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  THE PRAYERS OF THE BIBLE
  by John Edgar Mcfadyen
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McFadyen's systematic study of the prayers recorded throughout Scripture,
examining their characteristics, contexts, and spiritual significance as models
for the believer's own prayer life.

  Chapters: 36

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  TABLE OF CONTENTS
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    1. 00.2. Preface
    2. 01. Part 1: The Prayers of the Bible
    3. 02.     The Naturalness of Biblical Prayer
    4. 03.     The Speech of God to Man and Man to God
    5. 04.     The Themes of Prayer
    6. 05.     The Relation of Faith and Prayer
    7. 06.     Inward and Outward Conditions
    8. 07.     The Teaching and Practice of Jesus
    9. 08.     The Prayers of Paul
   10. 09. Part 2: Modern Prayer
   11. 10.     The Nature and Content of Prayer
   12. 11.     The Form of Prayer
   13. 12.     Free and Liturgical Prayer
   14. 13. Part 3: The Prayers Of The Bible Collected
   15. 14.     The Prayers Of The Old Testament
   16. 15.         Petition
   17. 16.         Intercession
   18. 17.         Thanksgiving
   19. 18.         Confession
   20. 19.         Vows
   21. 20.         Complaints
   22. 21.     The Prayers Of The New Testament
   23. 22.         The Prayers of Jesus
   24. 23.     The Other Prayers of the New Testament
   25. 24.         Petition
   26. 25.         Thanksgiving
   27. 26.         Praise
   28. 27.         Benedictions and Doxologies
   29. 28. Part 4: Biblical Prayers For Modern Use
   30. 29.     Petition
   31. 30.     Intercession
   32. 31.     Thanksgiving
   33. 32.     Confession
   34. 33.     Praise
   35. 34.     Benedictions and Doxologies
   36. 35.     Sentences Introductory to Public Worship

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  CHAPTER 1: 00.2. PREFACE
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Preface The Bible is richer in prayers than many realize, and they frequently do
not receive the attention they deserve. The prayers cast a light on
Chrisitanity, while providing us with much to learn. Both interests are
safe­guarded in this volume. This book is an attempt to under­stand Biblical
prayer by an examination of the prayers and allusions to prayer. Our goal of
this examination is to apply them to the public and private devotions of today.
In order to facilitate the study of the prayers, I have collected and arranged
them topically, and then canonically, and the New Testament. It thus becomes as
easy as it is interesting to trace the development of prayer in the Bible.
Following this collection is a selection of Biblical prayers suitable for modern
use. The collection is, I believe, practically complete, except that I have
purposely excluded from it the prayers of the Psalter. To have included them
would have been to transcribe most of the Psalter; but in the selection for
modern use, I have drawn from it such prayers as are of permanent interest and
value. The prayers here collected might have been considerably enlarged by
including the meditations—for example, Psalms 103, 139—and the indirect prayers
in the third person scattered up and down both Testaments, and especially
numerous in the epistles of Paul. But I have confined the list almost
exclu­sively to prayers addressed to God in the second person. As a specimen of
the prayers of Paul, however, I have included the well-known prayer in Ephesians
3:14-19. For completeness’ sake, I have added a list of Sen­tences introductory
to Public Worship, though these are not all strictly prayers.

I have kept as close as possible to the Authorized Version of the English Bible,
except where it is mani­festly wrong—as, for example, in its rendering of
Jehovah by Lord. But in the selection of prayers for modern use, I have retained
the incorrect, but more familiar and not inappropriate term Lord. Some­times, as
in the Psalms, a verse has been omitted owing to the extreme difficulty of the
text; at other times a reading has been adopted without discussion. The results
of recent criticism are throughout the volume presupposed. Where there is such
comparative unanimity, it did not seem wise or necessary to delay the argument
by discussions which were strictly extraneous to the topic in hand. In any case,
the heart of the problem is not in the least affected by the findings of
criticism. This may affect our view of the develop­ment, but not the essence of
the prayers themselves. A prayer is a prayer, whatever be its date, and whoever
composed it. Apart from all critical questions, the prayers of the Bible bring
us, more than anything else can do, into the inner chamber of ancient Hebrew
piety, and there we may hear how God was addressed by the men who counted Him
their Friend.

JOHN E. McFADYEN Glasgow.

(Revised by J.B.)


