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by Fay
C. Martin
Part
1 of 8
The Nature
of Prayer…
The divine
injunction given through inspiration of the blessed Holy
Spirit— “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17) at once conveys
the idea of the necessity and importance, together with the
great value of prayer. The Hebrew for “prayer” means appeal
and intercession, while the Greek conveys the idea of
spiritual approach to God. The Word informs us to pray for the
things we need (Matt. 6:11–13). Prayer—real, worthwhile,
successful prayer, makes approach close enough to God, our
heavenly Father, through His Son, Jesus, that one may appeal
in his own behalf and in behalf of others for those things of
which there is real need.
Millions of
prayers have ascended from lips of clay, or, rather, we may
say, have been offered. The question arises—How many of these
prayers have been answered? We are no doubt safe in saying
that a great many of these prayers never reached the throne
with force enough and appeal enough to bring a reply. This
being true we may well ask “Why?”
One answer may be
that while prayer is a real privilege, too many, yes, all too
many, look upon it as a real burden. Again some, if each and
every prayer is not answered, and answered at once, feel like
one stunned by a mighty blow, and from that time on pray no
more with expectation.
The fact of it is
we are all, every one of us, but pupils in the school of
prayer. Like the early disciples we need to implore, “Lord,
teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). Too many of us would attempt at
once to realize faith sufficient for every problem, present
and future. But the great Teacher desires His trusting,
faithful pupils to master the problems as they come. Here is
an example of an unforeseen problem, in the solution of which
prayer availed: Some missionaries were set upon and surrounded
by a howling mob who were crying for their blood because, as
they said, “no rain will come till such time as foreign blood
is spilled.” Then it was that the missionaries knelt and
earnestly prayed, and scarcely had they risen from their knees
when the clouds blackened and lowered, and the storm broke in
fury upon the mob, dispersing them, and the missionaries were
spared.
“Pray without
ceasing” surely means never to get out of the habit of prayer,
but rather to keep at it and at it and at it. “Men ought
always to pray” (Luke 18:1).
Prayer is the
stepping-stone to victory. There is a story in mythology about
a giant named Antaeus, who in order to keep alive had to touch
the earth as often as once every five minutes. With each and
every touch he became twice as strong as the preceding touch
made him. This may well explain the nature and power of
prayer. Every real touch of the divine through prayer adds
real strength and increased faith to that one who approaches
near enough to God to realize the blessing.
Prayer is offered
on the assumption that God knows our need even before we call.
It is the innermost man, yes, the very soul conversing with
its God. It is the appointed means of communion between God
and man. In fact, it is natural for genuine Christians to
pray.
Prayer is like the
crying of an infant in the night. Although dark he puts up his
little hands with real expectation that Mother’s touch will
shortly be felt. In prayer God’s trusting child puts up his
little, feeble hands to God’s big, powerful ones. He opens his
mouth like the little birds for a regular feed and the
satisfying portion which takes away that keen, gnawing hunger.
Prayer is indispensable either to private or public worship.
As prayer ceases, to that extent does spirituality wane either
in the individual, the local church, or the church in general.
All real saints ever have been, are now, and ever shall be,
fervent and mighty in prayer. It somehow has a subjective
value necessary to individual piety and to be acceptable
includes offering up the desires of the heart.
Prayer and faith
are separate and distinct. For instance one may do
considerable praying with practically little or no faith,
while again one may have great faith with scarcely any prayer.
But while prayer and faith are distinct, yet they are not
independent of each other.
Prevailing prayer
is the constant knocking at the door with the expectation it
will be opened. One may have faith but unless he prays (asks,
implores) he need expect to receive nothing from God. One may
pray, but without faith he expects and receives nothing from
God. “Show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show
thee my faith by my works” (James 2:18).
Prayer is the
breath that fans the flame of faith. Fanned to a white heat it
burns out all dross and melts away all barriers between heaven
and earth. Prayer blended with faith makes prayer easier, more
pleasant, and attractive to the one who prays. Faith blended
with prayer wafts faith to the throne and causes it to attract
the attention of and brings gifts from God. “Let us draw near
with a true heart in full assurance of faith” (Heb. 10:22).
While distinct, yet prayer and faith are interdependent.
