The Kneeling Christian Part 2
The fact is --let us be quite honest and straightforward about it --the fact is so many of us do not believe G.o.d. We may just as well be quite candid about it. If we love G.o.d we ought to pray, because He wants us to pray, and commands us to pray. If we believe G.o.d we shall pray because we cannot help doing so: we cannot get on without it. Fellow-Christian, you believe in G.o.d, and you believe on Him (John iii. 16), but have you advanced far enough in the Christian life to believe Him; that is, to believe what He says and all He says? Does it not sound blasphemous to ask such a thing of a Christian man?
Yet how few believers really believe G.o.d! --G.o.d forgive us! Has it ever struck you that we trust the word of our fellow-man more easily than we trust G.o.d's word? And yet, when a man does "believe G.o.d," what miracles of grace G.o.d works in and through him! No man ever lived who has been revered and respected by so many peoples and tongues as that man of whom we are told three times over in the New Testament that "He believed G.o.d" (Rom. iv. 3; Gal. iii. 6; James ii. 23). Yes, "Abraham believed G.o.d, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness." And today, Christian and Jew and Moslem vie with each other in honoring his name. We implore every believer on Christ Jesus never to rest till he can say, "I believe G.o.d, and will act on that belief" (Acts xxvii. 25).
But before we leave the question of testing G.o.d, we should like to point out that sometimes G.o.d leads us on "to prove Him." Sometimes G.o.d has put it into the heart of Miss Wilson Carmichael to ask for things she saw no need for. Yet she felt impelled by the Holy Spirit to ask. Not only were they granted her, but they also proved an inestimable boon. Yes, G.o.d knows what things we have need of, whether we want them or not, before we ask (Matt. vi. 8). Has not G.o.d said, "I will in no wise fail thee"?
Oftentimes the temptation would come to Miss Wilson Carmichael to let others know of some special need. But always the inner a.s.surance would come, as in the very voice of G.o.d, "I know, and that is enough." And, of course, G.o.d was glorified. During the trying days of the war, even the heathen used to say, "Their G.o.d feeds them." "Is it not known all the country round," said a worldly heathen, "that your G.o.d hears prayer?"
Oh, what glory to G.o.d was brought about by their simple faith! Why do not we believe G.o.d? Why do we not take G.o.d at His word? Do believers or unbelievers ever say of us, "We know your prayers are answered"? Ye missionaries the wide world over, listen! (Oh, that these words might reach every ear, and stir every heart!) It is the yearning desire of G.o.d --of our loving Savior Jesus Christ --that every one of us should have the same strong faith as that devoted lady missionary we are speaking about.
Our loving Father does not wish any child of His to have one moment's anxiety or one unsatisfied need. No matter how great our need may be; no matter how numerous our requirements, if we only "prove Him" in the manner He bids us, we shall never have room enough to receive all the blessing He will give (Mal. iii. 10).
Oh, what peace we often forfeit !
Oh, what needless pain we bear!
All because we do not carry Everything to G.o.d in prayer; or all because, when we do "carry it," we do not believe G.o.d's word. Why is it we find it so hard to trust Him? Has He ever failed us? Has He not said over and over and over again that He will grant all pet.i.tions offered out of a pure heart, "in His name"? "Ask of Me"; "Pray ye"; "Prove Me"; "Try Me." The Bible is full of answers to prayer --wonderful answers, miraculous answers; and yet somehow our faith fails us, and we dishonor G.o.d by distrusting Him!
If our faith were but more simple We should take Him at His word, And our lives would be all sunshine In the bounties of our Lord.
But our eye must be "single" if our faith is to be simple and our "whole body full of light" (Matt. vi. 22). Christ must be the sole Master. We cannot expect to be free from anxiety if we are trying to serve G.o.d and Mammon (Matt. vi. 24, 25). Again we are led back to the Victorious Life! When we indeed present our bodies "a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to G.o.d" (Rom. xii. 1); when we present our members "as servants to righteousness and sanctification" (Rom. vi. 19); then He presents Himself to us and fills us with all the fullness of G.o.d (Eph. iii. 19).
