36. Prayer

PRAYER

You say that until the sinner has received Christ he cannot enter into God’s presence even to pray; and again you say that Cornelius the centurion was saved through hearing and believing the gospel from Peter. But inActs 10:2we read that Cornelius “prayed to God always,” and, in verse 4, that his prayers and alms had come up for a memorial before God, and yet he was not saved until Peter entered his house and told him words whereby he and his house might be saved (Acts 11:14). Now if God does not hear the prayer of an unsaved man how can all this be understood?

It is quite true that Cornelius was heard before he was really saved. But his case is quite different from the sinner to whom I referred as being unable to pray. There is a vast difference between a man who has never heard the gospel and another man, who having heard it has rejected it, and yet believes that he may enter into God’s presence and pray. He who despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, shall he be thought worthy, who has trodden under foot the Son of God, and has counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and has done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:30-31).

I have been giving much thought to the subject of prayer, and it seems to me there are no less than seven requisites, if one would be certain of receiving the thing prayed for. If I am wrong, I most sincerely desire to be set right; if I am correct, I should like confirmation. The seven are: 1. Faith, believing (Matthew 21:22;Mark 11:24;Hebrews 11:6). 2. “Abide in me, and my words abide in you” 0ohn 15:7). 3. According to His will (John 9:31;1 John 5:14-15). 4. In His name (John 14:13-14). 5. With thanksgiving (Php 4:6). 6. With forgiveness (Mark 11:25-26). 7. Without wrath (1 Timothy 2:8).

Instead of seven requisites for successful prayer, I should rather say that the one requisite is set forth in various ways in Scripture.

What I mean is that we cannot be abiding in Christ and having His Word abiding in us and then pray without faith, or contrary to His will, or without thanksgiving or forgiveness, or with wrath toward anyone. In Ephesians 6 we are told to pray “in the Spirit.” This is just another way of putting the same thing. But whenever we pray in the Spirit we are fulfilling all the other conditions. The same thing is true with regard to the words “in His name.” This is not a mere formula to be put on the end of a prayer, for the formula might be used without the prayer being in His name at all. As a matter of fact, we cannot pray in His name and in the Spirit except we are praying for something to which He would sign His own name.

I have often wondered which way is the most pleasing to God, concerning prayer. Should one always pray down on his knees, or will God hear our prayer in any way, standing up or sitting down, with our hands folded and head bowed? Or, is it because our prayer is a true prayer right from the heart? The attitude of one’s heart is what really matters. The bodily attitude varies widely in connection with Bible prayers. The most frequently mentioned posture is standing. In Genesis 17:17-18, Abraham “fell on his face” and prayed; in Genesis 18:22-23, he stood and prayed. Abraham’s servant, in Genesis 24:11-13, stood “at the well of water” and prayed. After the battle of Ai, Joshua “fell to the earth upon his face” and prayed (Joshua 7:6-9). Samson prayed standing between the pillars in the Philistine temple at Gaza, and asked for strength to destroy that temple, and God answered (Judges 16:28). In 2 Samuel 7:18, David “sat before the Lord” and prayed. In 1 Kings 19:4 Elijah “sat down under a juniper tree” and prayed. In 2 Kings 20:2 Hezekiah prayed in his bed with his face turned toward the wall. Ezra (9:5,6) knelt to pray. Nehemiah (2:3,4) “shot the bird on the wing” in prayer, standing before the king and the king’s mother. Later, in Jerusalem (9:4,5) he stood in prayer and had the congregation stand. Daniel (6:10) knelt in prayer three times a day when his life was threatened for it. Jonah (2:1) prayed “out of the fish’s belly.” In Gethsemane our Lord “fell on his face” and prayed. He also prayed from the cross. So did the penitent thief. Stephen (Acts 7:59-60) knelt down in the middle of his prayer. Saul of Tarsus prayed from the ground as he lay in the middle of the Damascus road (Acts 9:4-5). After he had become the great apostle Paul, in Ephesians 3:14, he wrote, “I bow my knees unto the Fattier of our lord Jesus Christ.” Let us avoid formalism in prayer, and let us “draw near with a true heart” when we pray. Should believers pray the prayer the Lord Jesus taught His disciples as given inMatthew 6:9-13?

