his eye and
supervision, or at any time when the soul realizes its necessity, how precious
is the privilege of entering into our closets and there alone with God
unburdening our hearts at the throne of grace.
While secret prayer is the blessed privilege of every child of God, and one
without which his spiritual life cannot be sustained, it is also the privilege
of Christians to unite their petitions at the throne of grace. This united
prayer is specially commended by the Lord. (Matt. 18:19) “Again I say unto
you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they
shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father; for where two or three are
gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
With such promises as these, together with an experience of their fulfillment,
who can doubt the love and favor of our God and of our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ? Therefore let us be encouraged to pray always and not to faint when
the answers seem to tarry long, for time is often required to work out the deep
designs of an all wise and loving Providence. Remember the words of the angel
to Daniel. Daniel said, “While I was speaking and praying and confessing my
sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the
Lord my God, for the holy mountain of my God; yea, while I was speaking in
prayer,” the answer came by the hand of an angel who said, “O Daniel, I am now
come forth to give thee skill and understanding. At the beginning of thy
supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to show thee; for
thou art greatly beloved.”-Dan. 9:20-23.
On another occasion, when Daniel had mourned three weeks, fasting and praying,
because of his inability to understand, the angel of the Lord came and said,
“Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to
understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard,
and I am come for thy words.”-Dan. 10:2, 3, 10-12.
Even so shall it ever be with all the beloved of the Lord: at the beginning of
our supplications God begins to set in operation the influences and to shape
the circumstances which are designed to work out the intended blessing for
us-if we faint not, but continue instant in prayer, thereby evincing our
continued earnestness of desire, and if we confess our sins, and set our hearts
to understand, and chasten ourselves before him. How many prayers are not
heard or are hindered because the one who asks does not first purify himself of
evil in his own heart? “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye
may consume it upon your lusts;” i.e., you ask selfishly and without
regard to the will of God. (Jas. 4:3) But to the chastened and sanctified
comes the promise-“Before they call [reading the desire of the heart even
before it finds expression in words] I will answer [will begin so to shape
events as to bring the answer soon or later]; and while they are yet speaking I
will hear.” (Isa. 65:23, 24) While this is in connection with a prophecy
relating to the Lord’s people in the Millennial age, it nevertheless is true of
all his faithful ones of this age. Praise the Lord for all his loving kindness
to even the least of his lowly children!