Untitled article by Jos. Clarke

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Third-day, January 21, 1868

PRAYER.

By Jos. Clarke

BY JOS. CLARKE.

TEXT. “Lord, teach us to pray.” Luke xi, 1.

PRAYER is the yearning of the helpless child for its absent parent. It is the spirit of adoption, the cry of the helpless, dependent, but trusting soul clinging to its only hope, the infinite One in Heaven. All here is floating and uncertain. Vanity is written upon all earthly possessions. Sickness and death, pain and suffering, are everywhere. Riches and honor are of little value in themselves, and when attained, hard to be retained. Friendships, too often fickle, and oftener rendered uncertain by the ravages of death, and by the fever for change and removal, and the accustomed changes of society, suffice in a few years, to present us with new faces, and in some way to hide away from us most of those we once loved and esteemed.

Most painful of all considerations is this, that sin has marred the fair face of nature, and man, once so noble, and standing innocent and lovely before his Creator, has fallen; and with him the whole aspect of nature is changed, and wears a face of comparative gloom. To God alone the soul turns in its forlorn and disquieted situation, feeling, too, that within, as well as without, there is ruin and desolation.

Man, of himself, is powerless to assist you. In fact, most of your fellow-beings care but little to assist themselves. To help the sin-sick soul, few are willing; and a still smaller number are able to give you wise counsel. There are many blind guides you cannot trust, many worldlings, who would laugh at, and deride your anxious thoughts; many stupid ones, who would stare in blank astonishment at your foolish fears, as they would call them. Almost bewildered, the penitent soul turns away from the sickening confusion around, and turns to its Father in Heaven, who always sees clearly into its troubles and doubts; to the Creator, who cares for the falling sparrow. With relief and confidence the troubled soul looks up to him to aid directly and indirectly, in its emancipation from sin and its iron chain.

Is it possible that Jehovah has condescended to open a door of hope? Is there a ladder like Jacob’s which unites Heaven and earth? Do angels ascend and descend between Heaven and earth, to strengthen, defend and enlighten benighted souls? Can the poor soul find where that ladder is placed? Can he view it, even though its lofty hight is veiled in clouds, and its distant form is hid from his gaze? May he place his feet upon the lower round, or upon the next above? May he tempt its lofty hight? Has God forbidden him? Nay, may not angels stand beckoning you on higher and higher?

How great the privilege we possess, of coming to God in prayer. The worldling, in the hight of his prosperity and pride, thinks it beneath him to kneel before God. It would sink him in his own and others’ esteem, to bend the knee with Jesus’ humble followers in prayer. He could not stoop to this. But were he privileged to telegraph across the ocean, or around the world, this would not be to his discredit; he would at least be pleased to perform such a labor, and would correctly remark that the “telegraph is the greatest marvel of the age.”

Away in the distant heavens shine bright and beautiful stars, the abodes of intelligent beings. Among them we behold some far more beautiful and bright than others. Somewhere among these brilliant orbs, is located the home of the Creator, surrounded by a retinue of angels, and the highest order of beings. There Jehovah holds his court in majesty and untold glory.

The humble soul, prostrate before God, in secret and alone, calls for that help which man can not bestow. In a moment, perhaps, he realizes that he is in communion with that Being, whose face no man hath seen, or can see in mortal flesh; that Being, whose dwelling is so many millions of miles away from earth, has come by his Spirit to converse with him in his poverty and weakness. He has placed himself in communication with the Creator of the universe, whom angels revere and worship, personally asking his divine influence and protection.

How superior is the exercise of prayer to all the proud doings of the worldling. He may be in a useful and honorable employment; but if a spirit of pride rules his motives, his work is unacceptable before God, and a low or unworthy motive may render the noblest of traits and acts without merit and excellence before Him. But when the humble publican bows in penitence before the Judge of all, then he transfers his allegiance from the god of this world to his rightful Lord. This is what the Lord requires, and what he views with pleasure. So long as the soul does not make a complete and thorough reform, however amiable and noble may be its traits of character, God cannot accept it, for there is no whole bond of union; but when, by deep repentance and thorough reform, the soul turns to God, there is an opportunity to call upon Him with a prospect of his prayer’s being answered.

It is a marvel to us, that not a desire or aspiration of heart after God, not a word of prayer is uttered to Him, but he is perfectly acquainted with the nature of such desire or prayer, and his knowledge is so all-pervading, that not a prayer, be it ever so hidden and silent, is unknown to him, and when we consider that Heaven, his dwelling-place, is located at so vast a distance from us, from whence he personally superintends his vast domains, receiving the homage of angels, as well as that of the intelligent inhabitants of those sinless abodes in the far-off heavens, amid all his vast concerns, the all-wise Creator so veils his glory as to manifest his great love for fallen man in this sin-cursed earth, and notice all that takes place in this dark world, marking with the strictest scrutiny every word and act. How is this possible? says the finite mind. How does he keep this ever watchful, this sleepless supervision? Can you tell? Truly God is infinite, and his works are wonderful. Surely it is no matter of pride in man that God so manifests himself; but it is certainly a mark of blindness, to be ashamed of calling upon God, our Creator, for what we need, and rendering thanks to him for the countless favors we constantly receive at his hand.

