"A dear friend of mine who was quite a lover of
the chase, told me the following story: 'Rising early one morning,' he
said, 'I heard the baying of a score of deerhounds in pursuit of their
quarry. Looking away to a broad, open field in front of me, I saw a young
fawn making its way across, and giving signs, moreover, that its race
was well-nigh run. Reaching the rails of the enclosure, it leaped over
and crouched within ten feet from where I stood. A moment later two of
the hounds came over, when the fawn ran in my direction and pushed its
head between my legs. I lifted the little thing to my breast, and, swinging
round and round, fought off the dogs. I felt, just then, that all the
dogs in the West could not, and should not capture that fawn after its
weakness had appealed to my strength.' So is it, when human helplessness
appeals to Almighty God. Well do I remember when the hounds of sin were
after my soul, until, at last, I ran into the arms of Almighty God."
-- A. C. DIXON.
IN any study of the principles, and procedure of prayer, of its activities
and enterprises, first place, must, of necessity, be given to faith. It
is the initial quality in the heart of any man who essays to talk to the
Unseen. He must, out of sheer helplessness, stretch forth hands of faith.
He must believe, where he cannot prove. In the ultimate issue, prayer
is simply faith, claiming its natural yet marvellous prerogatives -- faith
taking possession of its illimitable inheritance. True godliness is just
as true, steady, and persevering in the realm of faith as it is in the province
of prayer. Moreover: when faith ceases to pray, it ceases to live.
Faith does the impossible because it brings God to undertake for us, and
nothing is impossible with God. How great -- without qualification or limitation
-- is the power of faith! If doubt be banished from the heart, and unbelief
made stranger there, what we ask of God shall surely come to pass, and a
believer hath vouchsafed to him "whatsoever he saith."
Prayer projects faith on God, and God on the world. Only God can move mountains,
but faith and prayer move God. In His cursing of the fig-tree our Lord demonstrated
His power. Following that, He proceeded to declare, that large powers were
committed to faith and prayer, not in order to kill but to make alive, not
to blast but to bless.
At this point in our study, we turn to a saying of our Lord, which there
is need to emphasize, since it is the very keystone of the arch of faith
and prayer.
"Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire
when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them."
We should ponder well that statement -- "Believe that ye receive them,
and ye shall have them." Here is described a faith which realizes,
which appropriates, which takes. Such faith is a consciousness of
the Divine, an experienced communion, a realized certainty.
Is faith growing or declining as the years go by? Does faith stand strong
and four square, these days, as iniquity abounds and the love of many grows
cold? Does faith maintain its hold, as religion tends to become a mere formality
and worldliness increasingly prevails? The enquiry of our Lord, may, with
great appropriateness, be ours. "When the Son of Man cometh,"
He asks, "shall He find faith on the earth?" We believe that He
will, and it is ours, in this our day, to see to it that the lamp of faith
is trimmed and burning, lest He come who shall come, and that right
early.
Faith is the foundation of Christian character and the security of the soul.
When Jesus was looking forward to Peter's denial, and cautioning him against
it, He said unto His disciple:
"Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you,
to sift you as wheat; but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fall
not."
Our Lord was declaring a central truth; it was Peter's faith He was seeking
to guard; for well He knew that when faith is broken down, the foundations
of spiritual life give way, and the entire structure of religious experience
falls. It was Peter's faith which needed guarding. Hence Christ's solicitude
for the welfare of His disciple's soul and His determination to fortify
Peter's faith by His own all-prevailing prayer.
In his Second Epistle, Peter has this idea in mind when speaking
of growth in grace as a measure of safety in the Christian life, and as
implying fruitfulness.
"And besides this," he declares, "giving
diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge
temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness."
Of this additioning process, faith was the starting-point -- the basis of
the other graces of the Spirit. Faith was the foundation on which other
things were to be built. Peter does not enjoin his readers to add to works
or gifts or virtues but to faith. Much depends on starting right
in this business of growing in grace. There is a Divine order, of which
Peter was aware; and so he goes on to declare that we are to give diligence
to making our calling and election sure, which election is rendered certain
adding to faith which, in turn, is done by constant, earnest praying. Thus
faith is kept alive by prayer, and every step taken, in this adding of grace
to grace, is accompanied by prayer.
The faith which creates powerful praying is the faith which centres itself
on a powerful Person. Faith in Christ's ability to do and to do
greatly, is the faith which prays greatly. Thus the leper lay hold upon
the power of Christ. "Lord, if Thou wilt," he cried, "Thou
canst make me clean." In this instance, we are shown how faith centered
in Christ's ability to do, and how it secured the healing power.
It was concerning this very point, that Jesus questioned the blind men who
came to Him for healing:
"Believe ye that I am able to do this?" He asks.
"They said unto Him, Yea, Lord. Then touched He their eyes, saying,
According to your faith be it unto you."
It was to inspire faith in His ability to do that Jesus left behind
Him, that last, great statement, which, in the final analysis, is a ringing
challenge to faith. "All power," He declared, "is given unto
Me in heaven and in earth."
Again: faith is obedient; it goes when commanded, as did the nobleman, who
came to Jesus, in the day of His flesh, and whose son was grievously sick.
Moreover: such faith acts. Like the man who was born blind, it goes to wash
in the pool of Siloam when told to wash. Like Peter on Gennesaret
it casts the net where Jesus commands, instantly, without question or doubt.