Let us ever bear in mind that real faith not only believes that G.o.d can, but that He does answer prayer. We may be slothful in prayer, but "the Lord is not slack concerning His promise" (II Peter iii. 9). Is not that a striking expression?
Perhaps the most extraordinary testing of G.o.d which that Dohnavur missionary tells us of is the following. The question arose of purchasing a rest-house in the hills near by. Was it the right thing to do? Only G.o.d could decide. Much prayer was made. Eventually the pet.i.tion was offered up that if it was G.o.d's will that the house should be purchased, the exact sum of 100 pounds should be received. That amount came at once. Yet they still hesitated. Two months later they asked G.o.d to give them again the same sign of His approval of the purchase. That same day another check for 100 pounds came. Even now they scarcely liked to proceed in the matter. In a few days'
time, how- ever, another round sum of 100 pounds was received, earmarked for the purchase of such a house. Does it not flood our hearts with joy to remember that our gracious Savior is so kind? It is St. Luke the physician who tells us that G.o.d is kind (Luke vi. 35). Love is always "kind" (I Cor. xiii. 4); and G.o.d is Love. Think over it when you pray. Our Lord is "kind." It will help us in our intercessions. He bears so patiently with us when our faith would falter. "How precious is Thy lovingkindness, O G.o.d" (Psalm x.x.xvi.7); "Thy lovingkindness is better than life" (Psalm lxiii. 3).
The danger is that we read of such simple faith in prayer, and say, "How wonderful!" and forget that G.o.d desires every one of us to have such faith and such prayer. G.o.d has no favorites! He wants me to pray; He wants you to pray. He allows such things to happen as we have described above, and suffers them to come to our knowledge, not to surprise us, but to stimulate us. One sometimes wishes that Christian people would forget all the man-made rules with which we have hedged prayer about! Let us be simple. Let us be natural. Take G.o.d at His word. Let us remember that "the kindness of G.o.d our Savior, and His love toward man," has appeared (t.i.tus iii. 4). G.o.d sometimes leads men into the prayer-life. Sometimes, however, G.o.d has to drive us into such a life.
As some of us look back over our comparatively prayerless life, what a thrill of wonder and of joy comes over us as we think of the kindness and "patience of Christ" (II Thess. iii. 5). Where should we have been without that? We fail Him, but, blessed be His name, He has never failed us, and He never will do so. We doubt Him, we mistrust His love and His providence and His guidance; we "faint because of the way"; we murmur because of the way; yet all the time He is there blessing us, and waiting to pour out upon us a blessing so great that there shall not be room to receive it.
The promise of Christ still holds good: "Whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son" (John xiv. 14).
Prayer changes things --and yet how blind And slow we are to taste and see The blessedness that comes to those Who trust in Thee.
But henceforth we will just believe G.o.d.
Chapter 5: WHAT IS PRAYER?.
MR. MOODY was once addressing a crowded meeting of children in Edinburgh. In order to get their attention he began with a question: "What is prayer?" --looking for no reply, and expecting to give the answer himself.
To his amazement scores of little hands shot up all over the hall. He asked one lad to reply; and the answer came at once, clear and correct, "Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto G.o.d for things agreeable to His will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins and thankful, acknowledgment of His mercies." Mr. Moody's delighted comment was, "Thank G.o.d, my boy, that you were born in Scotland." But that was half a century ago. What sort of answer would he get today? How many English children could give a definition of prayer? Think for a moment and decide what answer you yourself would give.
What do we mean by prayer? I believe the vast majority of Christians would say, "Prayer is asking things from G.o.d." But surely prayer is much more than merely "getting G.o.d to run our errands for us," as someone puts it. It is a higher thing than the beggar knocking at the rich man's door.
