The Efficacy of Prayer in the Work of God by Arthur G. Daniells

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Nov 14, 1912

The Efficacy of Prayer in the Work of God

By Arthur G. Daniells

(Reading for Sabbath, December 7)

The Efficacy of Prayer in the Work of God

A. G. DANIELLS

Prayer is given a very prominent place in the Sacred Scriptures. The greatest and most loyal of the Bible characters were men and women of prayer. By prayer the great triumphs of the cause of God have been won in all the crises through which it has passed.

Jesus was a man of prayer. He began his public ministry, carried it forward, and closed it with prayer. His baptism marked the time for him to begin his public work. Of that occasion the record says:—

“Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.” Luke 3:21, 22.

From this we learn that the first thing our Saviour did after he was baptized was to pray, and while praying he was anointed with the Holy Ghost. Thus he began his work with prayer. The reason for this is impressively set forth by the spirit of prophecy as follows:—

“Upon coming up out of the water, Jesus bowed in prayer on the river bank. A new and important era was opening before him. He was now, upon a wider stage, entering on the conflict of his life. . . . Upon his arm depended the salvation of the fallen race, and he reached out his hand to grasp the hand of Omnipotent Love.

“The Saviour’s glance seems to penetrate heaven as he pours out his soul in prayer. Well he knows how sin has hardened the hearts of men, and how difficult it will be for them to discern his mission, and accept the gift of salvation. He pleads with the Father for power to overcome their unbelief, to break the fetters with which Satan has enthralled them, and in their behalf to conquer the destroyer. He asks for the witness that God accepts humanity in the person of his Son.

“Never before have the angels listened to such a prayer. They are eager to hear to their loved Commander a message of assurance and comfort. But no; the Father himself will answer the petition of his Son. Direct from the throne issue the beams of his glory. The heavens are opened, and upon the Saviour’s head descends a dove-like form of purest light,—fit emblem of him, the meek and lowly One. . . .

“The light which fell from the open portals upon the head of our Saviour, will fall upon us as we pray for help to resist temptation.”—‘Desire of Ages,’ pages 111-113.

As we trace the ministry of Christ as it is set forth in the Gospels, we find that his work was not only begun with

prayer, but carried forward by prayer. Thus we read: “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.” Mark 1:35. “And great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities. And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.” Luke 5:15, 16. “And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.” Luke 6:12.

And so we find him resorting to prayer on every important occasion, such as the ordination of his disciples (Luke 6:12-16), at his transfiguration (Luke 9:28-36), and at the resurrection of Lazarus. John 11:41, 42. Jesus closed his work on earth with that earnest agonizing prayer in the garden of Gethsemane. Matt. 26:37-39.

BELIEVERS IN NORFOLK ISLAND, SOUTH PACIFIC

After the ascension of Christ, the disciples gathered in Jerusalem, and spent days together in united, importunate prayer before entering upon the great work committed to them. And it was while they were praying for help that they were filled with the Holy Spirit for the great work to which they were called by the Saviour. The record these disciples left when their work was finished is one of unceasing prayer, earnest endeavor, and great victories everywhere. Prayer was first.

Every great, strong, useful Bible character made much of prayer. Of the prophet Elijah the apostle James says: “Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.” James 5:17, 18.

The prophet Daniel was a man of prayer. By prayer he won many glorious victories. He has left on record some of his experiences in winning these victories, and from them we may learn most important and helpful lessons. One of these personal experiences is recorded in the ninth chapter of Daniel. It begins as follows:—

“In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; in the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes.” Verses 1-3.

In this statement we have two important facts: First, from the books of the prophets who preceded him, Daniel learned the purpose of God regarding the captivity of Israel in Babylon and Persia. He found that the captivity was to cover a period of seventy years, and that at the end of that time God’s people were to return to their land, rebuild the city of Jerusalem, and restore the worship and service of the house of God that had been so long desolate. He says that it was in the first year of the reign of Darius that this matter came to him. The first year of Darius was the sixty-eighth year of Israel’s captivity. In two years the time of their captivity would come to an end, and then they should return to their land.

Second, when there came to him a clear understanding and a full realization of all that was involved in this matter, Daniel made it a subject of earnest, importunate prayer. He says, “I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: and I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession.”

