Book-08-Prayers Answered

Prayers Answered

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 speaks”—Col 4:2-4. FOR Whom Should We Pray?—Our minister, our brethren, our enemies (Mat 5:44), those who persecute us. This is hard to do. I find, in order to do this, I must pray first for W. H. Book. No man can long count one an enemy after he has earnestly and sincerely prayed for him. We are. exhorted to pray for all men. Hear Paul’s instructions to the young evangelist: “I exhort, therefore, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings, be made for all men; for kings and all that are in high place; that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and gravity” (1Ti 2:1-2). Have you ever prayed for our President? Of course you have if he happened to be the one that repre­sents your party. If we would pray as much as we criticize, we would have a better Government. Have you ever prayed for the Congress of the United States? The Lord knows they need to be prayed for! Have you ever prayed for your mayor? We are commanded to pray for all of our rulers. Our Prayers Must Be in Faith.— “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive” (Mat 21:22). “All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” (Mark 11:24). One morning a father was starting to his office, when his little girl said: “Father, bring me some paints when you come home to dinner.” When he came, the little child went to meet him, and threw her arms around his neck and kissed him, and said: “I thank you for the paints.” She had faith enough to thank him before seeing the paints. This is what is meant in this Scripture. When we ask, believe we have the thing de­sired. When at my home in Virginia, I saw an old friend of mine—a colored minister. I told him when I went home I’d send him my preacher’s suit, and he said: “Thanks! I’se got it now.”

James tells us to ask in faith, and he declares that the one who doubts has no promise. An evangelist accompanied the pastor to a home in which was a sick child. The pastor prayed for the recov­ery of the child, and when they started home he said to the evangelist: “That child will be dead before night.” “Then,” asked the evangelist, “why did you ask God to spare its life? That which is with­out faith is sin.” “And without faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing unto him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seek after him.” Many believe the first proposition, that God is, but they do not believe the other proposition, that he is a rewarder of them who diligently seek after him. We sing the song, “Standing on the Promises,” and we make loud professions of our faith in God, and then are afraid to get out on these promises. We are like the man who was crossing the Mississippi River on the ice. He got out a few yards and he heard a crash; he fell to his knees and drew a deep breath with the thought: “I’m gone now.” He soon discovered that the ice had not broken. He crawled along on the ice with great caution, and, when near the shore, he heard a tremendous crash, and he lifted his arms and sighed, and said, “Surely I’m gone this time;” but he was not. He looked behind him, and to his chagrin he saw a four-horse wagon loaded with pig-iron coming after him, and he had thought that he, a poor little, insig­nificant man, would break through. This is the way we get out on God’s promises: we are afraid to take God at his word— to put him to the test.

We Must Confess Our Sins.—“And David said unto God, I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing; but now I beseech thee, do away with the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.” Job said: “Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.” Isaiah said: “Then said I, Woe is me, for I am undone; because I am a man of un­clean lips; and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King of hosts.’’

We Must Be Sincere.—“But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with thy heart and with all thy soul.” “The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth” (Psa 145:18). “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart” (Jer 29:13). “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and forgive their sins, and will heal their land” (2Ch 7:14). The confession carries with it the forsaking of our sins. It is the fervent prayer of the right­eous man that has power with God. Such a prayer avails much. (See Jas 5:16­18.)

Loud sounds—physical demonstrations —are not always evidences of praying. Hosea says: “They have not cried unto me with their heart, but they howl upon their beds.”

We Must Have Vital Connection.— Many times we fail to get an answer and wonder why it is. We try to pray, and the words go up to the ceiling and fall back on us bruised and lifeless. Why is this? We are not connected with the central station. I went into a store one day and saw a telephone box on the wall. I took down the receiver and called the name, but no response. I continued to ring and yell. After I had done this several times, the merchant asked: “Did you ring that telephone?” I told him I had. He said: “That is only a sample, and it is not connected!” How many times have we prayed when we were only using a sample, and without any connec­tion with a live wire? “But your iniqui­ties have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, so that he will not hear” (Isa 59:2). The Psalmist says: “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.”

What are some of the sins? “Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.” “And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any; that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your tres­passes.” Matthew makes it still stronger. He says: “If therefore thou art offering thy gift at the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee, leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.” No man can get right with God who will not do all he can to make him­self right with his fellow-man.

We must ask with the thought of obe­dience. John tells us that “whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things which are pleasing in his sight” (1Jn 3:22). Disobedience breaks the connection and puts the local station out of commission.

Selfishness will put the line in trouble. James tells us that we ask and receive not, because we ask amiss that we may consume it upon our lusts.

