What is prayer, in its primary religious sense? It does not consist essentially in words and sentences of adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and intercession, offered to God in the name of Jesus Christ. These are aids to prayer, but not its essential elements. They are wings to bear the desires of the heart upward to the throne of grace. They may all be framed into language so fervent, so appropriate, so edifying, as to please every ear and excite devout emotions in every pious heart, and yet from the lips that utter the gracious words it may be the mere form of prayer, without any of the power.
This was exactly the case with backsliding Israel, in the days of the prophets. Thus by the mouth of Isaiah the Lord said, "Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, therefore I will proceed to do a marvelous work," etc. And by Ezekiel, "They come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before me as my people; with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness."
So it has been in every age. There has been a great deal more lip service than heart service. Not that what is called the gift of prayer, meaning by it the choice of the most appropriate words to express the desires of the soul, is to be counted of no importance, provided the heart is right. In social and public prayer, it is right to "covet earnestly the best gifts" in this regard. But what we mean is, that the words of prayer, however devout, coming from no deeper source than the understanding, are mere breath. In the ear of God, they may be the mockery of a solemn sound upon a thoughtless tongue.
On the other hand, there may be effectual, fervent prayer where no words are used. There may be, and often is, the fervent ejaculation of praise, of confession, of petition, coming up in silence from the depths of the soul, which in the sight of God are of great price. The Spirit may and does, in our great extremities, "make intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."
What, then, is true prayer? Whether written, oral, or ejaculatory, it is "offering up of our desires to God, in the name of Christ, for things agreeable to his will." Prayer is the medium through which blessings are sought and obtained that none but God can bestow. It is the hand which takes hold of the promises, "Ask and ye shall receive, seek and ye shall find." It is the only channel of communication between earth and heaven. It is the only ligament that retains any hold upon the throne of God; and but for which this apostate world, with all its countless millions, would drift away into the blackness of darkness for ever. Nothing else could hold it to its precarious moorings through a single storm. To keep up the figure, if there were no praying pilots and passengers on board, it would rush madly on a mighty wreck, and founder where there is no bottom.
Prayer, like the great law of physical attraction, is a secret, invisible power, which nothing can resist. Moses prayed, and, as it were, quenched the wrath which was ready to consume the rebellious tribes in a moment. Elijah prayed, and there was a terrible famine of three years and six months. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain. Hezekiah prayed, and, smitten by an invisible hand, the mightiest army that ever besieged Jerusalem, perished in the trenches. The bloody Mary is reported to have said that she was more afraid of John Knox's prayers than of ten thousand of the rebel army; and well she might be, as those who held up his hands were so many Aarons and Hurs in that army.
There are no assignable limits to the power of prayer, as there are to all the powers of earth and hell; and the reason is, it takes hold on the Infinite. It is a power which has never yet been put forth in its full reliance upon God's promise. Whenever that time comes, there will not be a few short revivals here and there under the preaching of the Gospel, but they will be greatly multiplied in number and in power. The prayer of faith will be the same as now; but there will be a great deal more of it, and it will take stronger hold of the promises. It will not let thee go, said Jacob, except thou bless me. He was a mighty wrestler, and he prevailed. And when the number of such wrestlers shall be greatly increased, what shall hinder the more copious effusion of the Spirit in Christian lands and the far more rapid spread of the Gospel throughout the earth? "According to your faith so shall it be unto you." According to the strength of your faith. What a promise! What but unbelief, what but the weakness of faith in the church, can hinder the speedy fulfillment of all that the prophets have spoken concerning the glory of the latter day? I know of nothing else, and who does? The grand adversary can resist everything but prayer. It is a power with God, which has always been too much for him, and always will be; oh, how "mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds."