Book-07-Prayer a Necessity

Prayer a Necessity

Text.—"Continue steadfastly in prayer, watching therein with thanksgiving; withal praying for us also, that God may open unto us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds; that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.”—Col 4:2-4.

THERE must be seven distinct elements in every prayer: adoration, thanksgiv­ing, repentance, resolution, petition, inter­cession and submission. Paul was a man of prayer. He has much to say on the subject, in his epistles to the churches. He often requested that the brethren pray for him. He seemed to think that his success in the ministry was conditioned upon the prayers of the saints. Feeling his human weakness, and seeing the forces of evil arrayed against him, he wrote to the brethren at Thessalonica: “Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run and be glorified.”

If a man like Paul, cultured, eloquent, logical, Spirit-filled, and in every way capable, felt that he could not succeed without he had the prayers of the church, can you expect your minister to be at his best when you never take his name to God in prayer? On one occasion I went into the pulpit of a church that had some of the symptoms of a would-be aristo­cratic, proud, polished and critical con­gregation. I was there to hold a meeting, and for one time in my life felt just a little anxious to say the right thing in the right way. I was conscious of the opinion they had of themselves and tried to get their approval. I was cramped, and stammered and blundered in my de­livery. One evening, as I was going into the pulpit, a consecrated woman, a woman who believed in the power of prayer, and who had evidently detected my embarrass­ment, met me at the pulpit and, taking my hand in hers, said: “You preach, brother, and I will pray for you.” Say, I preached that night! I cut loose all strings and it was easy. I could feel the power. “You preach and I will pray.”

I had always felt it was, “You preach and I will criticize.” When I visited my old home in Vir­ginia I would preach in the old church. The colored people would come to hear me and they would sit in the gallery. Old Uncle Sam Carter, an ex-slave, would break in now and then with a word of prayer and it could be heard by all. He came to me one time after I had preached, and said: “I jis’ can’t see how you preach; none of de people scotch fer ye. I jis’ felt like I had to scotch some while you was givin’ dem de Word.” I want to say that the consciousness of this old, humble saint praying for me did help. If the people would prepare themselves for the sermon before coming to the house of the Lord, there would not be so much criticism. We all agree that the minister should be much in prayer before he comes into the pulpit. He should get heart pow­er on his knees. It is just as necessary that the people, also, be in the proper con­dition to hear the message, and this prep­aration, too, must be made on the knees. Have you prayed for your minister? If you have not, begin now. Make it the rule of your life to pray for him daily.

What is prayer? One time a father took his boy from the country home to the city. They visited the telegraph sta­tion. The little fellow heard something going "Click, click, click; click, click, click." He asked his father to tell him what it was. The father tried to explain, and then said: “Do you want to speak to uncle who lives in California?” The boy wondered how he could be heard so far away. The father had to tell him what he wanted to say, and he wrote it down and handed it to the operator. The operator placed his fingers on the instrument, and it began to say, “Click, click, click; click, click, click.” After a short time it began again, and the operator wrote down some words and handed them to the man. He read them to the son. The uncle had received the message, and this was his reply. The boy could not quite understand how he could speak to one so far away. He was told how the sounds were carried by elec­tricity and how they could be read by the operator at the other end of the line. This is like prayer. There is a connec­tion between the heart of the child of God and his Father. The man had to come to the city, where there was a telegraph sta­tion and one who could send the message for him; he had to pay to send it; it had to be received by the operator and then given to him. Every Christian has con­nection with heaven and is his own opera­tor, and he can send the message without money and receive the answer in his own heart. Listen: “And it shall come to pass that, before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear” (Isa 65:24).

Stated Times to Pray.—I need to wonder how that man Daniel could be so courageous. He was not afraid of the wicked rulers. He could defy decrees, and, with his windows open towards Je­rusalem, pray to his God. A little child was reading about this man and she got a little mixed in her pronunciation. Where it says he had a spirit in him she read: “He had a spine in him.” She did not miss it far. He had a backbone. This is what many do not have. It would not be possible for some people to have spinal meningitis; they haven’t the thing with which to have it. The chiropractor could not do business with them.