The word "prayer" really means "a wish directed towards," that is, towards G.o.d. All that true prayer seeks is G.o.d Himself, for with Him we get all we need. Prayer is simply "the turning of the soul to G.o.d." David describes it as the lifting up of the living soul to the living G.o.d. "Unto Thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul" (Psa. xxv. 1). What a beautiful description of prayer that is! When we desire the Lord Jesus to behold our souls, we also desire that the beauty of holiness may be upon us.
When we lift up our souls to G.o.d in prayer it gives G.o.d an opportunity to do what He will in us and with us. It is putting ourselves at G.o.d's disposal. G.o.d is always on our side. When man prays, it is G.o.d's opportunity. The poet says: Prayer is the soul's sincere desire, Uttered or unexpressed, The motion of a hidden fire That trembles in the breast.
"Prayer," says an old Jewish mystic, "is the moment when heaven and earth kiss each other."
Prayer, then, is certainly not persuading G.o.d to do what we want G.o.d to do. It is not bending the will of a reluctant G.o.d to our will. It does not change His purpose, although it may release His power. "We must not conceive of prayer as overcoming G.o.d's reluctance," says Archbishop Trench, "but as laying hold of His highest willingness."
For G.o.d always purposes our greatest good. Even the prayer offered in ignorance and blindness cannot swerve Him from that, although, when we persistently pray for some harmful thing, our wilfulness may bring it about, and we suffer accordingly. "He gave them their request," says the Psalmist, "but sent leanness into their soul" (Psa. cvi. 15). They brought this "leanness" upon themselves. They were "cursed with the burden of a granted prayer."
Prayer, in the minds of some people, is only for emergencies! Danger threatens, sickness comes, things are lacking, difficulties arise --then they pray. Like the infidel down a coal mine: when the roof began to fall he began to pray. An old Christian standing by quietly remarked, "Aye, there's nowt like cobs of coal to make a man pray."
Prayer is, however, much more than merely asking G.o.d for something, although that is a very valuable part of prayer if only because it reminds us of our utter dependence upon G.o.d. It is also communion with G.o.d --intercourse with G.o.d --talking with (not only to) G.o.d. We get to know people by talking with them. We get to know G.o.d in like manner. The highest result of prayer is not deliverance from evil, or the securing of some coveted thing, but knowledge of G.o.d. "And this is life eternal, that they should know Thee, the only true G.o.d" (John xvii. 3). Yes, prayer discovers more of G.o.d, and that is the soul's greatest discovery. Men still cry out, "O, that I knew where I might find Him, that I might come even to His seat" (Job xxiii. 3).
The kneeling Christian always "finds" Him, and is found of Him. The heavenly vision of the Lord Jesus blinded the eyes of Saul of Tarsus on his downward course, but he tells us, later on, that when he was praying in the temple at Jerusalem he fell into a trance and saw Jesus. "I . . . saw him" (Acts xxii. 18). Then it was that Christ gave him his great commission to go to the Gentiles. Vision is always a precursor of vocation and venture. It was so with Isaiah. "I saw the Lord high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple" (Isa vi. 1). The prophet was evidently in the sanctuary praying when this happened. This vision also was a prelude to a call to service, "Go. . . ." Now, we cannot get a vision of G.o.d unless we pray. And where there is no vision the soul perishes.
A vision of G.o.d! Brother Lawrence once said, "Prayer is nothing else than a sense of G.o.d's presence" --and that is just the practice of the presence of G.o.d.
A friend of Horace Bushnell was present when that man of G.o.d prayed. There came over him a wonderful sense of G.o.d's nearness. He says: "When Horace Bushnell buried his face in his hands and prayed, I was afraid to stretch out my hand in the darkness, lest I should touch G.o.d." Was the Psalmist of old conscious of such a thought when he cried, "My soul, wait thou only upon G.o.d"? (Psa. lxii. 5.) I believe that much of our failure in prayer is due to the fact that we have not looked into this question, "What is prayer?" It is good to be conscious that we are always in the presence of G.o.d. It is better to gaze upon Him in adoration. But it is best of all to commune with Him as a Friend --and that is prayer.