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  CHAPTER 2: 01. PART 1: THE PRAYERS OF THE BIBLE
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Part 1: The Prayers of the Bible


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  CHAPTER 3: 02.     THE NATURALNESS OF BIBLICAL PRAYER
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The Naturalness of Biblical Prayer The Bible is the great religious classic of
the world, and prayer is one of the highest exercises of religion. A study of
Biblical prayer must therefore be of interest alike to the student of the Bible,
and to the man of religious life and temper, whether he be a student or not. We
must not, of course, expect from the Bible an answer to all the questions
concerning prayer which a thoughtful man of today may ask himself. But this is,
perhaps, even more of a gain than a loss. Instead of controversy, we have
reality, and it is always good to face reality, and to have the facts thrust
upon us, which are dwarfed or lost in the labyrinth of argument. Instead of
discussions about the nature and value of prayer, we have perplexed and
persecuted men pouring out their hearts to a God who is as real to them as their
sorrow, and finding in that communion the strength that cometh in the night.

Just as the Bible assumes the existence of God, so it also assumes the
naturalness of prayer. It does not answer, and, for the most part, does not even
raise the problems which bear so heavily upon educated men today. What is the
relation, for example, of prayer to natural law? Does it produce any effect in
the world other than its effect upon the spirit of the man himself? Will prayer
keep a steamer from colliding in a fog, or from foundering, when she strikes the
rocks? Can a dying man be prayed away from the gates of death? Such an effect
need not involve a violation of natural law; but are we to suppose that— albeit
in accordance with natural law—events happen which would not have happened, and
changes are effected which would not have been effected, but for prayer? If
never another prayer rose from human lips and hearts, would the ordinary
sequence of things be in any way affected?

Apart from the alleged inexorableness of natural law, there are other
difficulties arising out of the nature of God. If He be omniscient, what, if
any, is the real significance of our speech to Him? Our prayers do not instruct
Him: “Your heavenly Father knows what things ye have need of.” If, then, He does
not need to be told, do we need to tell Him? In prayer, are we not rather making
our needs plain to ourselves than to Him? But more. His will is a beneficent
will. We must suppose that He wills the good of men. Does He will that good the
more for their supplications and the less for their silence? And if He did,
would, He be such a God as reasonable men could worship?

Again, besides being beneficent, He is wise, and knows what is best for us. That
is, He not only wills our good, but knows how to secure it; while we, who never
foresee the remote consequences of our acts, and seldom even all their immediate
consequences, may well hesitate to offer any specific petitions whatever, and
may consider all these petitions most wisely expressed and included in the
simple words, “Thy will be done.” As we cannot inform Omniscience, neither can
we make suggestions to Wisdom. Can we do better than allow our destiny to be
shaped by hands of Wisdom, guided by a heart of Love?

These represent some of the difficulties felt by the modern mind in relation to
prayer as commonly under­stood. The universality and relentlessness of natural
law, the omniscience, the love, and the wisdom of God, seem to combine to render
prayer little better than an idle or at most a pious exercise, whose influence
is restricted to the character of the man who offers it.

It is not the purpose of this volume to discuss these problems on their
intrinsic merits and in their relation to the modern view of the world, but
simply to ascertain the place and meaning of prayer in the religion of the
Bible. The intellectual world of the Hebrews was in­finitely simpler than ours.
The progress of exact science has created a scientific temper which is shared by
thousands who have no technical knowledge of any particular science; and the
increasing complexity of the world has been accompanied by an increasing
difficulty in readjusting the ideas of an older and simpler civilization to the
new situation. But, while it would be unreasonable to expect to find, in an
ancient book, a final and adequate answer to modern problems, the time will
never come, let us hope, when the religious thought and practice of such men as
Jeremiah and Paul will be regarded as irrelevant or sterile. In religion the
Hebrews are, and will remain the masters and teachers of the world. The problems
to which we have alluded, are never formally discussed in the Bible. Its world
is not our world, and the Hebrews had little genius for philo­sophical
discussion of any kind. The only really continuous discussion in the Bible—the
book of Job—is rather a series of eloquently reiterated assertions than a
connected argument. But here and there are traces of the skeptical mood in which
such problems are born.

What place would there be for prayer, for example, in that view of the world
represented by the baffled thinker who regarded history as an endless and
inexor­able cycle, in which “that which hath been is that which shall be; and
there is no new thing under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9)? No good Hebrew would
have dreamt of denying that there was a God; but there were many, both among the
prosperous oppressors, and their poorer victims, who had their doubts as to
whether God played any real and active part in human affairs. In the latter half
of the seventh century, B.C., the comfortable, easy-going plutocrats, settled
upon their lees, said to themselves, “Jehovah will not do good, neither will He
do evil” (Zephaniah 1:12): that is, He will do neither one thing nor another; in
other words, He will leave the world to run as it pleases, or rather, as they
please, and can be safely trusted not to intervene. And two centuries later, men
of a very different stamp are forced to the same conclusion by the cruel silence
that follows their appeals to heaven. “It is useless to serve God, and what has
been the good of keeping His command­ments?” (Malachi 3:14). The hardships and
disillusions of post-exilic times often shook faith into a temporary skepticism,
and confirmed the faithless in their infidelity. “What is the Almighty that we
should serve Him, and what good would we get by praying to Him?” (Job 21:15).
Doubtless this skepticism is created by a too utilitarian view of religion; but,
when it is entertained by pious men, it is an honest skepticism, which Malachi
can only meet by assuring the disconsolate that Jehovah, to keep Himself in mind
of them, is meanwhile having their sorrows recorded in a book (Malachi 3:16),
and one day He will intervene in a terrible judgment of fire.

