p. 74 | Praying Always by H. F. Phelps

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Aug 20, 1872

Praying Always.

By H. F. Phelps

“PRAYING always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” Eph. 6 : 18.

Prayer is the sincere desire of the heart. It may be expressed or it may be simply the meditation of the heart. The Bible expressly enjoins it as a duty of the Christian to pray. But there is, perhaps, no duty so very much neglected as prayer. We are too apt to be satisfied with the form of prayer, a few words night and morning, and we are content. And very many, it is to be feared, do not even pray a little. Too many pass on from day to day without a word of prayer—not even a thought toward Heaven. Such may lay claim to the name of Christian, but that is all they possess. They are not the followers of the meek and lowly Nazarene. The verse we have set at the head of this article brings to view a different nature of things. It says, “Praying always.” We should keep our minds in a continual state of prayer. Indeed, the Christian may well find occasion to pray always; for there are little perplexities, little annoyances continually arising, to which we give way unless we are on our guard against them. And it is through these little things that Satan comes in like an armed man to overthrow the soul. Our Saviour taught us to pray; and it is a model prayer. Let us try to pattern more after it. We are taught to “watch and pray,” and this not as though it were of but little account; but time and again does the inspired penman bring to our view the necessity of watching unto prayer. And our text says, “Watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication.” Watch perseveringly, do not give way. Watch: “Watch and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.” Paul says, “Pray everywhere.” Not pray when we are at home and can pray just as well as not; but pray everywhere. If we are away on a visit, let our light shine, and show our dependence on God by prayer. From James 5 : 13, 14, we learn that we must pray in affliction, and pray if we are rich. “Praying always,” says our text. Pray everywhere.

But again, when we pray we should believe. “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them and ye shall have them.” In the verse before quoted from 1 Tim. 2 : 8, Paul says we should pray “without wrath and doubting.” And Jesus says again, Matt. 21 : 22 : “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” But we are informed by the wise man, Prov. 28 : 9, that “he that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.” Now it becometh us to look well to it, whether we are of this class. And right here comes in the words of our Saviour, by which we may know whether we are asking right; for we are informed in Rom. 8 : 26, that “we know not what we should pray for as we ought.” “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”

If, then, by careful searching, we come to the conclusion that we are abiding in Christ the vine, and that the words of God abide in us, that we are trying to keep all the commandments of God, peradventure we may come even as the poor widow did to the unjust judge, with a determination that our case must be heard, and then, as Paul says in Rom. 8 : 26, 27, “The Spirit also helpeth our infirmities; . . . the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” Oh! that we may get hold of some of this earnest desire of the Spirit in our own behalf.

When we consider the fact, that our Saviour found it necessary to spend much of his time in prayer, even all night in prayer to God, and going often away alone to commune with his Father, should not we poor mortals be always in prayer. Oh! that we might realise the need of more prayer. God is a prayer-hearing God. His ear is open to attend to our wants if we will only come to him in faith. And when we, as a people, get where we ought to be; when we fully heed the counsel of the Faithful Witness; when we see our lost, our undone condition, without God and without Christ; when we realize our poverty, our blindness, and our nakedness, then will not God hear our cries? Will he not lay hold on us and lift us up? Will he not work a mighty work in the earth? And will not his name be glorified and honored by giving us of his Spirit in such abundance that all of God’s people will move with power, and the work of the third angel soon be accomplished? I believe this will be the case.

Even now the Saviour stands at the door of our hearts knocking for admittance. But what is the matter? He stands there still—has stood there long. Oh! my dear brethren, let us open to the dear Saviour. Let us remove the rubbish that bars the door against his admittance. Oh! if we had zeal in the cause of God, then God could bless us. Or if we were in a cold condition there might be hope in our cases. But oh! we are lukewarm, a terrible condition, and soon to be spued out of the mouth of the Faithful Witness, and we don’t know it. We think we are rich and have need of nothing. But oh, our poverty! God help us.

But how came we into this position? Have we not failed in heeding the injunction of the apostle, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication”? May the Lord help us to take heed to our ways, watch and pray, and finally may we be numbered with those who shall be called Israel, or prevailers.

H. F. Phelps.

*Pine Island, Minn.