Fervent, humble prayer begets within the heart of him who offers it, holy love, and saving faith, and an increase of all the Christian graces; so that the soul heretofore barren and unfruitful, becomes fruitful in all that is good and holy. Thus works mingle with faith; and watchfulness and circumspection necessarily accompany the prayerful soul; else it is soon turned from prayer to carnality, and from carnality to apostasy.

The prayerful soul is a diligent one; for it has many labors to perform, many things to look to, many sins to overcome, many inlets to evil to watch against, many difficulties to encounter. “In all things be circumspect,” is an injunction of Heaven upon all who would inherit the promised land, and to maintain a prayerful spirit, the most rigid watchfulness is necessary; for the Holy Spirit forsakes the unwatchful soul, and leaves it in gloom, in which state prayer is a difficult, and seemingly hopeless employment. Yet, even here, prayer is the only means of restoring the soul to watchfulness and active labor.

Thus we see works attending the prayer of the good man; not merely because it is so commanded, but by a natural affinity between faith and works; so that the faith which is without works is at least a dead faith, perhaps a false one, or one built up in self-deception. And not only do works help faith and prayer, but neglect of duty hinders prayer as much as actual sin hinders the same, and makes it void of fruit; while works, performed in humility, in love, and cheerfulness, do make prayer comforting and strengthening, and render it effectual and availing; and while this is so, watchfulness and circumspection guard the heart, and so protect faith. Faith itself is a main ingredient

in prayer, and works strengthening faith do continually assist prayer.

Prayer is hindered often, by the coming in of worldliness, setting our hearts on worldly things, upon this or that thing acquired, our friends, our property, here a care, there a pleasure, or a want, or desire, or design, or disappointment, or failure. Each considered apart from God, and each demanding a portion of the affections, or the attention, time is wasted, and God is forgotten. Thus, by a law of the mind, the affections are gradually transferred to the world; for what we think most of, we soon learn to love most; and what is out of the mind, is soon out of the affections. But the watchful, praying soul will not do this; for in every gift and favor, it finds reason for praise to God, which is a part of prayer; and in every care, and design, and disappointment, it finds cause for prayer, for aid, or support, as the case may be; for all its plans are submitted to God for his acceptance; and disappointments and trials only drive the weary one to God for consolation.

Thus the devout soul finds prayer an antidote for worldliness, a preventive of ingratitude and self-dependence; and he who becomes lukewarm, finds this one of the first evidences of a relapse; that he has lost that spirit of fervent prayer which characterized the early portion of his experience, when his heart was warm with the love of God, and glowing with desire for the salvation of his fellow-men; and a distaste for, and a neglect of, prayer, marks the downward course of the apostate, from his early hopeful state, to his last fatal leap in the dark domains of unbelief.

It has been truly remarked that our prayers are too often aimless, and without plan, and even our most fervent prayers are so often forgotten by us, that, when the answer comes, we do not always recognize the hand of God in the matter, having forgotten that we had prayed for this blessing. This is a great neglect, and wrong. God would have us be very careful to mark his providence, and when we pray, let us bear in mind the prayer, and hold ourselves in readiness to praise him for the answer he has given. Indeed, we may say self-examination should always precede prayer, and thus prepare the heart for it.

Prayer is an evidence of faith; for when the Lord called upon Ananias to visit the persecutor, Saul, and restore his sight, he gave to this faithful man this evidence of Saul’s conversion: Said he of Saul, “Behold, he prayeth!” This he would have Ananias understand was an evidence of the conversion of that persecutor, that he prayed; not as scribes and Pharisees exhibited themselves in the attitude and with a form of prayer, but truly he would have Ananias understand that the lion was changed to the lamb; that the furious warrior was transformed into the humble, praying Christian. Behold, he prayeth! What a change! How much was conveyed in these few words! Reader, can this be said of you and me? Behold, he prayeth! not as the hypocrite, for display; not as the miser, for more of this world’s dust; not as the ambitious, for promotion; not as the worldling, for thrift; but for release from sin, and guidance in holiness; such prayer as the adopted child offers to his Father in Heaven, to bring him safely home from the howling wilderness of earth, where beasts of prey wait to tear and rend. Here is no home for such a child, and he can but pray for deliverance.

Such men as Elijah, fleeing from Ahab and Jezebel; or David, as he fled from the jealous Saul; or Jeremiah, in the miry dungeon; or Daniel, in the den of lions, could realize that this world was not a home for God’s people; and each individual of the millions of martyrs could realize personally the same truth. They each of them sent up to Heaven the same cry of distress, and of each it was said, Behold he prayeth!

Ah! such prayers as they offered! We know little of their experience. No doubt angels ministered to them, and often marvelously sustained them in answer to prayer; for, not only did they pray, but their brethren also prayed for them; and thus they were first prepared, and then sustained in their protracted sufferings. “Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God,” said the angel, as he addressed the noble Roman centurion, that humble servant of God who took such a lively interest in all that concerned the church; and Peter was sent for, and the Holy Spirit was poured out upon that praying saint, and upon all his house; and neighbors and friends participated in the blessing.

It was while prayer was made without ceasing by the church, that the massive iron door of the prison opened of itself, and a glorious angel set Peter at liberty, freeing him from his fetters, and strengthening his soul within him.

(Concluded next week.)