I believe this prayer would be more properly designated the disciples’ prayer. Of course, there are many petitions in the prayer which a Christian may properly offer. But the prayer is not in the name of Christ, which is the true basis for all Christian prayer (John 14:13-14; John 16:23-27). And it has one petition which no instructed believer since the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ can properly offer, namely, “forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” This is on the principle of righteousness, but it is not on the principle of grace. I believe that in the Christian dispensation the believer is already forgiven according to the riches of God’s grace (Ephesians 1:7; Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 2:13; 1 John 2:12), and the measure of his forgiveness from God is by no means according to the measure of his forgiveness toward others. The true principle of forgiveness under grace is stated in Ephesians 4:32, “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

It is true that there is another sense in which the believer must from time to time seek forgiveness in addition to the general forgiveness connected with his eternal salvation. When the believer falls into sin his fellowship with God is interrupted, and in 1 John 1:9, we are told that “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” But even here there is nothing said about our forgiveness toward others as being the measure of our forgiveness from God.

It goes without saying that an unforgiving spirit toward other believers is faulty and that it in itself is so sinful as to interrupt our communion with our Father. But He distinctly tells us that the way for us to obtain forgiveness from Him is to confess our sins unto Him. In a word, this so-called Lord’s prayer is upon Kingdom ground rather than upon Church ground. It is the privilege of the Christian, who, by the grace of God, has been made a New Testament priest, to draw near to his Father in the Holy of Holies and speak freely to Him in prayer in the name of the Lord Jesus, fully expecting to receive that for which he prays.

How can we “pray without ceasing”?

We “pray without ceasing” when we are constantly in the attitude of yieldedness, and desire to know and to do the will of God. There is danger that, having uttered our prayer to God, we may forget it and fail to look for the answer. We are “always to pray, and not to faint” (Luke 18:1).

Why did our Lord delay His going to Bethany in response to the cry of Mary and Martha when their brother, Lazarus, was about to die? The natural inference from His delay would be that He did not love His Bethany friends, but the real reason for His delay was the other way around: it was because He loved them. Look at the record in John 11:5-6 : “Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. When he heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.” The delay was not because he loved them not, but because He loved them. If He had gone to them at once Lazarus could not have died, for no one ever died in His presence; and it was necessary that Lazarus should die in order that God and His Son might be glorified in his resurrection. So instead of having a sick brother healed, th ese sisters had a dead brother raised from the dead. Let us learn from all this that though the answers to our prayers may not come as promptly as we desire, yet delay does not mean denial. The delay is because He loves us. Have we any direct Scripture that commands us to pray for sinners; that is, for their salvation? In 1 Timothy 2:1 we are commanded to pray for “all men,” and in verses 3 and 4, we are told that “this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” It would seem therefore that this is practically a direct command to pray for the salvation of sinners. Indeed, intercession for sinners seems to be particularly committed to us, for in John 17:9 the Lord Jesus distinctly says: “I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.” Therefore if the world is to be prayed for we must do it. It is really marvelous how litde we pray, when we remember how much is promised to us in answer to prayer. May God teach us all how to pray!

What do people mean who talk about “praying through”? I cannot find it in the Word, unless it occurred Jacob wrestled with the angel and prevailed, or where the importunate one because of his insistence was answered. It puzzles me, because the ones who talk it so much as absolutely necessary are so inconsistent in their lives. Does not the Scripture say, “If we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us?”

There is much folly among God’s own dear people relating to the subject of prayer, and I think I understand why you are troubled. It is a mistake to suppose that we shall be heard for our much speaking, and yet there is much teaching on prayer which tends to encourage that kind of thing as pleasing to God. Our Heavenly Father loves to have His children come to Him in their need, and, as you yourself have intimated, the promises concerning prayer are perfectly plain and simple.

Too little attention has been paid to the new teaching on prayer given by our Lord just before His betrayal and crucifixion. In John 14:12-14; John 16:23-27 He declared that the open sesame of prayer was now to be His own name. “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy maybe full” (16:24).

What is it to ask in His name? It is far more than saying, ‘This I ask in Jesus’ name,” or “for Jesus’ sake.” Too many prayers bear that label when the thing asked for is wanted, not for His sake at all, but for the sake and the pleasure of the one bringing the petition. No prayer can really be in Jesus’ name which Jesus Himself would refuse to sign, and to use His name in such a prayer is forgery. In John 15:7 Jesus’ name is not mentioned, but whoever prays while abiding in Him and having His Word abiding in him is praying in Jesus’ name even if he does not mention the name. And so also with the words “in the Spirit” in Ephesians 6:18. Whoever prays in the Holy Spirit is praying in Jesus’ name whether he says so or not. And he is praying “according to” God’s “will” (1 John 5:14-15). All these Scriptures we have cited are but various statements of the same condition of successful prayer. No prayer is ever denied which is presented in the name of the Lord Jesus. If it comes from one who is abiding in Christ and has the words of Christ abiding in him, and is prayed in the Holy Spirit, according to the will of God, how, indeed, could such a prayer be denied? Our God loves to be inquired of. He loves to be trusted. “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

What kind of a sin would you call it when people command God to do a certain thing?

