20 The Proof of Spiritual Life
The Proof of Spiritual Life "Behold he prays."Acts 9:11
Prayer is one of the first evidences that the soul is quickened from a death in sin — to a life of righteousness; it is one of the first effects of the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart. Real prayer is the breathing of the soul. No man is alive to God — who can live without prayer; and no one that truly prays — is dead in sin. Many use the form of prayer — who do not pray from the heart; many say the words of prayer — who never really pray.
Prayer is conceived in the heart. It is produced by the Holy Spirit. It indicates neediness. It expresses desire. In prayer, we realize that God is present. We believe that he has, and that he only has — what we want. We are urged to prayer by a sense of need, we are drawn to prayer by the sweet invitations and promises of God. The first prayer is always interesting. Angels feel interested in it. The Lord Jesus is interested in it. Our God and Father is interested in it. Saul of Tarsus had repeated many prayers before; the words of prayer had often passed his lips; for he was a pharisee, and the pharisees were noted for their long prayers; but he had never really prayed until now. He had never felt himself to be a lost sinner before. He never saw the need of pardon as he saw it now. He never realized that Jesus Christ was the Savior before. Now he feels that he is a lost sinner, and that there is no hope for him but in the mercy of God, which mercy flows only through the Lamb of God. To this, you must be brought, if you are not. There is no salvation without it. Wherever the Holy Spirit works, these effects invariably follow. The prayers of a convinced soul are generally short. They are always simple. They convey the feelings of the heart. The prayer of the publican is generally among the very first that is presented.
Conscious of sin,
sensible of guilt,
alarmed at danger,
fearing wrath —
the soul cries out, "God be merciful unto me a sinner!" The sinner needs mercy — and it is to sinners that God will show mercy. Mercy comprises all that the sinner needs, for if God has mercy on a sinner, he . . .
pardons his sin,
sanctifies his nature,
banishes his fears,
supplies his needs,
and saves his soul. A sinner cannot do with less than mercy — and he cannot ask for more. He is miserable — and it is only the exercise of mercy that will make him happy. The putting up of the prayer will not satisfy him, he must have it answered. He therefore goes to the Lord again, and again; he perseveres until the Lord speaks peace to his soul, and he enjoys the sense of pardon. From thousands of hearts this prayer has ascended, and in every instance it has found acceptance, and has obtained an answer. If you feel your lost condition, and have no words of your own — take the language of the publican, cry mightily unto God, and let this be your petition, "God be merciful unto me a sinner!" The brief prayer of the Psalmist in his distress, has also been the prayer of many since his day. "O Lord, I beseech you, deliver my soul." This is the language of earnestness. There is deep feeling in it. It implies a vivid sense of danger. It is strong crying. It is crying for salvation — for immediate salvation. It is full of meaning. It goes direct from the heart, to God. It seeks deliverance for the soul. Deliverance . . .
from the guilt of sin, which fills with fears;
from the power of sin, which hinders and weakens;
from the consequences of sin, which alarm and terrify.
It implies that the soul is willing to submit to God’s method, to be saved in God’s way. Here is no suggesting of terms, no bargaining; but like a drowning man, who feels that he is sinking for the last time, the soul makes a desperate struggle for deliverance. Only God can deliver a sinner. To him we must cry or perish. He is at hand, and is ready to save us. If we feel our need of deliverance — we have but to seek it, and he will deliver us. If you feel your danger, if you desire to be delivered from sin, to be saved with an everlasting salvation — make this prayer you own. Use it, as conveying the feelings of your heart, the desire of your soul; urge it until the Lord answers it, and you are able to say, "Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah, is my strength and my song, he also has become my salvation." Isaiah 12:2 The prayer of David under the workings of penitence, has also just suited the case of thousands. Feeling the depravity of their hearts, aware of the impurity of their nature, conscious of their unfitness for Heaven — they have cried, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." A clean heart is one that is purified from guilt by the blood of Jesus; and cleansed from filth by the power of the Holy Spirit. Our hearts by nature, are all unclean. They are the most unclean things in existence! Nothing is so filthy, so impure, so loathsome — as the human heart!
