02.13. Chapter 13. It Costs to Pray

It Costs to Pray But supplication affects the conditions on the higher plane of the universe. We get a proportionate result to the effort put forth. It costs, to pray effectively.

It costs time. We read of the Son of God that on special occasions He continued all night in prayer to God," and of Samuel that he "cried unto the Lord all night."1 On into the night the church prayed for the deliverance of Peter. Very notable are the words of William C. Burns, who in his day opened the windows of heaven and saw floods of spiritual blessing fall: "The great fundamental error, as far as I can see, in the economy of the Christian life, which many, and alas! I for one, commit,’ is that of having too few and too short periods of solemn retirement with our gracious Father and his adorable Son Jesus Christ." Would God that among the rank and file of church members there were more of the type of one known to us. Poor, hard-working, with a long family, and herself but weakly, she gained strength, bodily and spiritual, at the mercy-seat. A lady calling at the door was informed by her small boy that his mother was at home, but not to be seen, for, said he, "she is saying her prayers, and mother never lets us disturb her when she is saying her prayers." "And do you think she will be long?" asked the visitor. "I am afraid she will," was the artless answer: "mother takes a very long while saying her prayers." A preacher of the gospel became deeply troubled that he saw few conversions. The people of God were growing in grace, the church life was harmonious; but souls were not added to the Lord. Concerning this he diligently sought the Lord, Who presently said to him: "The apostles said that they would continue steadfastly in prayer, and in the ministry of the Word : you have given yourself to the ministry of the Word and to prayer. Now put these things in My order, and see what I will do." Obedient unto this heavenly instruction, the preacher rearranged his life, in the home, in the study, and socially, so as to give practically two days in each week to waiting upon God, with some measure of fasting. Immediately the power of the Lord was with him. Souls began to turn to the Lord, and this from amongst the same persons who had formerly been unmoved. And this continued a permanent experience, so that, without any outward excitement, or even special missions, he was never but a few weeks without some definite conversion over which to rejoice.

"To wait on God no time is lost:

Wait on; wait on. To grind the axe no labour’s lost:

Grind on; grind on!" And to pray costs strength, whilst it renews strength. It involves pain and strain, and this sometimes too great for words—the Holy Spirit maketh intercession for us (and within us), with groanings which words are unequal to expressing.2 The Lord Jesus groaned in the task of releasing a captive from the grip of him who had the power of death3; the Spirit groans in His desires for the will of God and the people of God: and such as know ought of the deeper, mightier fellowship of their Lord, groan with His groaning, and succeed with something of His success, or rather He by His indwelling Spirit, groans and He succeeds in and through them.

1 1 Samuel 15:11. 2 Romans 8:26. 3 John 11:33-38; Hebrews 2:14. For He Himself is the great Exemplar of that supplication which prevails. "In the days of His flesh [He] offered up prayers and supplications, with strong crying and tears, unto Him Who was able to save Him out of death."1 It is not said that He cried to be saved from dying, but to be saved out of the death state into which willingly, though with unspeakable horror, He was descending. He went down into death; and as in Gethsemane He descended into that "pit of tumult,"2 He cried to be ‘brought up out of it again; and small wonder was it that He was then "in an agony" and "prayed more earnestly: and His sweat became as it were great drops of blood falling down upon the ground." 3 This was supplication in its intensest effort ; and the result was commensurate, even triumph over death, and escape from Hades and the tomb—the Resurrection itself was an answer to prayer The first that I knew experimentally of this type of prayer was upon seeing that a beloved friend and servant of God was being subtly hurried into a course that would have ended in open disaster and dishonour to the Lord. Deeply stirred by the prospect, I was constrained to wait on God with a desperation never before felt, and to persevere in prayer night after night ; and presently the intense satisfaction was reached of feeling and seeing that the attacking tempting spirits were being driven off, that the net was broken, and that their prey had escaped. Not with God have we to wrestle: He is ever eager to bless. Were it our Father alone with Whom we had to do, prayer were a pure pleasure. But our wrestling is against wicked spirits,5 and stern is the fight to which they compel us when we seek that the will of God be known and done. Epaphras was driven to "agonize" with " much labour" when praying that fellow-believers might stand fully crown and fully assured in all the will of God."6 And he who would be strong in the Lord must consent to be weak in himself, for the Lord’s strength reaches full display in our weakness.7 God hath chosen the weak things.’ He has not made shift with them—taken them because there were no others.

No! He hath chosen them." (Mrs. Booth.) The men that count for most in the great world’s affairs, the self-sufficient and self-reliant, are, of small use to the Lord. They cannot pray to much purpose, whereas the supplication of a righteous man has much prevailing strength in its working.