The Conditions of Effectual Paes
EFFECTUAL PRAYER,
4I EIGHTH Day.
(= The Conditions of Effectual Braver, * And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in | Matt. xxi.oa prayer, believing, ye shall receive.'
AVE we not sometimes been tempted to think that here, at least, is a case in which our Lord has not literally and always kept His word? in which we do not get quite so much as the plain English of the promise might lead us to expect?
If so, well may He say to us, 'Do ye not therefore | Mark xii. 24 err, because ye know not the Scriptures, neither the power of God?'
If we had known the Scriptures by searching, we might have known more of the power of God by experience in this matter.
For this is no unconditional promise ; this marvellous 'whatsoever' ie ee
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depends upon five great conditions ; and, if we honestly examine, we shall find that every case of seeming failure in the promise can be accounted for by our own failure in one or more of these.
1. 'Whatsoever ye shall ask zz my name, that will I do.'
Really, not verbally only, in the name of Jesus; asking not in our own name at all; signing our petition, as it were, with John xiv. 13. ib. xiv. 6.
| Phil. ii. ro.
» (Gr.) His name only; coming to the Father by our Advocate, our Representative.
1 John ii. 1, Do we always ask thus?
— 2. ' Believing, ye shall receive.'
The faith-heroes of old 'through faith... obtained promises,' and there is no new way of obtaining them.
Is it any wonder that, when we stagger at any promise of God through unbelief, we do not receive it?
Not that the faith merits the answer, or in any way earns Matt. xxi. 22.
Heb. xi. 33.
Rom, iv. 20. it or works it out, but God has made believing a condition of receiving, and the Giver has a sovereign right to choose His own terms of gift.
'Lye abide in Me, and My words John xv. 7.
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abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.'
Ah! here is a deeper secret of asking and not having, because we ask amiss.
Not, have we come to Christ? but, are we abiding in Him ?—not, do we hear His words? but, are they abiding in us?
Can we put in this claim to the glorious 'whatsoever'?
And, if not, why not? for 'tis is His commandment,'
'Abide in Me.'
And this leads us to see the root of our failure in another condition, for,— Jas. iv. 3.
John xv. 4.
4. 'Whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.
Only as we are t John iii. 22, Ps. Ixvi. 18.
John xv. 4. abiding in Him can we bring forth the fruit of obedience, for without (ze. apart from) Him we can do nothing ; only in walking by faith can we do 2 Cor. v. 7. those things that are pleasing in His sight, for without faith it is impossible
Heb, xi. 6. to please Him.
5. 'If we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us.'
When what we ask is founded on a promise or any r John v. 14
ROYAL COMMANDMENTS.
[sore cee ee Eph. v.17. | written evidence of what the will of the Lord is, this is comfortingly clear.
But what about petitions which may or may not be according to His will?
Surely, then, the condition can only be fulfilled by a complete blending of our Phit. i. 13 | Own will with His; by His so taking our will, so wadertaking it and influencing it for us, that we are led to desire and ask the very thing He is purposing to give.
Zhen, of course, our prayer is answered ; and the very pressure of spirit to pray becomes the pledge and earnest of the answer, for it is the working of His will in us.
Two comforting thoughts arise.
First, the very consciousness of our failure in these great conditions shows us the wonderful kindness and mercy of our King, who has answered so 2Sam.vii.er, | Many a prayer in spite of it, according to His own heart, and not according « Kingsx.13. | to our fulfilment, giving us 'of His royal bounty' that to which we had forfeited all shadow of claim.
Secondly, that He who knoweth our Ps, ciil. 14.
Phil. iv.:3 | frame knows also the possibilities of pores:
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4g His grace, and would never tantalize us by offering magnificent gifts on impossible conditions.
'Will he give | Luke xi. 1. him a stone?'
Would an earthly parent?
Would you?
Therefore the very annexing of these intrinsically most blessed conditions implies that His grace zs sufficient for their fulfil- |
2 Cor. xi, 9. ment, and should lure us on to a blessed life of faith, abiding in Jesus, | : John ii. 27, walking in obedience 'unto a pleasing,' | Col. i. 10. and a will possessed by His own divine will.
Thou art coming to a King, Large petitions with thee bring ; For His grace and power are such, None can ever ask too much, NEWTON,
ROVAL COMMANDMENTS.
NinTH Day.
—_o—_—The Privilege of Lntercesston.
| | ' Pray one for another.'
Jas. v. 16.
ERE our divine Master takes up an impulse of natural affection, raising it to the dignity of a 'royal commandment,' and broadening it to the measure of His own perpetual in- | tercession.
For, unless a heart has | reached the terrible hardening of being Esther i. 19. ty Limeal x Heb. vil. 25.
'without natural affection' as well as 'without God,' it must want to pray for those it loves.
The Lord would sanctify and enlarge this impulse, making it 'full of the blessing of the | Lord.'
It. is a plant which He hath planted in the human heart, and therefore it shall not be rooted up, but He
Rom. i. 31.
Eph. ii, 12.
} Deut. xxxiii, 23.
Matt. xv. 13. will water and increase it.