Again it might be true that God gave good things to those who asked Him (Matthew
7:11), but it was undeniable that many good things were given to men whether
they asked Him or not. He caused His sun to shine, and His rain to fall no less
upon the unjust than upon the just. Thus while the impartial beneficence of
nature would no doubt draw a prayer of gratitude from a devout heart, it would
probably confirm the indifferent in their indifference. The Hebrew could not
have been overwhelmed, as we are, by the unbroken sequence of cause and effect
in the physical world. He had, of course, a keen sense of the rhythm and
regularity of nature, with its seedtime and harvest, summer and winter, day and
night (Genesis 8:22); but he had not our sense of the stern­ness of law, and
therefore he could not have understood the problem of prayer, as it presents
itself to a modern mind. To him God was directly responsible for every
phenomenon; and, so far as our problem would have had any meaning for him at
all, he would have given it a summary answer: with God all things are possible.
To any objection based on the immutability of law, he could always have replied,
“Ye do err, not knowing the power of God.” “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”
The fleece of wool may become wet or dry, the shadow on the sundial may move
forwards or back­wards, the heavy prison doors, “the iron gate that leadeth into
the city,” may open to the prisoner of its own accord. These things may seem
strange to us; but to the Hebrew they were not only possible, but natural. His
God was a living God, whose ear was not heavy, whose arm was not short; and why
should He be less able than man to command and control His resources? The Hebrew
was in no danger of involv­ing God in nature. Nature was not God, it was God’s.
The earth was the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; might He not do with its
forces what He pleased? There was no limit to the divine possibility, for God
was able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.”

These considerations must be enough to convince us that the Bible has no
theoretical solutions for our modern problems. But, by the utter simplicity and
naturalness with which the Hebrew heart turns to God in every conceivable
situation, a conviction of the reasonableness of prayer and of its indefeasible
place in religion is more powerfully borne in upon us than any that could be
produced by a merely theoretical solution. “Intercourse with God,” as Rothe has
said, is most natural to man as man,” and it was peculiarly natural to the
Hebrew, with his vivid sense of God. The common pursuits of life were hallowed
by religion: the simple greetings on the harvest field between the master and
his men take the form of short prayers. The sense of the perpetual need of God
and the possi­bility of an unbroken communion with Him is not, of course, to be
expected in the earlier stages. Men could not then have said, “I need Thee every
hour.” But there came great hours when they were very conscious of their need,
and then they turn to God as naturally as a man in difficulty turns to the
friend who loves him. In moments of distress, perplexity, danger, sickness,
farewell, and death, they lift up their eyes to One that is higher than they for
the help which they do not find in themselves and cannot get from one another.

“What time I am in distress, I will cry to Thee.” This may not be the loftiest
motive of prayer, but it is the most natural and elementary. After the
inex­plicable defeat of Israel at Ai, Joshua takes his dis­appointment to his
God in prayer (Joshua 7:7-9.), just as David after the inexplicable famine,
sought the face of Jehovah (2 Samuel 21:1). It is easy to say that Joshua’s
prayer is petulant, and that David seeks to ascertain the Divine will not
directly, but through the oracle. That is not the point; these things were
inevitable in early times. The point is that the appeal to God was natural in
perplexity, and this is true, irrespective of the stage of religious
development. When there are two suitable candidates to take the place left
vacant by the death of Judas, the choice is only made after a prayer to the
Searcher of hearts (Acts 1:24). In moments of doubt, and where a decision was
important, the heart turned instinctively to God.