Prayer is to faith what lungs are to oxygen. It takes faith
in, and out of it expels the dross, thereby presenting faith
pure before the throne of God. It arouses and puts faith to
work. It wings faith up to the courts of heaven.
The prayer of
faith waits on God. A minister was holding a revival in
Edinburgh when the president of an infidel society came in to
ridicule and prevent, if possible, persons from going forward
for prayer. The minister stepped up and asked the infidel,
“Are you a Christian?”
The reply was,
“No.”
“Well, do you want to be one?”
With a sneer, the
infidel replied, “I should say not.”
“Then shall we kneel
and pray together?” asked the minister.
“I do not believe
in prayer,” answered the infidel.
“Well, then, will you
allow me to kneel and pray for you?”
“Yes, but it will do
no good,” replied the infidel with sarcasm.
After the
minister had knelt and poured out his heart in prayer for the
soul of the infidel, the infidel remarked with seeming glee,
“I don’t feel any different at all.”
“Wait,” said the
minister, “wait a while; for we do not desire to rush God.”
Two years later when they met again the infidel said, “See,
your prayers weren’t answered.”
The minister replied,
“Just don’t get uneasy, but wait, for God sometimes takes
time.”
Some few years later the infidel went to another
service, yielded himself to God, and was gloriously saved.
Prayer is not
worldly addresses uttered to be heard of men. Neither is it a
set of frigid formalities. The form of prayer, if the prayer
is from the heart, is of little consequence by itself. The
tongue of the eloquent or the lips of the stammering have an
equal value in the sight of God.
The
Conquering Force of Prayer...
Christ and
Christianity must conquer. They will eventually conquer. But
they must conquer by prayer or not at all. This is a day of
methods and plans and policies. Prayer is the most neglected
and abused art and duty of the modern church. When the church
awakens to this fact and rises to the occasion the battle will
be short and victorious for the “faith which was once
delivered unto the saints.”
Of Jacob the angel
fresh from the presence of the Lord declared, “Thy name shall
be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou
power with God and with men, and hast prevailed” (Gen. 32:28).
Herein lies the secret of success, viz., no more Jacob, the
supplanter, but Israel, the soldier of God. Jacob had a
battle, a real wrestling match, on the outcome of which
depended his power with both God and men.
He had learned the
secret that in order to have power with men he must first have
power with God. This blessing became the craving desire of his
whole being. A night of wrestling, a decision at daybreak, a
determination as the blackness of the midnight gives way to
the morning hours, persistence as the sun rises and the
victory is his while the heavenly messenger in breathless
defeat exclaims, “Thou hast prevailed.”
“Ask,” says He who
cannot lie, “ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for
thine inheritance” (Ps. 2:8). Ask in faith believing, for “all
things are possible to him that believeth.”
The early church
had power. The questions for us to solve and answer are—How
did they get this power? From whence did they get it? What
could they do with it? What did they do with it? Inspiration
reveals the secret: “These all continued with one accord in
prayer” (Acts 1:14). “And when the day of Pentecost was fully
come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly
there came a sound from heaven” (Acts 2:1, 2). “The place was
shaken” (Acts 4:31.)
A Jacob spends a
night in prevailing prayer and conquers. A church spends a
night in prayer with one accord and conquers to the extent
“the place was shaken,” and three thousand souls were added to
the church (Acts 2:41). As much earnestness and determination
on the part of individual Christians, or of any congregation
today who are serving the same God, the same Christ who is
“the same yesterday, and today, and forever” (Heb. 13:8) will
bring the same results.
Prayer is the
conquering force. Esau was conquered while Jacob was on his
knees. The mouths of lions were closed while Daniel was on his
knees. Rain was withheld and sent while Elijah was on his
knees. The Israelites were spared while Moses was on his
knees. The Jews were spared while Queen Esther fasted and
prayed. Peter was released from prison while the church
prayed.
Three thousand
souls were saved after one church had spent a night in an
upper room with one accord, in earnest, prevailing prayer.
Three thousand churches today can, without prayer, save no
souls. Perhaps herein lies the secret of so little of real
definite salvation work, so few genuine soul-saving campaigns
today.
Sinners trembled
and the earth shook while Paul and Silas, lying on their backs
in a cold, damp, filthy inner prison, prayed.
