PREREQUISITES OF PREVAILING PRAYER
By George A. Irwin
There are at least three things that are essential in prevailing prayer. The first of these is faith; for it is written, “He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” We do not expect anything from that in which we have no faith; hence if we do not believe in a personal God, one who rules over the kingdoms of men, and who has a personal interest in everything that pertains to our individual well-being, both temporal and spiritual, however often we may go through the form of prayer, the one thing that makes prayer “the breath of the soul” is lacking. It is only when we, in childlike simplicity, open our hearts to God as we would to a dear friend, believing that He is interested in the minutest details of our everyday life, that we realize the real value of prayer. By such faith, exercised through the medium of prayer, every blessing has been brought to the human family, every victory gained that is chronicled in the pages of sacred history, from the days of Abel down to the death of the seer of Patmos. Faith is the victory, prayer the channel through which it comes. In the book of James we read: “If any of you lack wisdom,”—and all of us do; for wisdom is the ability to apply knowledge,—“let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord.” If our faith is of the wavering kind,—for a time believing or pretending to believe, then again doubting and being driven to and fro by the various winds of doctrine and opinions of those around us,—we need not expect anything from the Lord. Our hearts must be grounded in the truth, our minds stayed upon God; for only such can claim the promise, “It shall be given.” The Son of God, in the person of Jesus Christ, has lived the human life, has felt the power of temptation, has experienced the sorrows and heartaches, of every person in his struggle against heredity and environment; so there is nothing, either great or small, that can befall us that He himself has not passed through, and all without sin. Therefore this same Jesus, having passed into heaven and become our High Priest, sends back the encouraging invitation for us to “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” This brings us to our second point,—to feel our need. Without a keen sense of our need, our prayers will be few and feeble. He who is well fed daily, and has an abundant supply of food for the future, gives little thought to the ever-recurring demands of the physical man. But let circumstances change, the supply become exhausted, and hunger begin to gnaw at his vitals, with no prospect that its demands may be met, he feels his need, and will be earnest and importunate in his petitions until aid comes, The same principle is applicable in the spiritual life; for when we think we are rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing, no effort will be put forth to change our condition. It is only when we feel our utter helplessness and inability to meet the duties and responsibilities of life in an acceptable manner in our own strength, that we turn to the Lord with that earnestness that moves the arm of Jehovah in our behalf. Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity. Sincere prayers that come from a heart burdened with its need are never lost. The answer may be delayed by earthly circumstances, as was the answer to the prayer of Daniel; but the prayer is recorded, and will receive an answer in that way and time that an infinite and merciful Heavenly Father sees is best for the petitioner. There are several illustrations of this principle in our Saviour’s teachings, the most prominent one being the man who went to his friend at midnight to request the loan of three loaves because a friend of his had come to him in his journey, and he had nothing to set before him. In this case, friendship, although one of the strongest of human ties, did not avail; but when the man’s need was made apparent by his persistent pleading, the request was granted. This parable is significant in that it immediately follows the Lord’s Prayer, which was given at the request of one of His disciples, and also in that the parable is directly followed by the words, “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?” We are not to understand by this lesson that our Heavenly Father is to be compared to a man who needs to be persistently entreated before he will deign to hear us and grant our requests; but it is designed to encourage us to make our wants and wishes known to Him, with the assurance that He will hear and answer our prayers. It is also to encourage us to “pray without ceasing,” although an answer to our prayers may seem to us to be delayed. An important part of every petition should be that the Holy Spirit might reveal to us our need in this time of peril. While a special time has been set apart as a week of prayer, when all are expected to seek God in a special manner, we need not wait for that time, or feel that only then and there will the Lord be entreated of us; but even now, wherever we may be, feeling our need, we may lift our heart to God in prayer with perfect assurance. The following beautiful thoughts from “Christ’s Object Lessons” should prepare our hearts and minds for our third point: “Never is one repulsed who comes to Him with a contrite heart. Not one sincere prayer is lost. Amid the anthems of the celestial choir, God hears the cries of the weakest human being. We pour out our heart’s desire in our closet, we breathe a prayer as we walk by the way, and our words reach the throne of the Monarch of the universe. They may be inaudible to any human ear, but they can not die away into silence, nor can they be lost through the activities of business that are going on. It rises above the din of the street, above the confusion of the multitude, to the heavenly courts. It is God to whom we are speaking, and our prayer is heard.” “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” Thanksgiving is defined as expressing gratitude for favors or mercies bestowed upon ourselves or others. War, pestilence, and famine, with disasters by land and sea, have swept away thousands of our fellow creatures during the last year, while we remain as monuments of God’s mercy. However hard our lot may seem to us, when we come to look at it from the Godward side, we shall find abundant reasons for thanksgiving. It both dishonors and displeases the parent for the child to be constantly complaining of its home and surroundings, finding fault with every effort upon the parent’s part to make life desirable and pleasant for the child. Such conduct is an imputation against the parent’s love and affection. The devil charges God with being unjust and arbitrary, devoid of love and consideration for the beings He has created; so when we fail to appreciate the mercies and blessings of which we are the daily recipients, and murmur and complain at God’s providences, we are aiding and abetting the enemy, and dishonoring God, our loving Creator and benefactor. Thanksgiving has been the means of utterly defeating vast armies arrayed against God’s people, when all other means seemed futile. It is a noteworthy fact that sixty-two out of the one hundred and fifty Psalms are almost entirely devoted to thanksgiving and praise. Many times in the Psalms occurs this exclamation: “O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy endureth forever.” Instead of constantly looking at the dark side of our life, as the devil would have us do, let us begin to count up the things we may be thankful for. When we do this, we shall find to our surprise that our mercies and blessings are largely in excess even of our seeming calamities; but when we call to mind what our Saviour has said to us through the apostle Paul that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose,” we can set all life’s experiences to the Lord’s account, and rejoice always. What may seem to us as afflictions are only the agents God employs, or permits, to work out for us “a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;” and when they shall have accomplished their purpose, we have the blessed promise that they “shall not rise up the second time.” So let come what He permits, even though it be the loss of time, property, and loved ones, and though our bodies be afflicted with pain, let us honor and glorify God in the language of the patriarch Job: “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” “Let good or ill befall,
It must be good for me;
Secure of having thee in all,
Of having all in thee.” “Notwithstanding the fact that there is war and bloodshed, and nations are preparing for battle, thanksgiving should arise from our hearts because the sun of righteousness never sets. The mightiest earthly potentates may be engaged in battle for the supremacy, but the children of God, whose life is hid with Christ, have nothing to fear. Their refuge is safe and sure.” While we honor God by expressing our gratitude for mercies and blessings in words and song, and by a cheerful and happy demeanor, let us not forget to bring a generous thank-offering during the Week of Prayer to help sustain the cause, and carry a knowledge of His saving truth to bless other souls.
GEO. A. IRWIN.