Real prayer at its highest and best reveals a soul athirst for G.o.d --just for G.o.d alone. Real prayer comes from the lips of those whose affection is set on things above. What a man of prayer Zinzendorf was. Why? He sought the Giver rather than His gifts. He said: "I have one pa.s.sion: it is He, He alone." Even the Mohammedan seems to have got hold of this thought. He says that there are three degrees in prayer. The lowest is that spoken only by the lips. The next is when, by a resolute effort, we succeed in fixing our thoughts on Divine things. The third is when the soul finds it hard to turn away from G.o.d. Of course, we know that G.o.d bids us "ask" of Him. We all obey Him so far; and we may rest well a.s.sured that prayer both pleases G.o.d and supplies all our need. But he would be a strange child who only sought his father's presence when he desired some gift from him! And do we not all yearn to rise to a higher level of prayer than mere pet.i.tion? How is it to be done?
It seems to me that only two steps are necessary --or shall we say two thoughts? There must be, first of all, a realization of G.o.d's glory, and then of G.o.d's grace. We sometimes sing: Grace and glory flow from Thee; Shower, O shower them, Lord, on me.
Nor is such a desire fanciful, although some may ask what G.o.d's glory has to do with prayer.
But ought we not to remind ourselves Who He is to Whom we pray? There is logic in the couplet: Thou art coming to a King; Large pet.i.tions with thee bring.
Do you think that any one of us spends enough time in pondering over, yes, and marveling over, G.o.d's exceeding great glory? And do you suppose that any one of us has grasped the full meaning of the word "grace"? Are not our prayers so often ineffective and powerless --and sometimes even prayerless --because we rush unthinkingly and unpreparedly into G.o.d's presence, without realizing the majesty and glory of the G.o.d Whom we are approaching, and without reflecting upon the exceeding great riches of His glory in Christ Jesus, which we hope to draw upon? We must "think magnificently of G.o.d."
May we then suggest that before we lay our pet.i.tions before G.o.d we first dwell in meditation upon His glory and then upon His grace --for He offers us both. We must lift up the soul to G.o.d. Let us place ourselves, as it were, in the presence of G.o.d and direct our prayer to the King of kings, and Lord of lords, Who only hath immortality, dwelling in light unapproachable . . . to Whom be honor and power eternal (I Tim. vi. 16). Let us then give Him adoration and praise because of His exceeding great glory. Consecration is not enough. There must be adoration.
"Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts," cry the seraphim; "the whole earth is full of his glory" (Isa. vi. 3). "Glory to G.o.d in the highest," cries the "whole mult.i.tude of the heavenly host" (Luke ii. 14). Yet some of us try to commune with G.o.d without stopping to "put off our shoes from off our feet" (Exod. iii. 5).
Lips cry "G.o.d be merciful"
That ne'er cry "G.o.d be praised."
O come let us adore Him!
And we may approach His glory with boldness. Did not our Lord pray that His disciples might behold His glory? (John xvii. 24). Why? And why is "the whole earth full of His glory"? The telescope reveals His infinite glory. The microscope reveals His uttermost glory. Even the unaided eye sees surpa.s.sing glory in landscape, sunshine, sea and sky. What does it all mean?
These things are but a partial revelation of G.o.d's glory. It was not a desire for self-display that led our Lord to pray, "Father, glorify Thy Son" . . . "O Father, glorify Thou Me" (John xvii. 1, 3). Our dear Lord wants us to realize His infinite trustworthiness and unlimited power, so that we can approach Him in simple faith and trust.
