Job 15: Casting Off Fear and Restraining Prayer
By Jos. Clarke
“Yea, thou castest off fear, and restrainest prayer before God.” No one ever left off praying to God, and thus forsook the path of light, who did not first set aside the fear of God; first, he casts off fear, then restrains prayer. This is not at first intentional, nor willful; but as the cares and pleasures of life come in, the Spirit of God withdraws, and a carnal, worldly temper of mind sets in, until, by degrees, the fear of God is entirely set aside; then prayer is restrained. It is a dreadful thing thus to cease to pray. But, bad as it is, every one who becomes lukewarm in the service of God, does first lay the foundation of his indifference by ceasing to pray. At least the spirit of prayer is lost, and only the form of prayer is left. And this state of things is caused by setting aside the fear of God. Not that any sober man would profanely deny the Lord, and at once discard his fear; but unwittingly, carelessly, he does this, in effect, by allowing the world to come in and engross his attention, to the greater or less neglect of divine things. This state of things proceeds from day to day, and from month to month, until he almost forgets God, or remembers his obligations to God with coldness and apathy; or perhaps with some regret, or, in time, with dislike. He is generally passive in this. He has only to neglect to cultivate, assiduously, the fear of God, and Satan, and the world, and his corrupt propensities, will do the rest. Thus the fear of God being set aside, the strivings of God’s Spirit are resisted by refusing to hearken to its dictates. Thus prayer is restrained; for the Spirit of God first prompts the back-slider to prayer, as the only means of return to God. Thus we see that every back-slider, every apostate, has traveled unwittingly this strange path of contempt and ingratitude to God. This, being the work of Satan, is none the less work of the deceived victim, for the warning has been given, with no uncertain sound.