The Syrophenician
woman’s demoniac daughter was delivered while the mother
prayed and implored and exercised the faith she had. The death
warrant of Bloody Mary was signed in heaven while John Knox
was on his knees.
Sinners must be
quickened by the prayers and faith of the church before they
will get under conviction and cry out as of old, “What must I
do to be saved?” “Pray ye the Lord of the harvest to send
forth laborers” has kept the Christian church supplied with
workers until the present time.
A college boy
studying to be a physician and about to graduate and receive
his diploma got under deep conviction and received a definite
experience of salvation. With many misgivings he wrote to his
mother that he had throughout life been convicted he would
eventually be a minister, and he asked her permission to take
up a course of study with that end in view.
The old mother
caught the next train, rushed across the Green Mountains, and
informed the son that she, when he was a boy, had sent his
infant garments across the sea to a missionary with the
request that he (the missionary) agree in prayer that her son
might one day become a preacher.
The church most
upon her knees will have the fewest vacancies in heaven. Every
church needs to learn the place of prayer, the power of
prayer, how to pray, and above all, how to prevail. Having
learned these things and having put them into practice, her
success is assured.
Prayer is the root
and strength of all church work. It is the very highest trait
of a Christlike life. By prayer we receive of God’s life and
are made partakers of Christ’s character. “As Jesus prayed the
fashion of his countenance was changed.” See that sad, that
bitter, that hard-looking countenance of yonder professor? Do
you know what will change it into a joyful, sweet, and
soft-looking countenance? “Prayer changes things” for the
better. It is prayer that links us to the throne.
During February of
1861 a terrible gale raged along the coast of England. In one
bay eighty-one vessels were wrecked. The “Rising Sun,” a big
ship, went down, leaving her two masts above water. To these
masts were clinging a number of seamen. The winds howled and
the sea raged and the waves dashed. The masts and their human
freight swayed back and forth. Finally one mast snapped and
fell, plunging its cargo into a watery grave. The lifeline
shot out just as the other mast gave way in the unbearable
strain. The lifesavers on the shore began as rapidly as
possible to pull in the line. Their hearts fainted with loss
of hope, when one of them suddenly cried out, “Boys, there is
something attached to this line.” Their efforts were redoubled
and shortly a boy with a death grip on the line was pulled
onto the shore. As they worked over his nearly lifeless form
and as he began to revive, he opened his eyes and gasped,
“Mother has been praying for me.” Oh, for more praying,
prevailing mothers!
There is no
channel but through the church to save sinners. The church is
the connecting link between the Holy Spirit and the unsaved.
If the church fails the Holy Spirit will fail. Hence the
church needs to be charged with divine power. “Tarry,” is the
injunction. “Tarry until ye be endued with power from on high”
(Luke 24:49). More tarrying will bring better and greater
results. Beloved saints of God, the responsibility is on us
and must be met either here or at the judgment. We must
prevail with God or we may as well stop asking for purity, for
power, for the unsaved. We expect some time to prevail, and if
we really want to do so, then why not now? Time is fleeting;
souls are perishing, we are nearing eternity, while God’s
inspired Book says “now”—“Now is the accepted time.” Christ’s
blood cries now, and the interest of lost souls thunders now.
Reasons for
Prayer...
In James’ Epistle,
the fifth chapter and sixteenth verse, we read, “Confess your
faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may
be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man
availeth much.”
Now, if we are
taught to pray one for another and that effectual, fervent
prayer avails much, provided it comes from the lips of a
righteous man, there must be a reason for prayer. Why does God
make the prayer of faith the condition for receiving? Does he
not already know what we have need of before we ask, and
knowing our need can He not give without our asking? Then what
are the reasons for praying?
1. Prayer, in the
very beginning, brings us to realize our dependence on God.
Without prayer one takes all honor, glory, and credit to
himself and God is left entirely out. Thus he loses all sight
of a supreme Being and acts altogether independently of his
Maker.
As the Dead Sea
drinks in the River Jordan and becomes no sweeter, and the
ocean receives all the rivers and becomes no fresher, so the
prayerless man becomes insensible to God’s mercies.