We Must Have the Combination.—I was one time the minister of a church when it was perfectly natural to get be­hind with the pastor’s salary. It was necessary to have a running account at the store, and it often ran with great speed and for a long time. One day I went to the proprietor and asked for my statement. He went to his big iron safe and tried to open it. After much exertion on his part he said: “I have lost the com­bination and cannot get this door open, and your statement is locked up in this safe.” It looked to me that it would be easy to open the door, and I asked him to let me try. He did and I went at it. I soon had more perspiration than I had inspiration. I gave it up in disgust. As I came back that afternoon, he came to the door and smiled, and said: “I’ve got the combination now, and you can have your statement.” He went to the safe and turned the big wheel to a certain figure, and then turned the little wheel to another point. I heard something click, and he pulled the door open and reached in and brought out the statement. I de­clare unto you that I would not be afraid to be turned loose on the Pacific coast without a penny in my pocket if I had in my possession my check-book on the bank of heaven—my New Testament. The checks are already signed, and the space is there for me to make known my needs. Listen: “No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” Mark you, the emphasis is on “good.” He does withhold from me the things that are bad, and for this I am thankful. Many times we ask for the things that would do us harm if God were to give them. My little son comes to me and begs me to give him a Texas pony and a cart. I give him a billy goat and a wagon. This is just what he wanted. It satisfies, and he is happy. Had I given him the pony, it might have been his death. We go to our heavenly Father and ask for things, and he knows just what we need and he gives it. Many times I have asked for things and have not received them, because I had lost the combination. They are locked up in the Father’s safe, and to have them I must be able to open the safe. What is this combination? John 15:7-8 : “If ye abide in me—[big wheel—turn it], and my words abide in you—[little wheel—turn it] ’ ’—click, reach in and help yourself. The strongest evidence of a living Christianity is the experience in your own heart of answered prayers. I am just as certain that my Father hears and answers the prayers of his children as I am that I live. I could give a number of examples out of my own personal experiences.

Dr. A. J. Gordon tells of two experi­ences that I shall relate: “Opening my mail one morning, I found a most earnest appeal from a poor student in whom I had for some time taken much interest. He detailed the circumstances by which, in spite of his utmost endeavors, he had been brought into rare straits, debts for board and books severely pressing him until he was utterly discouraged. He was extremely reluctant to ask aid, and only wrote now, he said, to tell me how earnest­ly he had besought the Lord for deliver­ance and to request my prayers in his behalf. It was only a little sum that he needed to help him out of his dilemma— fifty dollars—but it was a great sum for a poor student, and he was now asking the Lord to send it. Having read his letter with real sympathy, I continued opening my mail, when, to my surprise, the next letter whose seal I broke was from a wealthy gentleman, expressing great thankfulness for a service I had rendered him a few days before, and in­closing a check of fifty dollars, which he begged me to accept as a token of his gratitude. Instantly I perceived that the poor student’s prayers were heard—that the second letter contained the answer to the first; and, endorsing the check, I sent it by return mail to the young man, with my congratulations for his speedy de­liverance."

He tells another experience of a young student that wrote to him for help. This student told how he had asked God for help and how discouraged he was. Dr. Gordon determined to telegraph this poor student that he would be responsible for one-half of the amount needed, provided he could get the other half. He was at the office writing the dispatch, but had forgotten the street number. He had also forgotten the amount the young man wanted. He started to his house to get the letter, and stopped in at a store to pay a bill. When he asked for the amount, he found that some friend had already paid the bill. It was thirty-seven dollars and fifty cents. He says: “When I read the letter, I found the amount wanted was just exactly the amount of that debt. It was not my prayers that were answered, for I had not been moved especially for these young men. It was not my money; the Lord provided the exact funds in each instance; but I have told you literally what happened.”

Let me tell you of a wonderful insur­ance policy. A man in England was en­gaged in Christian work, and early in life was stricken with a fatal disease. When the physician told him he must soon die, 322 lie became frantic, and, tossing himself from one side to the other of his bed, he cried: “Lord, I cannot die. I have made no provision for my family. I cannot die until you give me a promise that you will take care of my wife and my children."He had given his time and his money to the Cause and he was dying in poverty—as the world would count poverty. His eyes soon fell upon this insurance policy—have you seen it? Let me read it to you: “Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve them alive; and let thy widows trust in me” (Jer 49:11). This beats bank stocks and all earthly wealth. It cannot fail, and God will honor his promise to the letter. The man became calm, and, with a smile, said: “I die happy.” He then called his family and revealed to them the policy. Within a few days after he went home the people gave of their wealth and this family was provided for.

I shall close with this story. I heard Moody tell it. He said: “In the days of the Civil War I was a clerk in a store in Chicago. I was also the superintendent of a Bible school, and one day I was out visiting my scholars. I went into a small cottage and found a woman weeping. She said: ‘Mr. Moody, I am so glad you have come. We have lived in this little cottage for months. I have worked hard to make a living. We had hoped that husband would soon come back from the war, but we have just received word that he was killed on the battlefield. What are we to do? I am back in my rent, and the land­lord has told me that unless my rent is paid I must get out, and we have nowhere to go. Let me tell you about my little girl; she goes to your school. She came to me when I was crying, and put her arms about me and said: ‘Mamma, let us ask God to give us a home.^, She got down on her little knees, and this was her prayer: ‘Dear Father, my papa is dead, my mother is sad, and we have no home; won’t you give us a home for Jesus’ sake?’ Then she kissed me and said: ‘Don’t cry, mother; he will do it, because he said he would.’” Mr. Moody said: “God sent me to that cottage in answer to the prayer of that child. I told the story, and the people gave the money, and we built a home for the widow, and when the fire came it was destroyed, but the first house to go up after the great fire was the widow’s cottage.” God help us to accept his promises and to put them to the test.