"There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, but have never been washed from their filthiness." Such are laboring under a fatal delusion. They are strangers to themselves. They are blind, and see not their true condition. But the awakened sinner discovers that he is unclean, that his heart is unholy, and he desires to be thoroughly cleansed. He is not, he cannot be satisfied with outward reformation; he wants inward renovation. No promise in God’s book suits him so well as that, "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean; from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, I will cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh; and I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my judgments and do them!" Ezekiel 36:25, Ezekiel 36:27.
"O Lord," he cries, "fulfill this precious promise in my experience. Give me the new heart, and take away the stony heart from me. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquities, and cleanse me from my sin. Make me holy — whatever I may suffer in the process." The clean-hearted person hates sin, shrinks from sin, and longs for entire freedom from sin — but if the heart is not changed, the only thing feared is punishment, and the only thing sought is happiness. No one ever uses the prayer of David heartily, and understanding its meaning — but those in whom the Holy Spirit is at work. He alone can give us such views of sin — as will lead us to hate it; and he alone can give us such views of our own hearts — as will prompt us to cry, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."
There is another prayer, which has ascended from a multitude of people, since it was recorded in God’s book. It is this, "Say unto my soul, I am your salvation." It is a prayer for assurance, for a sweet and soul-satisfying sense of our interest in God as the Savior. We should never be satisfied with a perhaps, or a faint hope — but we should seek a firm and well grounded persuasion, that we are "saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation." We may be safe without this — but we cannot be truly happy. In order to this, we must know . . .
that our sins are forgiven,
that we are at peace with God,
that we are accepted in the Beloved,
that God has begun in us a good work, and
that having begun it he will perfect it in the day of Jesus Christ. My dear friend, do not stop short of this. Do not rest satisfied without the inward testimony of the Holy Spirit, that God is your Savior: that you are savingly interested . . .
in all that Jesus did,
in all that Jesus suffered,
in all that Jesus procured, and
in all that Jesus is now doing at the right hand of God.
God does by his Spirit, assure sinners of his favor, of their interest in Jesus, of their title to everlasting life. Seek this blessing. Seek it with that fervor and importunity which its importance demands. Seek it — but leave it with the Lord to speak with you, when, and in what way, he pleases. He is a sovereign, and while he always makes good his word — he acts sovereignly in doing so. Some are speedily assured that Jesus is theirs, and that they are his.
Others have to wait, watch, long, and pray for a long period before they enjoy the blessing. To some the Lord speaks by the preached gospel; to others by the reading of the Scriptures; others have the promise brought and applied to the soul with power; others while in prayer have the assurance produced — but they know not how; while others have the clouds gradually dispersed from the mind, a peaceful state of soul is produced, and confidence in God springs up, before which doubts and fears flee away. The blessing is well worth seeking. None should rest satisfied without it. Every one should make his "calling and election sure." My friend, do you pray? When did you begin to pray? What led you to pray? What do you pray for? How do you pray? To whom are your prayers addressed? Through what medium do you expect them to be accepted? Do you ever receive answers to your prayers? Have you prayed today? within the last hour? These are important and searching questions. Do not lightly or hastily pass them over. Consider each of them separately. Let each of them have an honest answer. They are proposed for your good. They are calculated to produce a beneficial effect upon your mind. May the Lord bless them to you, and if you have hitherto been a prayerless sinner, may the information be now carried to Heaven by some observing angel, and may it be published before the eternal throne, that you have begun to pray; may admiring intelligences look down upon you with gratitude and love while they listen to the announcement, "Behold he prays!" But if you live without prayer — then you must die without hope. If you do not seek mercy now — you may be refused when you apply. The Lord may soon say of you, as he did of Israel of old, "When I called — they did not listen; so when they called — I would not listen! says the Lord Almighty." Zechariah 7:13 . If you have not prayed, pray this moment, and you shall not pray in vain.