In heralding the coming of Christ the prophet declared that "glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together" (Isa. xl. 5). Now we must get a glimpse of that glory before we can pray aright. So our Lord said, "When ye pray, say Our Father, Who art in heaven [the realm of glory], hallowed be Thy name." There is nothing like a glimpse of glory to banish fear and doubt. Before we offer up our pet.i.tions may it not help us to offer up our adoration in the words of praise used by some of the saints of old? Some devout souls may not need such help. We are told that Francis of a.s.sisi would frequently spend an hour or two in prayer on the top of Mount Averno, whilst the only word which escaped his lips would be "G.o.d" repeated at intervals. He began with adoration --and often stopped there!
But most of us need some help to realize the glory of the invisible G.o.d before we can adequately praise and adore Him. Old William Law said, "When you begin to pray, use such expressions of the attributes of G.o.d as will make you sensible of His greatness and power."
This point is of such tremendous importance that we venture to remind our readers of helpful words. Some of us begin every day with a glance heavenwards whilst saying, "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost." The prayer, "O Lord G.o.d most holy, O Lord most mighty, O holy and merciful Savior!" is often enough to bring a solemn awe and a spirit of holy adoration upon the soul. The Gloria in Excelsis of the Communion Service is most uplifting: "Glory be to G.o.d on high and in earth peace. . . . We praise Thee; we bless Thee; we worship Thee; we glorify Thee; we give thanks to Thee for Thy great glory, O Lord G.o.d, heavenly King, G.o.d the Father Almighty." Which of us can from the heart utter praise like that and remain unmoved, unconscious of the very presence and wondrous majesty of the Lord G.o.d Almighty? A verse of a hymn may serve the same purpose.
My G.o.d. how wonderful Thou art!
Thy majesty how bright.
How beautiful Thy mercy-seat In depths of burning light!
How wonderful, how beautiful The sight of Thee must be; Thine endless wisdom, boundless power And awful purity.
This carries us into the very heavenlies, as also do the words: Holy, holy, holy, Lord G.o.d Almighty, All Thy works shall praise Thy name In earth, and sky, and sea.
We need to cry out, and to cry often, "My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in G.o.d my Savior" (Luke i. 46, 47). Can we catch the spirit of the Psalmist and sing, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name"? (Psa. ciii. 1.) "Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my G.o.d, Thou art very great; Thou are clothed with honor and majesty" (Psa. civ. 1). When shall we learn that "in His temple everything saith Glory!" (Psa. xxix. 9, R.V.) Let us, too, cry, Glory!
Such worship of G.o.d, such adoration and praise and thanksgiving, not only put us into the spirit of prayer, but in some mysterious way they help G.o.d to work on our behalf. Do you remember those wonderful words, "Whoso, offereth the sacrifice of thanksgiving, glorifyeth Me and prepareth a way that I may show him the salvation of G.o.d"?, (Psa. l. 23, R.V., marg.) Praise and thanksgiving not only open the gates of heaven for me to approach G.o.d, but also "prepare a way" for G.o.d to bless me. St. Paul cries, "Rejoice evermore!" before he says, "Pray without ceasing." So then our praise, as well as our prayers, is to be without ceasing.
At the raising of Lazarus our Lord's prayer had as its first utterance a note of thanksgiving. "Father, I thank Thee that Thou heardest Me" (John xi. 41). He said it for those around to hear. Yes, and for us to hear.
You may perhaps be wondering why it is that we should specially give thanks to G.o.d for His great glory when we kneel in prayer; and why we should spend any time in thinking of and gazing upon that glory. But is He not the King of Glory? All He is and all He does is glory. His holiness is "glorious" (Exod. xv. 11). His name is glorious (Deut. xxviii. 58). His work is "glorious" (Psa. cxi. 3). His power is glorious (Col. i. 11). His voice is glorious (Isa. x.x.x. 30).
All things bright and beautiful All creatures great and small.
All things wise and wonderful, The Lord G.o.d made them all.
for His glory.