One day I read Dan 6:10 and I un­derstood. He gave his soul three square meals each day. “And he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and’ gave thanks before his God. ’ ’ I have wondered why David was a man of such strong faith and could say: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” One day I read the secret; it is recorded in Psa 55:17 : “Evening, and morning, and at noonday, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.” He fed his soul at stated times. He was regular in his spiritual diet. We learn from the third chapter of the Acts of the Holy Spirit of certain disciples going up to the temple at the hour of prayer. The man who is not regular in his habits will have indigestion. The church is full of spir­itual dyspeptics. Their trouble is due to the fact that they do not feed their spirits at regular times. They become grumblers and chronic kickers, and stumbling-stones in the way of sinners. Let ns learn to give the spirit at least three meals a day.

Here We Renew Our Strength.—“But they that wait for Jehovah shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not he weary; they shall walk, and not faint” (Isa 40:31).

I was on a train one time when it stalled. We became impatient, and some of ns got out and walked up the track to the engine. I asked the engineer why we were waiting, and he said: “To get up steam.” By and by the engine began to move and the wheels began to turn, and we were soon going at a good speed. There come times when the Christian finds a high grade to pull, and for a time it looks to be impossible. Let him wait for Jehovah in prayer, and He will renew his strength, and then he can climb the grade with ease. A minister of wide reputation was an­nounced to preach at a certain church one day. The people came and, waited un­til long past the hour, but the minister did not come. A committee was appointed to go to his room to find out the cause of his delay. They went to the door and knocked, but received no response. They opened the door and heard someone praying, and this is what he was saying: “Lord, I cannot go unless you go with me.” He was talking to God as a child talks to its parent. “God, please go with me; I must have your presence and your help.” They waited. All at once he jumped up from his knees and said, “I go now, Lord,’ ’ and he ran into the pulpit and began to preach. Those who saw and heard him, say: “His face was radi­ant, and never before have we heard a man preach as did he.”

Take Little Things to Him in Prayer. —Make out your program and then take it to God for his endorsement. Do not sign your name first and then demand that God shall approve of it. Ask him to di­rect, and be willing to accept his changes. Let this be your prayer: “Cause me to hear thy loving-kindness in the morning; for in thee do I put my trust; cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee” (Psa 143:8).

“Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to es­cape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man” (Mat 26:41).

“In everything by prayer and suppli­cation with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Php 4:6).

We cannot go to our friends with our troubles; they will soon become tired of us and will avoid us. When I was in deep trouble, a minister said to me: “Do not go to your friends with your trouble; they do not care to be bothered with the troubles of others.” This cut to the quick, and I wondered if it could be true that humanity is so selfish. I could go to Jesus and to my Father and feel that they never tired of my coming, and that they were willing to listen to all of my complaints. Let us learn to take all things—the little as well as the big things of life—to them. When Job was afflicted he could say: “Make me to know my transgression and my sin.” Do you want to be cleansed from your sin? Then breathe this prayer: “Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquities, and cleanse me from my sin. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” Should we go to God with our busi­ness? We are told that Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying: “Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me.” God granted him that which he requested.

Pray without Ceasing.—How can we do it? Breathe without ceasing; how can we do it? On one occasion at a great religious gathering someone placed this question on the table: “What does it mean in the seventeenth verse of First Thessalonians when it says: ‘Pray without ceasing’?” The moderator said: “This is a hard verse to explain. I will appoint Drs. A, B and C to write papers for our next con­ference, explaining it.” Just then a woman stood up and said: “I am a poor servant-girl, but I can explain it now.” From all parts of the room voices were heard: “Explain it, then.” She said: “When I open my eyes to the light of day, I say, ‘Lord, I am blind; let the light of thy countenance come into this dark heart of mine and make me to behold thy beauty.’ When I begin to dress myself, I say, ‘Lord, I am spiritually naked; clothe me with the robe made white in the blood of the Lamb.’ When I make the fire in the stove, I say, ‘Lord, enkindle in this cold heart of mine the fire of thy love and burn out all of the dross.’ When I go to the spring to get the water, I say, ‘Lord, give me from the water of life that flows out from the throne of God and the Lamb, that my thirst may be satisfied.’ When I prepare the bread for breakfast, I say, ‘Lord, give me that hidden manna, the bread that comes down from heaven, that I may be strong and able to do thy will.’ When I sweep the floors and dust the furniture, I say, ‘Lord, sweep out this heart of mine and remove all the sin and iniquity and make it a fit place for thy Holy Spirit, and may he dwell in this heart as my abiding Guest and Com­forter. ⁹ This is what this verse means to me. Everything I see has a spiritual sig­nificance, and it suggests a prayer which I breathe to my heavenly Father.” Then someone said: “God has kept these things from the wise and given them unto the humble and faithful.” ’