Face to face with danger, the appeal to God was peculiarly natural; and, as
early Israel was beset more or less constantly by the obligations of warfare,
prayer is often associated with the field of battle. Jonathan starts, with his
armor-bearer, for his dangerous assault upon the Philistines, only after
reminding him­self that Jehovah may work for them—Jehovah, who can save by few
as by many (1 Samuel 14:6). Before an army set out upon the march, a brief
prayer, in poetical form, was offered that the enemy might be scattered (Numbers
10:35), and Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 20:2 ff.) prescribes that, before an
assault, the priests are to encourage the soldiers and to remind them that in
the battle they will not be alone, but their God will be with them, to fight for
them. In a similar spirit we find Jehoshaphat, on two occasions, anxious to
ascertain the will of Jehovah—once before under­taking the campaign against
Ramoth-Gilead (1 Kings 22:5), and again before the assault on Moab (2 Kings
3:11). But there were other dangers than those of the battle-field. Ezra knows
of the difficulties that will beset his party on their way from Babylon to
Palestine; so, after pro­claiming a fast, he entreated his God for a safe and
prosperous journey to the homeland (Ezra 8:22). Similarly, when the lives of
Daniel and his friends are in peril, because the wise men are unable to
interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, they appeal for mercy to the God of heaven
(Daniel 2:18). In sickness, as in danger, men turned to God. He was the Lord of
life, and He could heal, if He would. Hezekiah prays to Jehovah with tears, when
pros­trated by a sickness which seems certain to have a fatal ending (2 Kings
20:3), and the Chronicler takes it for granted that a pious king, when he is
sick, will consult not the physicians, but his God (2 Chronicles 16:12). The
beginning and the end of important enterprises were also specially committed to
God in prayer. We have seen that prayer was offered when an army set out; it was
also offered when the campaign was over (Numbers 10:36). The unfortunate
alliance of Israel with Gibeon is ascribed by the historian to the fact that
Joshua acted on his own responsibility, without first “asking counsel at the
mouth of Jehovah” (Joshua 9:14). A new movement must be inaugurated with prayer.
Though Paul and Bar­nabas have had the call of the spirit, they are not sent off
upon their missionary tour till the brethren have prayed (Acts 13:3). And the
end must be consecrated, as the beginning. There are two very touching and
picturesque farewells in the book of Acts, both of which are hallowed by prayer.
At Miletus Paul prayed with the Ephesian elders before bidding them good-bye
(Acts 20:36); and after a seven days’ stay at Tyre, he was escorted to the shore
by a large company, including the wives and children; “then we knelt on the
beach and prayed and bade each other good-bye” (Acts 21:5).

Occasionally, but not often, life’s last great farewell is accompanied by a
simple prayer. There are perhaps hardly half a dozen recorded instances of
prayers of the dying. Samson (Judges 16:28 ff.) and Zechariah (2 Chronicles
24:22) die with a prayer for vengeance upon their enemies. The dying robber
besought Jesus to remember him when He came into His kingdom (Luke 23:42). Jesus
(Luke 23:34) himself and Stephen (Acts 7:60) die with a prayer for the
forgiveness of their enemies, the former commending His spirit to the Father
(Luke 23:46), and the latter calling upon the Lord Jesus to receive his spirit
(Acts 7:59). The enormous difference between these Old Testament and New
Testament prayers is char­acteristic and suggestive. The former may seem
un­worthy of so solemn an hour; but in truth they are little but a blunt
expression of the desire to have justice vindicated. But even so, these prayers—
the cry for justice and the cry for mercy—are typical of the broad difference
between the two Testaments; but the prayers are alike in committing their case
into the hand of God.

It would be a great mistake, however, to suppose that man considered his
relations to God exhausted by offering petitions to Him in distress. Gratitude
is not so natural as petition, but it has its place, even in the earlier
sources. If a prayer has been answered or an unexpected favor done, the grateful
heart is impelled to express itself. When, for example, in answer to the
somewhat naive prayer of Abraham’s servant for a sign by which he may discover
Isaac’s future wife, the woman has been found, the servant “bowed his head, and
prostrated himself before Jehovah and said, ‘Blessed be Jehovah, the God of my
master Abraham, who has not forsaken His loving-kindness and His truth towards
my master.’” (Genesis 24:26 f.) Again in one aspect, the great war-ballads known
as the Song of Moses (Exodus 15) and the Song of Deborah (Judges 5) are prayers
of gratitude for victory. Hezekiah, who prayed with tears for his recovery from
sickness, is represented as expressing his gratitude to the God who in love had
delivered his soul from the pit (Isaiah 38:10 ff). The real date and theme of
this poem are of no consequence to our present purpose: it is at any rate a
proof that recovery from sickness was an occasion for gratitude. So the leper,
“when he saw that he was healed, turned back with a loud voice glorifying God”
(Luke 17:15). The duty of gratitude is specially obvious after an unmistakable
cure; and though it is usually forgotten—for “where are the nine?”—it is none
the less obligatory. Jesus is vexed when so natural a duty is neglected. “Were
there none found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger?” Once
thanks is offered for the sight of kindly human faces. When Paul saw the
brethren who had come from Rome to Appii Forum to meet him, he thanked God and
took courage (Acts 28:15).