What are the indications of His will in the
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matter, and how far are. we following them out ?
First, are we asking for each other the special thing annexed to the command?
'That ye may be healed.'
Prayer for physical healing is clearly included.
How many around us are not spiritually healed! are we definitely asking this for them?
Of how many of His own people is the Lord saying, 'They knew not that I healed them !'
Not 'knowing what was done in' them, they are not witnessing to the power of the Healer; not seeimg, like the Samaritan, that they were healed, they Jas. v. 16.
Gen, xx. 19.
Hos, xi. 3.
Mark v. 29, 33:
Luke xvii.15 are not giving Him thanks.
Are we asking that they may realize the healing, so that they may glorify the Healer?
Ps. cili, 1-3 We may be greatly 'helping together by prayer,' by agreement in intercession.
The very fact of having 'agreed' is a 2 Cor. i. 11.
Dan. ii. 7,18, Esther iv. 16, great stimulus and reminder.
It is the Lord's own indicated way.
'Two of Matt. xviii, 1g.
Eccles. iv. 9. you.'
It took two to hold up Moses' hands steadily.
When he let down Ex, xvii. 11, 12. one hand, Amalek prevailed.
So Aaron and Hur were both wanted.
ROYAL COMMANDMENTS.
Intercession should be definite and detailed. Vagueness is lifelessness.
St.
Paul besought the Romans to pray for him, and then told them exactly what Rom. xv. 30, 32. he wanted, four definite petitions to be presented for him, It is a help to reality of intercession when ministers or other workers who ask our prayers will tell us exactly what they want.
General prayers for ' blessing' are apt to become formal.
We must not yield to the idea that, because we are feeble members, doing no great work, our prayers 'won't make much difference.'
It may be that this ¢ Cor, xii 22. is the very reason why the Lord keeps us in the shade, because He hath need of us (though we feel no better than an 'ass's colt') for the work of intercession.
Many of us only learn to realize the privilege of being called to this by being called apart from all other work.
When this is the case, let us simply and faithfully do it, 'lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting,' blessing His name who provides this Mark xi. 2,3.
Job xi. 12, Mark vi. 31.
1. Tim. ii, 8. holy and beautiful service for those
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who 'dy night stand in the house of the Lord.'
See how wonderfully St.
Paul valued the prayers of others.
He distinctly expresses this to every Church but one to whom he wrote.
Would he have asked their prayers so fervently if he thought it would not 'make much difference'?
Ps. cxxxiv.1.
2) Corsi. rt > Eph, vi. 19; Phil. i. 193
Col. iv. 3; 1 Thess. v. 25, Heb, xiii. 18, etc, Intercession is a wonderful help to forgiveness of injuries.
See how the personal unkindness of brother and Num. xii. 2, 13.
Deut. ix. 1820. sister stirred up Moses to pray for each ; and how repeatedly the wrong feeling, speaking, and acting of the people against himself was made the occasion of prayer for them.
Let us Num. xiv. a, 19. ib, xvi. 19, avail ourselves of this secret of his meekness.
Also it is an immense help to love.
Do we not find that the more we pray for any one, the more we love?
Let us intercede 'while we have time'
'The night cometh, when no man can work.'
Those for whom we might be praying to-day may be beyond the reach of prayer to-morrow.
Or our own day of prayer may have passed ; for the only intercession that we have Gal. vi. 10
(old transla tion).
John ix. 4.
Luke xvii, 27-33. eee eee
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ever heard from the other side was in vain—never granted.
It is considerable practical help if we make our intercession systematic, especially if the Lord gives us many to ptay for.
If every day has its written list of special names to be remembered, we shall be less likely to forget or drop them. Each several name was engraved on the breastplate of the high priest, that it might be borne upon his heart Ex, xxviii.
21, 29. continually.
See the twofold rewards of intercessory prayer. first, blessing for others :
1 John v. 16, 'He shall ask, and He shall give him life for them that sin not unto death.'
Compare St. Paul's prayers for the Thessalonians, in his First Epistle, with the exact and abounding answers for which he gives thanks in the Second, after a very short interval. x Thess. iii.
10, 12.
2 Thess. i, 3,
Job xhii. ro.
Secondly, blessing for ourselves :
'The Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends.'
Something very like a turning of our captivity is granted when, amid oppresPs. cxxvi,
I~3.
a ee Se a
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sion and darkness, we pray for our friends.
Often it is like a leap into the | Jer. xxix. 7. free sunshine.
' Pray unto the Lord for it' (the city whither they were carried away), 'for in the peace thereof | Prov. x:. 3s. shall ye have peace.'
Specially true is it in this, that ' he that watereth shall be watered also himself.'
'O Saviour Christ, their woes dispel ; For some are sick, and some are sad, And some have never loved Thee well, And some have lost the love they had.
And some are pressed with worldly care, And some are tired with sinful doubt, And some such grievous passions tear That only Thou canst cast them out.
And some have found the world is vain, Yet from the world they break not free ; And some have friends that give them pain,
Yet have not sought a Friend in Thee.'
Henry TWELLSs.