The great burden of Daniel’s prayer was that there should be no delay in the fulfilment of God’s promise to free his people from their captivity, and take them back to their land at the end of the seventy years. In two short years this great deliverance must be wrought, but the only possible hope of its accomplishment was in the power of God to fulfil his promise. In his anxiety regarding this important matter, Daniel said:—

“O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us. Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake. O my God, incline thine ear, and hear: open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name.” Dan. 9:16-19.

This earnest prayer was answered. Two years later, when the seventy years terminated, Israel’s captivity came to an end by the decree of Cyrus king of Persia. Here is the record:—

“Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus the king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel (he is the God), which is in Jerusalem. And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the free-will offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.” Ezra 1:1-4.

This proclamation not only closed Israel’s bondage, but encouraged them to return to their own land, and provided help for the rebuilding of the house of God at Jerusalem. From the standpoint of statesmanship this must have been looked upon as a most foolish and undiplomatic thing for the king to do. But he was compelled to do it. The Lord took him in hand, and caused him to cooperate in the accomplishment of the divine purpose and promise.

Here is the lesson for us: Daniel recognized the true God, and was identified with his people and cause. He understood by the writings of the prophets that God’s people had come to the close of the prophetic period of seventy years, and that great events must take place,—the Jews must be set free from their bondage; they must rise up and go back to their land, which had been desolate nearly a hundred years; they must rebuild the city of Jerusalem and the house of God; they must restore the government of Israel and the service of the sanctuary.

To all human appearance, this was an impossible task, but God had promised that it should be done. Daniel believed the promise, and gave himself up to unceasing prayer to the Lord that it should be done at once. His prayer was answered.

To-day God’s people face a greater crisis than Daniel did. In 1844 we came to the close of the great prophetic period of two thousand three hundred years. At the close of that period events were to take place which seem far more important than those of Daniel’s time.

Now we are brought to the last hour of human history, to the last generation, to the closing of the gospel work, when the last call will be given to a lost world. The kingdom of this world is about to become the kingdom of our Lord and Saviour, and the redeemed of all ages are to receive their eternal reward.

If the situation of Daniel’s time called for prayer, how much more is it called for in this our day. The call to Daniel to make earnest supplication to God for the speedy fulfilment of his promise was a call to all Israel to join in the supplication. And surely the hour in which we live, and the work now to be done, must call the people of God everywhere to their knees in earnest, unceasing prayer.

It is to be feared that to-day God’s people do not realize as they should the need of prayer and its great efficacy. Prayer helps those who pray to come into right relation to God and their fellow men. How could Daniel, after praying the Lord so fervently to hasten the fulfilment of his promise, have refused to do anything the Lord might have called him to do in hastening that work? As Daniel prayed, so all Israel should have prayed. And as the prayer of Daniel committed him without reservation to the cause for which he prayed, so prayer by all the people would have made them ready for any part in the work to which they might be called. And so it will be now. Earnest, continuous supplication will make God’s people ready to respond without hesitation and reservation to his call for their cooperation in finishing his work.

May the Lord pour upon us the spirit of prayer and supplication at this time. There is so much to pray for! Every one needs a personal blessing, a richer, fuller personal experience in the religious life. We all have loved ones,—husbands, wives, children, parents, brothers, or sisters who need our earnest prayers for their salvation. Our brethren and sisters in temptation, trouble, and sickness need our prayers. Our ministers and gospel workers of every class need our prayers. The lost souls for whom they labor need that continued, fervent prayer of the righteous which the apostle James says “availeth much.”

And with all this, it is our privilege and our duty to pray most fervently for the Lord not to permit anything to delay the finishing of his work. Praying for the speedy finishing of the gospel will deepen our desire for it. As our desire grows into earnest yearning, we shall place and hold ourselves on the altar of service that the Lord may use us in answering our prayers for him to defer not to finish his work. What a great load this is to bring to the Lord! But he says, “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee.”

O may there come to us during this week of prayer such a sense of the need and the efficacy of prayer that our attitude will be just what the Lord expresses in the following admonition: “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” Eph. 6:18.