These illustrations—and they could be multiplied a hundredfold—are enough to
show how easily and naturally prayer came, whether in the form of petition or
thanksgiving, to the men who move before us on the pages of the Bible. But
nothing makes so powerful an impression, or so clearly illustrates the intimacy
and immediacy of this communion with God as the ease with which prayers are
interpolated in the ordinary course of a historical narrative. It happens that
practically all the recorded illustrations of this in the Old Testament are
confined to the autobiographical memoirs of Ezra and Nehemiah, and this may
possibly be explained by the growing prominence of prayer in the post-exilic
period. It would be too much to say, however, that in similar circumstances such
interpola­tions would have been impossible to pre-exilic historians, especially
as they are paralleled in pre-exilic prophecy. The earlier part of the book of
Jeremiah is full of such prayers, which we shall consider more fully on an­other
occasion; and Hosea (Acts 9:14), in a moment of intense emotion, as he
contemplates the depravity of Israel and its inevitable end, sends up to his God
the swift wild prayer: “Give them, O Jehovah—what wilt Thou give them? give them
a miscarrying womb and dry breasts.” But it is in Ezra, and especially in
Nehemiah, that the phenomenon is most striking. After reciting at length the
unexpectedly generous decree of Artaxerxes in favor of the Jews in their attempt
to reorganize their ecclesiastical life, Ezra (Ezra 7:27 f.) breaks out into an
enthusiastic prayer of gratitude to “Jehovah, the God of our fathers, who hath
put such a thing as this in the king’s heart to beautify the house of Jehovah
which is in Jerusalem, and hath extended loving-kindness unto me before the
king, and his counselors and before all the king’s mighty princes.” The effect,
upon the reader, of this bright spontaneous outburst of prayer, following the
recital of a formal decree, is nothing less than startling. A somewhat similar
im­pression is created by the doxology, “Now unto the King, immortal,
invisible,” following immediately upon the acknowledgment of the power of Christ
“to save sinners, of whom I am the chief” (1 Timothy 1:17, cf. 1 Thessalonians
3:9 f.). This phenomenon of interpolated prayer is very frequent in the memoirs
of Nehemiah. In the course of the narrative describing the impression made upon
Sanballat and Tobiah by the efforts of the Jews to build the walls of Jerusalem,
Nehemiah (Nehemiah 4:4 f.) breaks in with the prayer, “Hear, O our God, for we
are despised,” etc.; and when the enemy, provoked by the rapid progress of the
walls, began to consider the project of an assault upon the city, “we made our
prayer unto our God” (Nehemiah 4:9). Just as Paul often closes an argument with
prayer (Romans 11:33-36), so Nehemiah frequently ends a paragraph with prayer to
his God, either to remember him for what he had done—for example, for his
magnanimous conduct during his governorship (Nehemiah 5:19), for securing the
payment of their dues to the Levites (Nehemiah 13:4), and for preserving the
Sabbath from the encroachments of trade (Nehemiah 13:22, cf. Nehemiah 13:29;
Nehemiah 13:31); or with a prayer to punish his enemies—in one case including a
woman (Nehemiah 6:14)—for their machinations against him and his efforts on
behalf of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 4:4 f.). Very interesting in this connection is
the brief prayer he offers after the enemy had sought to intimidate the Jews and
had prophesied failure— “But now (O God) strengthen Thou my hands” (Nehemiah
6:9) —a prayer which is all the more significant as, if the text be correct,
there is no word for “O God” in the original. God was the ever-present fact.
Most interesting of all, and very significant of Nehemiah’s God-ward attitude,
and of the atmosphere of prayer in which—man of action though he was—he lived
and moved, is the swift silent prayer for help he offers to the God of heaven
before replying, when the Persian king asks him to name his request. “The king
said to me, ‘ For what dost thou make request? ’ So I prayed to the God of
heaven. And I said unto the king, ‘ If it please the king,’ etc.” (Nehemiah
2:4). This ingenuous and altogether incidental statement lights up, as in a
flash, the whole career of Nehemiah. The courageous answer that follows the
unspoken appeal to heaven is the best comment on the place and power of prayer.

Prayer, therefore, is regarded throughout the Bible as natural—natural as the
existence of need and the sense of God; and as need is universal, prayer is the
privilege of all. Out of the depths any man may cry for himself to God.
Sometimes, indeed, overwhelmed by a sense of their own unworthiness, men felt
that they needed a prophet to intercede for them (Jeremiah 42:2); but, as a
rule, a man confesses his own sin, and craves help for his own need. Women, too,
enjoyed the right of approach to the Deity in prayer. Naturally, there are
relatively few illustrations of women praying, because women on the whole appear
in the Bible, as in all ancient literature, less frequently than men; but in
both Testaments illustrations occur. The allusion to Hannah’s prayer for a child
at Shiloh (1 Samuel 1:11) shows that already in very early times women had the
right to pray at the sanctuaries. It is expressly mentioned that among the
disciples gathered in the upper room who “continued steadfastly in prayer,” were
women, with Mary the mother of Jesus (Acts 1:14). In 1 Timothy 5:5 it is the
mark of a true widow to continue in supplications and prayers night and day; and
the women in the Corinthian church apparently prayed, as well as prophesied, in
public (1 Corinthians 6:5).