2. Prayer makes us
humble before God. Having once recognized our dependence on
Him and that every good and perfect gift comes from God and
“in him we live and move and have our being,” one cannot but
feel humble. Prayer is not so much the feeling of humility as
it is the act of humility, but at the same time if one does
not feel humble he is not apt to act it. More humility will
cause more prayer and more prayer will cause more humility.
3. Prayer is the
only means of personal acquaintance with God. We may without
prayer know some things about God. We may believe in God and
in His existence and power, but to be personally acquainted
with Him means we must become acquainted in the same manner in
which we become acquainted with other persons, viz., personal
contact, and the only means of personal contact with God is
through prayer and conversation with Him.
4. “God heareth
not sinners,” hence the suppliant must abandon sin or be
defeated in his suit. If really honest, sincere, and in
earnest, a man will be ashamed continually to ask favors of
one against whom, in conduct and conversation, he is in
rebellion. Therefore prayer will in every instance give a
greater desire to live in such manner as to be worthy of God’s
favors. 5. Prayer brings man into harmony with God. Our
problems, trials, tests, and heartaches, as well as triumphs,
victories, achievements, and conquests become His. In turn His
problems, interests, concerns, become ours. In other words, He
becomes more interested in us and our affairs and we become
more interested in His.
6. Prayer is the
best means through which to assimilate the character of God.
To become better acquainted with, to know God better is to
love and admire and adore and reverence Him more, and while so
doing one cannot but long to become more like Him, thus
assimilating His very character.
7. Prayer brings
us into association with God’s perfections. God is the One and
the only One to whom belongs absolute perfection. Through
prayer and closer contact one cannot but be naturally drawn
into at least a few of those perfections.
8. Prayer is one
of the most effectual means of self-discovery. If interested
to pray God to remove the imperfections of others (in other
words, talking to God about such imperfections instead of to
our friends and acquaintances) we may discover that some of
those very same imperfections belong to us in possibly a
greater measure than to the other parties.
9. Prayer is the
strongest bond of attraction toward God. This accounts for the
fact of ungodly, wicked men almost unconsciously calling upon
God in time of trouble and serious calamity.
10. Prayer is
fellowshipping God, and to fellowship Him brings us into
fellowship with His children. “Inasmuch as ye have done it
unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it
unto me.” “If thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there
rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; leave
there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be
reconciled to thy brother.” “Pray for your enemies” is among
the very best commands Jesus ever gave, for to do so is the
easiest and quickest way to iron out difficulties and
hindrances to fellowship.
More praying will
bring a deeper and richer and fuller fellowship with both God
and our fellow beings.
Two men may grasp
separate battery cords and there is no power, but the very
moment they join hands the current is felt. Thus when brethren
are out of harmony and disunited and without true fellowship,
there can be no true contact with God. But once they are
induced to join hands and truly fellowship each other the
mighty current of God’s power immediately starts, and both can
get their prayers through to God.
Blessings are too
often hindered through the dropping of a neighbor’s or a
brother’s or a sister’s hand from feelings of jealousy and
pride. When all with ungloved hands take hold of each other’s
hands, the power of united prayer will be felt and many a
revival break out to shake whole communities and turn them to
God.
11. Prayer brings
us to greater realization of the perils of the lost. Having
learned of and felt God’s love thrilling through our being, we
can more readily realize what a soul would miss to lose heaven
and our Redeemer, and go to a devil’s hell.
After days and
nights of wrestling with God for lost souls, John Smith buried
his face in his hands and sobbed, “I’m a broken-hearted man;
I’m a broken-hearted man.”
12. Prayer is the
means by which we become “laborers together with God.” To
illustrate: A cannon is useless without the cannon ball, and
neither is of any value for its intended use except as they
are joined with powder. But all placed together in proper
position and handled in the right manner may be used to the
pulling down of mighty strongholds.
In a sense we are
like the cannon, an instrument through which the great gunner
sends the ball, the powerful and mighty Word of God, which if
touched off with the fire and powder of prayer becomes “mighty
through God to the pulling down of strongholds.” (2 Cor.
10:4).
The prayer-room is
the power-house of the Christian who is a successful laborer
for God and lost souls, against Satan and the power of evil.
Conditions...
In James 4:3 we
read, “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye
may consume it upon your lusts.”
Here we have
motive, or conditions, and a clear indication that the answer
to prayer depends thereon.
