PRAYER A PROMISE | AdventAI

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Feb 17, 1904

PRAYER A PROMISE.

A TRULY inspired prayer for anything is equivalent to a divine promise of that thing, whatever it may be. The Word says that “we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which can not 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.” Rom. 8:26, 27. It is also said the Spirit “helpeth our infirmities,” so that by the Spirit we are enabled to abide in Christ; and He says, “If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” John 15:7. So, in the mind of Him in whom the Word abides, the Spirit indites prayer for the things that God wants to impart. Only in this way can prayer be “according to the will of God.” People sometimes get the idea that some of the prayers of David are retaliatory, and therefore unchristian. For instance, he prayed: “Let them be put to shame and confounded that seek after my soul; let them be turned backward and brought to dishonor that delight in my hurt. Let them be turned back by reason of their shame that say, Aha, aha.” But this was what the Lord designed to do, and the Spirit indited the prayer to that end. Again, is not this prayer against spiritual enemies, whom we know God designs to destroy? or, if it were against human enemies, was it not against those whose enmity was against Israel, against David as the ruler of Israel?

When David was persecuted personally, he never sought the destruction of his persecutors. He would do no harm to Saul when he had the king in his power (1 Samuel 24 and 25); nor would he permit retaliation upon Shimei, who threw stones at him, in the time of his sore trial (2 Sam. 16:5-14); and he wept sorely over the death of Absalom, who had sought to deprive him of the kingship. Prayer is not a matter of selfish desire, or the mere gratification of the flesh. The primary purpose in effectual prayer is the honor of God and the furtherance of His cause. The benefit of the individual must in every case be secondary, merely an incident conditioned on the will of God and the glory of His name. The Father already knows what we have need of, and what is best for us. “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Heb. 4:16.