Naturally, public leaders occasionally appear in prayer. Kings are not very
often mentioned in this capacity. Prayers are ascribed to David and Solomon, but
owing to the somewhat general nature of the his­torical narratives, there is
little opportunity for allud­ing to the private prayers of the kings. In a more
personal narrative, however, like that of the sickness and recovery of Hezekiah,
prayer occupies a more prominent place. Nor do we hear much of the prayers of
the priests. The notices are nearly all general, such as that they blessed in
the name of Jehovah (Deuteronomy 21:5. Cf. 2 Chronicles 30:27. Praise was one of
the functions of the Levites; cf. 1 Chronicles 23:30). They were concerned
rather with the sacrifices, and their prayers would probably be more general and
formal than the prayers of individuals. Joel (Joel 2:17), however, in the
distress occasioned by the locusts, represents the priests as weeping and
praying. Doubtless the elders of a city, as its representatives, would pray,
where its interests were specially implicated. In the case of a murder, for
example, which cannot be traced, the elders of the nearest city are to confess
its innocence, and to implore the divine forgiveness upon its people
(Deuteronomy 21:6-8). Very different in circumstance, yet somewhat similar in
spirit, is the suggestion of James (James 5:14) that, when a man is sick, the
elders of the Church shall pray over him. In the Old Testament, however, the
greatest masters of prayer appear to have been the prophets. With the exception
of Jeremiah, their prayers are seldom re­corded, but there are many incidental
allusions to be referred to later, which suggest that prophecy had its roots in
prayer (Cf. Jeremiah 33:3). In the formal worship of the congregation, alike in
Old Testament and New, the congregation simply said, “Amen.” (1 Chronicles
16:36) If the prayer be unintelligible, how, asks Paul, can the unlearned person
be expected to say the Amen? (1 Corinthians 14:16) The use of the article
suggests that this was the customary practice.

Finally, as need is universal, prayer must be equally possible to the foreigner
and the Israelite: the Roman Cornelius may pray to God as well as the Hebrew
Peter (Acts 10:2). Naturally the impulse of the foreigner is to pray to his own
God; but—at any rate from the exile on—the thinkers of Israel cherish the hope
of a time when, under the mighty impression made in history by the God of Israel
(Cf. 1 Kings 8:41 f.), He will be worshipped by the whole world. Like the
foreign sailors in the book of Jonah, they begin by crying each man to his own
God, and end by praying to Jehovah (Jonah 1:5; Jonah 1:14). Hints of this
uni­versal worship of Jehovah, of the time when “many peoples and strong nations
shall come to seek Jehovah of hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the favor of
Jehovah,” (Zechariah 8:22) are already found in pre-exilic sources, where
occasionally prayers are offered to Jehovah by foreigners.

It is probably no accident, however, that these prayers do not usually take the
form of petition, but are rather a recognition of something that Jehovah has
done for Israel. The marvelous deliverance of Israel from Egypt, for example,
draws from Jethro the fol­lowing prayer: “Blessed be Jehovah, who hath
de­livered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh;
who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know
that Jehovah is greater than all gods” (Exodus 18:10). A similar ascription of
praise to Jehovah is offered by the Tyrian Hiram, when Solomon approaches him
with a request for timber to build the temple (1 Kings 8:3). Again, the queen of
Sheba when she saw the marvelous glory and wisdom of Solomon, said, “Blessed be
Jehovah thy God who delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel.” (1
Kings 10:9) It is singular and significant that these prayers should all begin
in the same way, and should celebrate cir­cumstances or events distinctively
Israelitic—the de­liverance from Egypt, the founding of the temple, the wisdom
of Solomon. Exactly similar both in form and spirit is the post-exilic prayer in
Daniel 3:28, where Nebuchadnezzar is represented as thanking the God of Israel
for delivering Daniel’s three friends from the fiery furnace into which they had
been cast (Daniel 4:34). Similar in spirit, though not in form, is the prayer of
Darius, embodied in a decree, that the God of Israel should confound all who put
forth their hands to destroy His temple in Jerusalem (Ezra 6:12). The triumph of
the gospel of Jesus dealt the death blow to this particularistic view of
religion. He taught men to pray not to the God of Israel, but to “our Father in
heaven,” and that true prayer was that which was offered “neither in this
mountain nor yet in Jerusalem,” (John 4:21) but anywhere the wide world over
that men worshipped God in spirit and in truth.