"For of him and through him and unto him are all things; to whom be glory for ever" (Rom. xi. 36). And this is the G.o.d who bids us come to Him in prayer. This G.o.d is our G.o.d, and He has "gifts for men" (Psa. lxviii. 18). G.o.d says that everyone that is called by His name has been created for His glory (Isa. xliii. 7). His Church is to be a "glorious" Church --holy and without blemish (Eph. v. 27). Have you ever fully realized that the Lord Jesus desires to share with us the glory we see in Him? This is His great gift to you and me, His redeemed ones. Believe me, the more we have of G.o.d's glory, the less shall we seek His gifts. Not only in that day "when he shall come to be glorified in his saints" (II Thess. i. 10) is there glory for us, but here and now --today. He wishes us to be partakers of His glory. Did not our Lord Himself say so? "The glory which thou has given me, I have given unto them," He declares (John xvii. 22). What is G.o.d's command? "Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee." Nay, more than this: "His glory shall be seen upon thee," says the inspired prophet (Isa. Ix. 1, 2).
G.o.d would have people say of us as St. Peter said of the disciples of old: "The Spirit of Glory and the Spirit of G.o.d resteth upon you" (I Peter iv. 14). Would not that be an answer to most of our prayers? Could we ask for anything better? How can we get this glory? How are we to reflect it? Only as the result of prayer. It is when we pray, that the Holy Spirit takes of the things of Christ and reveals them unto us (John xvi. 15).
It was when Moses prayed, "Show me, I pray thee, thy glory," that he not only saw somewhat of it, but shared something of that glory, and his own face shone with the light of it (Exod. x.x.xiii. 18, x.x.xiv. 29). And when we, too, gaze upon the "glory of G.o.d in the face of Jesus Christ" (II Cor. iv. 6), we shall see not only a glimpse of that glory, but we shall gain something of it ourselves.
Now, that is prayer, and the highest result of prayer. Nor is there any other way of securing that glory, that G.o.d may be glorified in us (Isa. Ix. 21).
Let us often meditate upon Christ's glory --gaze upon it and so reflect it and receive it. This is what happened to our Lord's first disciples. They said in awed tones, "We beheld his glory!" Yes, but what followed? A few plain, unlettered, obscure fishermen companied with Christ a little while, seeing His glory; and lo! they themselves caught something of that glory. And then others marveled and "took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus" (Acts iv. 13). And when we can declare, with St. John, "Yea, and our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ" (I John i. 3), people will say the same of us: "They have been with Jesus!"
As we lift up our soul in prayer to the living G.o.d, we gain the beauty of holiness as surely as a flower becomes beautiful by living in the sunlight. Was not our Lord Himself transfigured when He prayed? And the "very fashion" of our countenance will change, and we shall have our Mount of Transfiguration when prayer has its rightful place in our lives. And men will see in our faces "the outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace." Our value to G.o.d and to man is in exact proportion to the extent in which we reveal the glory of G.o.d to others.
We have dwelt so much upon the glory of Him to Whom we pray, that we must not now speak of His grace.
What is prayer? It is a sign of spiritual life. I should as soon expect life in a dead man as spiritual life in a prayerless soul! Our spirituality and our fruitfulness are always in proportion to the reality of our prayers. If, then, we have at all wandered away from home in the matter of prayer, let us today resolve, "I will arise and go unto my Father, and say unto Him, Father --."
At this point I laid down my pen, and on the page of the first paper I picked up were these words: "The secret of failure is that we see men rather than G.o.d. Romanism trembled when Martin Luther saw G.o.d. The 'great awakening'
sprang into being when Jonathan Edwards saw G.o.d. The world became the parish of one man when John Wesley saw G.o.d. Mult.i.tudes were saved when Whitfield saw G.o.d. Thousands of orphans were fed when George Muller saw G.o.d. And He is 'the same yesterday, today, and forever.' "
Is it not time that we got a new vision of G.o.d --of G.o.d in all His glory? Who can say what will happen when the Church sees G.o.d? But let us not wait for others. Let us, each one for himself, with unveiled face and unsullied heart, get this vision of the glory of the Lord.