I should call it a presumptuous sin, to say the very least. And I should say that it approaches blasphemy.

You will remember answering a question not long ago as to whether it was right to command the Lord. I thought at the time of a passage which reads, “Concerning the work of my hands command ye me.” Where it is to be found I do not know, but somewhere in the Old Testament. Perhaps the party who suggested it to the one who wrote you might like to hear from you on the passage, as well as I myself.

Thank you for reminding me of the passage, which you will find in Isaiah 45, verse 11: ‘Thus saith Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me.” This is a gracious word from our God. Yet it does not mean what is often meant by those who teach that in prayer we have a right to command God, in the sense of demanding from Him what is asked, without regard as to whether the thing asked is according to His will. It was against this teaching that the former answer was directed.

Please explainExodus 32:32-33. In this passage Moses appears as the intercessor for his people. So earnest was he in his pleading for them that he was willing to be lost himself if only his people might be saved. The same spirit is seen in Acts 7:60; Romans 9:3, and preeminently in Luke 23:34. Is the promise ofRevelation 3:10the response to the prayer ofMatthew 6:13? The prayer of Matthew 6:13 and the promise of Revelation 3:10 are not quite parallel. The prayer, which reads literally: “Deliver us from the wicked one,” is more general than the promise. The promise, as I understand it, has to do with the Great Tribulation, and is a pledge on the part of the risen Christ to take His Church out of the scene before the judgment of the great Tribulation bursts upon the earth. Read Revelation 3:10 in the Revised Version, which changes “temptation” to “trial.” Is there some Scripture to show that an unsaved brother, if prayed for continually, will be saved before he dies, even though he may have many tribulations?

I do not know of any Scripture which absolutely guarantees that an unsaved brother will be saved in answer to our prayers. The words “and thy house” in Acts 16:31 give no such promise, as I have shown elsewhere in this book. If that were true we could by praying for the whole world expect the salvation of the world in answer to our prayers. The thing for us to do is to commit the matter to God and trust only in Him.

I heard a certain Bible teacher say that there was not one word of Scripture which showed that Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit prayed for the unbeliever. He did not mention God, the first person of the Trinity. Is he correct in this? How aboutLuke 23:34, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do”?

I doubt not that the Bible teacher to whom you refer was speaking of the words of our Lord Jesus in prayer to the Father in John 17, when He said in verse 9: “I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.” I do not know of any place in Scripture where we are taught that our Lord Jesus prays for the world. But I know that we ourselves are commanded to pray for all men (1 Timothy 2:1). Is it not true that God answers by withholding from us the things we ask for, just as truly as when He gives us our desires? In 2 Corinthians 12:8-9 God refused to grant Paul’s petition for the removal of a “thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan.” This, of course, is a negative answer to prayer. But the general principle of prayer is that whatever we ask we shall receive. The prayer, however, must be in the name of the Lord Jesus; it must come from one who is abiding in Him and having His Word abiding in the petitioner; it must be in the Holy Spirit, and it must be according to the will of God (John 14:12-14; John 15:7; John 16:23-27; Ephesians 6:18; 1 John 5:14-15). When Paul discovered that he was praying against the will of God, he stopped praying and at once began glorying in his infirmities, for when he was weak then he was strong. Should prayer be only to the Father through the Son? Is there any Scripture that teaches us we should pray to Jesus? Is it wrong to ask the Holy Spirit for guidance or help? From our Lord’s new teaching on prayer in John 16:23-27 it would seem that, strictly speaking, our prayer should be addressed to the Father in the name of the Son. Yet I would be slow to say that it is wrong to pray directly to the Lord Jesus or to the Holy Spirit. See John 14:13-14. Our Father God is very kind to us, and it is good to remember that the Holy Spirit helps our infirmity, particularly with regard to prayer. See Romans 8:26, Revised Version. When I pray if I address my prayer to the Father I do not feel any nearness to the Lord Jesus, and if I address the Lord Jesus the Father becomes less distinct and real. This has bothered me all my life. I have never seen any clear instruction concerning it.

I cannot understand your difficulty about prayer. When it is remembered that the Father and the Son are one it is quite impossible to get near the One and be far from the other. The Lord’s own instruction about prayer is clearly set forth in John 16:23-27. See also John 14:23 : “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” This surely makes both the Father and the Son, as well as indeed the Holy Spirit, so very near to the child of God.

“Speak to Him thou for He hears, And Spirit with spirit can meet—

Closer is He then breathing, Andnearer than hands and feet.” Should unsaved people pray to God, excepting the prayer, “God be merciful to me a sinner”?