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  CHAPTER 4: 03.     THE SPEECH OF GOD TO MAN AND MAN TO GOD
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The Speech of God to Man and Man to God

Prayer implies reciprocity. It is more than medita­tion, it is communion. It is
a dialogue, not a mono­logue. It is not enough that man speak to God; he must
believe that God can hear and, in some way, speak to him again. And one of the
most welcome and surprising features of the Bible is that it is even more full
of God’s speech to men than of man’s to God. In the very early stages of a
national literature, this is to be expected. In Homer, the gods are on easy and
familiar terms with men; and, generally speaking, the ancient mind, which has a
keen appreciation of the mystery and poetry of things, but no power of
philo­sophical analysis, instinctively peoples its world with supernatural
beings who sustain direct and real rela­tions to men. But the peculiar thing
about the Bible is that this phenomenon persists through every stage of the
literary and religious development. The prophetic parts of the Pentateuch are
full of tales of the meeting and converse of God with men. There we might
ex­pect them; for these tales are among the oldest prose narratives in the
Bible, and they represent a tradition older still. But such converse is not
confined to the Mosaic or pre-Mosaic period: it occurs also in the books of
Samuel and Kings, in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, prophets who stand in the
full blaze of history; it occurs even in the New Testament. It may be difficult
enough to form any clear or adequate idea to our own minds of the way in which
Deity thus impinged upon human experience; but summarily to brand all the
recitals as legendary is impossible. In any case, this description could only
apply to the earlier narratives, while the phenomenon itself persists throughout
the whole development. Doubtless the men who, in later times, so clearly heard
the voice of God were men of special spiritual capacity; it is also possible
that there were peculiarities in their mental, spiritual, and even physical
constitution, which increased their native susceptibility to impressions of the
divine. But, however we explain it, the Bible is saturated throughout with the
idea that God can speak as well as man. In later and more reflective times, the
divine voice could be detected in the processes of nature, and in the large
movements of history. There was no speech nor language, but the voice was heard
clearly enough by the attentive ear. Often the later psalmists heard it sounding
across the centuries from “the days of old,” on which they love to meditate
(Psalms 78; Psalms 95:7; Psalms 105); it was heard in the roar of the thunder
(Psalms 29), in the solemn inexplicable pro­cesses of nature (Job 38-39, in the
measured westward tramp of the Assyrian hosts (Amos 3:8). But the voice of God
of which we hear most in Scripture was more definite and particular than that.
It was a still small voice, which fell upon the inward ear almost like the voice
of a man. In the earlier narratives, God speaks much and man comparatively
little. Promises are made (Genesis 13:14-18) and com­mands are given (Genesis
12:1), and the patriarchs have little to do but believe the one and execute the
other. Abraham is silent when he hears the voice bidding him take his son, his
only son, and offer him in sacrifice upon a mountain (Genesis 22:2). Sometimes,
indeed, a divine speech is no­thing but a palpable device on the part of the
historian to summarize a situation graphically, as, for example, the resume of
Israel’s earlier history with which Joshua introduces his farewell speech to the
people (Joshua 24:2-13); and occasionally there is a certain stiffness or
formality in the dialogue which suggests that the historian has a didactic aim
in view, as in the intercession of Abraham for Sodom (Genesis 18:23-32), or in
the choice of David and the rejection of his brethren for the kingship (1 Samuel
16:6-12).

But, as a rule, the dialogues are full of life, psycho­logical interest and
literary beauty. So much is Jehovah like the men to whom He speaks that they can
even argue with one another. “‘Come now, and I will send thee to Pharaoh,’ says
Jehovah to Moses; and Moses said, ‘ Who am I that I should go? ’ and He said. ‘
Certainly I will be with thee.’” (Exodus 3:10-12) Later on, Moses demurs, “Oh,
Lord, I am not eloquent, I am slow of speech and of a slow tongue. And Jehovah
said to him, ‘ Who hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh a man dumb, or deaf, or
seeing, or blind? is it not I, Jehovah? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy
mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt speak.’ And he said, ‘Oh, Lord, send, I
pray thee, by the hand of him whom Thou wilt send,’” (Exodus 4:10-13) and very
naturally the anger of Jehovah was kindled against him. There is a somewhat
similar discussion in the late book of Jonah. “God said to Jonah, ‘Doest thou
well to be angry for the gourd? ’ and he said, ‘ I do well to be angry, even
unto death.’” And Jehovah is represented as reasoning with the narrow-hearted
prophet, and seeking, as it were, to appeal to his com­mon sense. “You care for
a little plant, on which you have spent no thought or effort, and am I not to
care for the great city of Nineveh?” (Jonah 4:9-11)