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see G.o.d" (Matt. v. 8). No missioner whom it has been my joy to meet ever impressed me quite as much as Dr. Wilbur Chapman. He wrote to a friend: "I have learned some great lessons concerning prayer. At one of our missions in England the audiences were exceedingly small. But I received a note saying that an American missionary . . . was going to pray G.o.d's blessing down upon our work. He was known as 'Praying Hyde.' Almost instantly the tide turned. The hall became packed, and at my first invitation fifty men accepted Christ as their Savior. As we were leaving I said, 'Mr. Hyde, I want you to pray for me.' He came to my room, turned the key in the door, and dropped on his knees, and waited five minutes without a single syllable coming from his lips. I could hear my own heart thumping and his beating. I felt the hot tears running down my face. I knew I was with G.o.d. Then, with upturned face, down which the tears were streaming, he said 'O G.o.d!' Then for five minutes at least he was still again; and then, when he knew that he was talking with G.o.d . . . there came up from the depth of his heart such pet.i.tions for men as I had never heard before. I rose from my knees to know what real prayer was. We believe that prayer is mighty, and we believe it as we never did before."
Dr. Chapman used to say, "It was a season of prayer with John Hyde that made me realize what real prayer was. I owe to him more than I owe to any man for showing me what a prayer-life is, and what a real consecrated life is. .
. . Jesus Christ became a new Ideal to me, and I had a glimpse of His prayerlife; and I had a longing which has remained to this day to be a real praying man." And G.o.d the Holy Spirit can so teach us.
Oh, ye who sigh and languish And mourn your lack of power, Hear ye this gentle whisper: "Could ye not watch one hour?"
For fruitfulness and blessing There is no royal road; The power for holy service Is intercourse with G.o.d.
Chapter 6: HOW SHALL I PRAY?.
How shall I pray? Could there be a more important question for a Christian man to ask? How shall I approach the King of Glory?
When we read Christ's promises regarding prayer we are apt to think that He puts far too great a power into our hands --unless, indeed, we hastily conclude that it is impossible for Him to act as He promises. He says, ask "anything," "whatsoever," "what ye will," and it shall be done.
But then He puts in a qualifying phrase. He says that we are to ask in His name. That is the condition, and the only one, although, as we shall remind ourselves later on, it is sometimes couched in different words.
If, therefore, we ask and do not receive, it can only be that we are not fulfilling this condition. If then, we are true disciples of His --if we are sincere --we shall take pains (infinite pains, if need be) to discover just what it means to ask in His name; and we shall not rest content until we have fulfilled that condition. Let us read the promise again to be quite sure about it.
"Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it" (John xiv. 13, 14).
This was something quite new, for our Lord said so. "Hitherto ye have asked nothing in my name," but now, "ask and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full" (John xvi. 24).
Five times over our Lord repeats this simple condition, "In my name" (John xiv. 13, 14; xv. 16; xvi. 23, 24, 26). Evidently something very important is here implied. It is more than a condition --it is also a promise, an encouragement, for our Lord's biddings are always His enablings. What, then, does it mean to ask in His name? We must know this at all costs, for it is the secret of all power in prayer. And it is possible to make a wrong use of those words. Our Lord said, "Many shall come in my name, saying, 'I am Christ,' and shall deceive many" (Matt. xxiv. 5). He might well have said, "And many shall think they are praying to the Father in my name, whilst deceiving themselves."
Does it mean just adding the words, "and all this we ask in the name of Jesus Christ," at the end of our prayers?
Many people apparently think that it does. But have you never heard --or offered --prayers full of self-will and selfishness which ended up in that way, "for Christ's sake. Amen"?
G.o.d could not answer the prayers St. James refers to in his epistle just because those who offered them added, "we ask these things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Those Christians were asking "amiss" (James iv. 3). A wrong prayer cannot be made right by the addition of some mystic phrase!