We must
distinguish between prayer and its conditions. To pray is one
thing; while the conditions for that prayer are quite another
thing.
Prayer is the act
of presenting a request. The conditions are included in the
act. For instance, confession is an act, yet it may or may not
be a heart confession. It may be a true confession based on
pure motives, or on the other hand a false confession made for
the express purpose of personal gain. Thus the state of the
petitioner’s heart and mind becomes a condition.
On the object in
view in making the petition depends to a great extent the
reward of the petition. If one has a proper motive one may
expect a definite answer. Should the motive be improper one
may rest assured God knows such motive and will consider it in
answering.
The writer is
acquainted with a trained nurse who one time related the
following: While nursing in a home she one day heard bitter
wailing and weeping in an adjoining room. Going softly to the
door she opened it and entered the room. There on the floor,
lying prostrate, was an old mother crying and sobbing out her
heart before God. When the nurse attempted to give the proper
encouragement, she learned the following story from the lips
of this old mother: When her only son was a child and
seriously ill, and near to death’s door, the mother prayed God
to heal him, and said, “God, you must heal.” The Lord sent the
answer and from that time the boy was a constant source of
trouble, causing continual heartaches. At the time she prayed
she had thrown herself on the floor in like manner as the
nurse girl now found her, and God heard and heeded her, much
to her own sorrow.
Had the condition
of her heart been right, she could have prayed, “Not my will,
but thine be done,” and the little fellow’s soul would have
landed in heaven, borne on the wings of angels, where she
could have met him again and with him spent an endless
eternity. It pays big returns to be submissive to the will of
God, while it brings untold sorrow and heartaches to rebel
against His will and wishes.
Defective prayer
hinders God from answering, for to answer as prayed would
prove detrimental not only to the petitioner but might involve
many others. Many times skepticism results when God refuses to
answer. The petitioner comes to make himself believe God does
not hear and answer, hence becomes an unbeliever. Defective
prayer grieves the Holy Spirit. It dishonors the name of
Christ and reflects on the love and benevolence of God.
Greater faith in
the power of prayer is one necessary condition for greater
success in prayer.
As a body of
Christians our prayers are many. Somewhere, night and day,
prayers are constantly ascending to the throne. But
comparatively speaking, to how many evidences of answered
prayer can we testify? While many prayers are answered and the
mighty power of God is manifested in a miraculous manner, how
many more might be answered if conditions were proper, and as
they should be. In a sense it is mockery to open our lips in
pretended prayer, for it but tempts God.
More or less
skepticism lurks in every heart. This may seem a startling
statement. Yet it is evident that sometimes even the stoutest
heart, and the one strongest in faith, fails to pray with that
firm belief which brings the object of his petition. He rather
doubts his request is availing. This is mere skepticism. The
so-called skeptic doubts all, even the existence of God, while
the one who is not careful of his petitions and does not meet
fully the conditions of prevailing prayer may find himself
endued with more or less skepticism. We must seek to eliminate
every atom of unbelief.
Certain actions or
states of heart make the exercise of faith impossible, for
instance disobedience. If one is fully obedient to the best of
his knowledge one may well expect a more full and complete
exercise of faith. A little girl about four years of age was
asked, “Why do you pray to God?” Her reply was, “Because I
know He hears me and I love to pray to Him.” Then the
question, “But how do you know He hears you?” Putting her
little hand over her heart she replied, “I know He does
because there is something here that tells me so.”
Anyone knowingly
in rebellion against God in any measure can as easily pluck
the burning sun from the heavens as to exercise faith. One
cannot possibly believe without the Holy Spirit, and He
refuses to help a rebel.
In many an
instance the “I can’t believe,” if changed to the real truth
and outwardly confessed, would be, “I just will not
surrender.”
A man complained
he had prayed earnestly for a whole year that he might enjoy
the comforts of religion. His wise old pastor advised him, “Go
home now and pray, ‘Father, glorify thyself.’ “ This no doubt
accounts for the many failures: “Ye ask that ye may consume it
upon yourselves.”
The last act of a
soul making surrender to God is believing. Fully surrendered
it becomes as easy to believe as to breathe. Obeying the
command—“Repent” instantly helps obey the command—“Believe.”
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