Such faith takes away the stone from the grave of Lazarus promptly. A praying
faith keeps the commandments of God and does those things which are well
pleasing in His sight. It asks, "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?"
and answers quickly, "Speak, Lord, Thy servant heareth." Obedience
helps faith, and faith, in turn, helps obedience. To do God's will is essential
to true faith, and faith is necessary to implicit obedience.
Yet faith is called upon, and that right often to wait in patience before
God, and is prepared for God's seeming delays in answering prayer. Faith
does not grow disheartened because prayer is not immediately honoured; it
takes God at His Word, and lets Him take what time He chooses in fulfilling
His purposes, and in carrying on His work. There is bound to be much delay
and long days of waiting for true faith, but faith accepts the conditions
-- knows there will be delays in answering prayer, and regards such delays
as times of testing, in the which, it is privileged to show its mettle,
and the stern stuff of which it is made.
The case of Lazarus was an instance of where there was delay, where the
faith of two good women was sorely tried: Lazarus was critically ill, and
his sisters sent for Jesus. But, without any known reason, our Lord delayed
His going to the relief of His sick friend. The plea was urgent and touching
-- "Lord, behold, he whom Thou lovest is sick," -- but the Master
is not moved by it, and the women's earnest request seemed to fall on deaf
ears. What a trial to faith! Furthermore: our Lord's tardiness appeared
to bring about hopeless disaster. While Jesus tarried, Lazarus died.
But the delay of Jesus was exercised in the interests of a greater good.
Finally, He makes His way to the home in Bethany.
"Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
And I am glad for your sakes, that I was not there, to the intent ye may
believe; nevertheless let us go unto him."
Fear not, O tempted and tried believer, Jesus will come, if patience
be exercised, and faith hold fast. His delay will serve to make His coming
the more richly blessed. Pray on. Wait on. Thou canst not fail. If Christ
delay, wait for Him. In His own good time, He will come, and will
not tarry.
Delay is often the test and the strength of faith. How much patience is
required when these times of testing come! Yet faith gathers strength by
waiting and praying. Patience has its perfect work in the school of delay.
In some instances, delay is of the very essence of the prayer. God has to
do many things, antecedent to giving the final answer -- things which are
essential to the lasting good of him who is requesting favour at His hands.
Jacob prayed, with point and ardour, to be delivered from Esau. But before
that prayer could be answered, there was much to be done with, and for Jacob.
He must be changed, as well as Esau. Jacob had to be made into a new man,
before Esau could be. Jacob had to be converted to God, before Esau could
be converted to Jacob.
Among the large and luminous utterances of Jesus concerning prayer, none
is more arresting than this:
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth
on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these
shall he do; because I go unto My Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask
in My Name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If ye shall ask anything in My Name, I will do it."
How wonderful are these statements of what God will do in answer to prayer!
Of how great importance these ringing words, prefaced, as they are, with
the most solemn verity! Faith in Christ is the basis of all working, and
of all praying. All wonderful works depend on wonderful praying, and all
praying is done in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amazing lesson, of wondrous
simplicity, is this praying in the name of the Lord Jesus! All other conditions
are depreciated, everything else is renounced, save Jesus only. The name
of Christ -- the Person of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ -- must be
supremely sovereign, in the hour and article of prayer.
If Jesus dwell at the fountain of my life; if the currents of His life have
displaced and superseded all self-currents; if implicit obedience to Him
be the inspiration and force of every movement of my life, then He can safely
commit the praying to my will, and pledge Himself, by an obligation as profound
as His own nature, that whatsoever is asked shall be granted. Nothing can
be clearer, more distinct, more unlimited both in application and extent,
than the exhortation and urgency of Christ, "Have faith in God."
Faith covers temporal as well as spiritual needs. Faith dispels all undue
anxiety and needless care about what shall be eaten, what shall he drunk,
what shall be worn. Faith lives in the present, and regards the day as being
sufficient unto the evil thereof. It lives day by day, and dispels all fears
for the morrow. Faith brings great ease of mind and perfect peace of heart.
"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is
stayed on Thee: because he trusted in Thee."
When we pray, "Give us this day our daily bread," we are, in a
measure, shutting tomorrow out of our prayer. We do not live in tomorrow
but in today. We do not seek tomorrow's grace or tomorrow's bread. They
thrive best, and get most out of life, who live in the living present. They
pray best who pray for today's needs, not for tomorrow's, which may render
our prayers unnecessary and redundant by not existing at all!
True prayers are born of present trials and present needs. Bread, for today,
is bread enough. Bread given for today is the strongest sort of pledge that
there will be bread tomorrow. Victory today, is the assurance of victory
tomorrow. Our prayers need to be focussed upon the present, We must trust
God today, and leave the morrow entirely with Him. The present is ours;
the future belongs to God. Prayer is the task and duty of each recurring
day -- daily prayer for daily needs.
As every day demands its bread, so every day demands its prayer. No amount
of praying, done today, will suffice for tomorrow's praying. On the other
hand, no praying for tomorrow is of any great value to us today. To-day's
manna is what we need; tomorrow God will see that our needs are supplied.
This is the faith which God seeks to inspire. So leave tomorrow, with its
cares, its needs, its troubles, in God's hands. There is no storing tomorrow's
grace or tomorrow's praying; neither is there any laying-up of today's grace,
to meet tomorrow's necessities. We cannot have tomorrow's grace, we cannot
eat tomorrow's bread, we cannot do tomorrow's praying. "Sufficient
unto the day is the evil thereof;" and, most assuredly, if we possess
faith, sufficient also, will be the good. |