And a right prayer does not fail if some such words are omitted. No! It is more than a question of words. Our Lord is thinking about faith and facts more than about some formula. The chief object of prayer is to glorify the Lord Jesus. We are to ask in Christ's name "that the Father may be glorified in the Son" (John xiv. 13). Listen! We are not to seek wealth or health, prosperity or success, ease or comfort, spirituality or fruitfulness in service simply for our own enjoyment or advancement or popularity, but only for Christ's sake --for His glory. Let us take three steps to a right understanding of those important words, "in my name."
(1) There is a sense in which some things are done only "for Christ's sake" --because of His atoning death. Those who do not believe in the atoning death of Christ cannot pray "in His name." They may use the words, but without effect. For we are "justified by His blood" (Rom. v. 9), and "we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins" (Eph. i. 7; Col. i. 14). In these days when Unitarianism under its guileful name of Modernism has invaded all sects, it is most important to remember the place and work of the shed blood of Christ, or "prayer" --so-called --becomes a delusion and a snare.
Let us ill.u.s.trate this point by an experience which happened quite early in Mr. Moody's ministry. The wife of an infidel judge --a man of great intellectual gifts --begged Mr. Moody to speak to her husband. Moody, however, hesitated at arguing with such a man, and told him so quite frankly. "But," he added, "if ever you are converted will you promise to let me know?" The judge laughed cynically, and replied, "Oh, yes, I'll let you know quick enough if I am ever converted!" Moody went his way, relying upon prayer. That judge was converted, and within a year. He kept his promise and told Moody just how it came about. "I began to grow very uneasy and .miserable one night when my wife was at a prayer-meeting. I went to bed before she came home. I could not sleep all that night. Getting up early the next morning, I told my wife I should not need any breakfast, and went off to my office. Telling the clerks they could take a holiday, I shut myself up in my private room. But I became more and more wretched. Finally, I fell on my knees and asked G.o.d to forgive me my sins, but I would not say 'for Jesus' sake,' for I was Unitarian, and I did not believe in the atonement. In an agony of mind I kept praying, 'O G.o.d, forgive me my sins,' but no answer came. At last, in desperation, I cried, 'O G.o.d, for Christ's sake forgive my sins.' Then I found peace at once."
That judge had no access to the presence of G.o.d until he sought it in the name of Jesus Christ. When he came in Christ's name he was at once heard and forgiven. Yes, to pray "in the name" of the Lord Jesus is to ask for things which the blood of Christ has secured --"purchased" --for us. We have "boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus" (Heb. x. 19). There is entrance by no other way.
But this is not all that those words "In my Name" mean.
(2) The most familiar ill.u.s.tration of coming "in the name" of Christ is that of drawing money from a bank by means of a check. I can draw from my bank account only up to the amount of my deposit there. In my own name, I can go no farther. In the Bank of England I have no money whatsoever, and can therefore draw nothing therefrom. But suppose a very wealthy man who has a big account there gives me a blank check bearing his signature, and bids me fill it in to any amount I choose. He is my friend. What shall I do? Shall I just satisfy my present need, or shall I draw as much as I dare? I shall certainly do nothing to offend my friend, or to lower myself in his esteem.
Well, we are told by some that heaven is our bank. G.o.d is the Great Banker, for "every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father" (James i. 17). We need a "check" wherewith to "draw" upon this boundless store. The Lord Jesus gives us a blank check in prayer. "Fill it in," says He, "to any amount; ask 'anything,' 'what ye will,' and you shall have it. Present your check in My name, and your request will be honored." Let me put this in the words of a well-known evangelist of today. "That is what happens when I go to the bank of heaven-when I go to G.o.d in prayer. I have nothing deposited there; I have no credit there; and if I go in my own name I will get absolutely nothing. But Jesus Christ has unlimited credit in heaven, and He has granted me the privilege of going with His name on my checks; and when I thus go my prayers will be honored to any extent. To pray, then, in the name of Christ is to pray, not on the ground of my credit, but His."