Strictly speaking, unsaved persons may not pray at all. The publican was not an unsaved sinner praying for salvation, but a member of the Commonwealth of Israel praying for mercy. Until the sinner has received Christ he cannot enter into God’s presence even to pray. The only thing for him to do is to receive Christ, and then he may pray and obtain an answer.

How should one pray for our country when at war, and also for our boys who are on the front fighting?

Pray that God may cause the wrath of man to praise Him and that He may restrain the remainder of wrath (Psalms 76:10). Will you tell me if the Bible teaches that an unsaved person may pray? The Scriptures clearly teach that prayer is a priestly privilege, and that only those may pray who have entered “into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.” Every Christian is a priest, and as such he has free “access by faith into this grace wherein we stand.” How can one expect to be heard in prayer “who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hadi done despite unto the Spirit of grace? ... It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:29-31). Is there any Scripture to show that we should teach our children to pray? I have a sister who belongs to an assembly of Christians which says that it is not Scriptural to teach children to pray.

Little children who have not reached the age of accountability, where they are able to intelligently believe the Gospel and to receive the Lord Jesus as their own personal Savior—and who are therefore, of course, unable to reject the Lord—are in a place of safety under the blood, since Christ died for the sins of the whole world. I should certainly teach such little children to pray. But when ttiey have reached the age of accountability and have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior and are thus rejecting the Son of God and making the blood of the covenant an unholy thing, and doing despite to the Spirit of grace, ttiey certainly have no right to pray, and it is wrong to teach them that they have such a right.

InMatthew 17:21it reads: “Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.” Does this mean for Christians now to fast? Would we have more faith if we fasted often? Are our prayers more apt to be answered with fasting when praying? The verse to which you refer has been entirely omitted from the Revised Version, as well as the words, “and fasting,” in the parallel verse, Mark 9:29. It would be easy to get on legal ground in tths matter of fasting. We certainly ought not to look upon either fasting or prayer as a matter of merit, and suppose that by eidier or both of them we can make ourselves more presentable to God. It may well be that a believer will be so absorbed in his prayers as to even forget to eat, or to lose all appetite for eating. That would be one thing. But to deliberately set about it to fast, with the idea that by so doing we might induce our reluctant Father to answer our prayers, would be quite another thing. Our Father delights to answer prayer, and He loves to be trusted. Let us not erect a second Sinai in the place of our Heavenly Zion (Hebrews 12:18-24). So far as I can discover, “fasting” is not (really) mentioned in all the Epistles from Romans to Revelation inclusive, and as the Epistles embrace all the law and order for the Church, we are, therefore, not expected to do it Or to put it in another way, it is in no way essential to prevailing prayer. In the Authorized Version “fasting” is mentioned in1 Corinthians 7:5;2 Corinthians 6:5;2 Corinthians 11:27. The Revised Version omits it from1 Corinthians 7:5, and Weymouth omits it from1 Corinthians 7:5, and translates it “hunger and thirst” in2 Corinthians 6:5; and “frequent fastings” in2 Corinthians 11:27. But in Conybeare’s translation “fasting” does not occur at all. Could you tell us how these differences come about? What part of it is due to a difference in the text of various manuscripts and how much of it is due to a difference in translation of the same Creek words?

Some groups appoint special days of fasting and prayer. But in the study of the life of George Muller, the subject of fasting is never mentioned so far as I can find, and I feel very well satisfied that he did not fast. But Mr. Muller moved heaven and earth by prayer to feed thousands of orphans for many, many years, and he himself said, when he was ninety-one years old, that “his prayers had saved tens of thousands of souls.” If these things are so, why fast? The reason some translators have omitted “fastings” from 2 Corinthians 6:5; 2 Corinthians 11:27 is evidently because of a difference of opinion among them as to the meaning of the word, some believing that Paul is speaking of involuntary hunger, and others believing that he refers to voluntary hunger. Dean Alford retains the word “fastings” in each case, and says that it cannot refer to involuntary hunger because in 2 Corinthians 11:27, “Fastings” are distinguished in the catalogue (of Paul’s sufferings) from “hunger and thirst.” I think there is no question as to the manuscript authority for the word being included in both the passages mentioned.

It is evident, therefore, that Paul sometimes fasted voluntarily, but it is equally evident that he never imposed fasting upon the churches as a matter of duty. “Let every one be fully persuaded in his own mind.” The Revised Version is doubtless correct in omitting “fasting” from Matthew 17:21; Mark 9:29; Acts 10:30 and 1 Corinthians 7:5.