Even in the earliest narratives, the divine speech is always serious and worthy.
Often, as was to be ex­pected, its theme is the future greatness of the Hebrew
people (Cf. also the Balaam story in Numbers 23 f.); but it is often, indeed,
usually inspired by moral and religious motives. The voice that came to Adam and
Cain was a voice that carried conviction of sin, and throughout the historical
narratives religious motives are implicated with the political. That voice
addresses itself especially to those who are called to prominent service among
the people of Israel, as in the Old Testament, or in the kingdom of God, as in
the New. It may be heard by children, by warriors, by kings, but most of all by
prophets. It comes to Samuel in the sanctuary (1 Samuel 3:4), it reassures
Joshua repeat­edly with the promise of victory and in the words, “Be not
afraid,” (Joshua 8:1-2; Joshua 10:8; Joshua 11:6) it sends Gideon forth with
cheer upon his perilous task (Judges 6:14; Judges 6:23), and tells him the
precise moment when he is to strike the blow, it speaks to Solomon in the
sanctuary at Gibeon (Judges 7:9), its imperious tones ring in the ears of
Elijah, impelling him to face the king (1 Kings 18:1), and again forcing him
away from the desert retreat to which he had fled from the wrath of Jezebel (1
Kings 19:9; 1 Kings 19:13). To the great prophets that voice is the realest of
all realities. “When Jehovah has spoken, who can help prophesying?” (Amos 3:8)
So deeply have its notes sunk into their soul that it is not so much they that
speak as the voice that speaks in them. When they appear before the great
audiences gathered on festal occasions at the country sanctuaries, or in the
Jerusalem temple, they are conscious of a direct commission from above, and they
preface their brave and searching speeches with the words, “Thus saith Jehovah.”
The people may resent and deny their claims, but at the risk of their lives they
unflinchingly assert the divine authority of their message. “You may put me to
death, if you please, but if you do, know that you are putting to death an
innocent man, and my blood will be upon you and your city, for it is really
Jehovah who has sent me to speak these words in your ears.” (Jeremiah 26:14 f.)
The supernatural voice is usually that of God, or rather, in the Old Testament,
of Israel’s God, Jehovah. Another mode of representation regards it as an
angel’s voice (Judges 2:1-3). The angel of Jehovah is practically identical with
Jehovah Himself—in Judges 6:12 it is the angel of Jehovah who speaks, and in
Judges 6:14 Jehovah Him­self; but in later times, when the sense of the
trans­cendence of God is beginning to produce a more elaborate angelology,
divine messages are mediated to men by angels (Zechariah 1-2, 4-6), who are so
far personalized that even their names are sometimes mentioned (Daniel 9:21;
Luke 1:19; Luke 1:26). Frequently also in the New Testament, important messages
of warning or comfort are brought to men by angels. An angel of the Lord appears
repeatedly to Joseph with messages concerning the birth of Jesus, the flight
into Egypt, and the return from Egypt (Matthew 1-2). Gabriel an­nounces to
Zacharias the birth of John the Baptist, and the birth of Jesus to Mary (Luke
1-2). An angel appears to the apostles in prison with the command to preach in
the temple (Acts 5:19 f.). An angel directs Philip on the way on which he is
destined to meet the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 7:26). An angel urges Cornelius to
send for Peter (Acts 10:3). An angel appears to the shipwrecked Paul with words
of en­couragement (Acts 27:23 f.). It is worthy of note that most of these
angelic appearances are expressly connected with dreams or trances (Acts 18:9;
Acts 23:11).

Sometimes the voice is said to proceed from the spirit. It was the spirit that
told Philip to approach the Ethio­pian chariot (Acts 8:29), and that indicated
to Peter the presence of the three men who had come from Cornelius to seek him
(Acts 10:19). Sometimes the voice is more mysterious still, as in the eerie
specter that came at midnight upon the sleeping Eliphaz, and made all his bones
to shake (Job 4:12-17), or that epoch-making voice that smote upon the ears of
Saul as he hasted away to Damascus (Acts 9:4). This was the voice of “the Lord”;
and it is not without significance that “the Lord (that is) Jesus” (Acts 9:17)
occasionally speaks in the book of Acts, to Paul, just as Jehovah speaks in the
Old Testament to a patriarch or prophet. It is He who commissions Paul to his
great task among the Gentiles (Acts 22:18-21), and who sustains him in that task
by words of cheer (Acts 18:9; Acts 23:11; cf. 2 Corinthians 12:8-9).

Thus, in one way or another, voices from beyond were borne upon the ears of men.
Now it was the voice of Jehovah, now of an angel, and again of the risen Jesus.
The Hebrews were very sensitive to the divine speech, and their history is one
long dialogue between this world and the world above. In ancient times, prayers
were directed by “every man to his own God” (Jonah 1:5), by the Hebrews
therefore to Jehovah; but in later times there are traces of the idea that they
may be offered to angels, or at least that the angels can intercede for men (Job
5:1. The “holy ones” here are the angels. Cf. Tob 12:15, “I am Raphael, one of
the seven holy angels who pre­sent the prayers of the saints.”), and the rich
man in the parable cries to father Abraham to have mercy upon him (Luke
16:24-27).

We have seen how God spoke to man, let us now see how man spoke to God; and as
the prayers of the New Testament will receive special consideration in two
subsequent chapters, we shall confine our at­tention here chiefly to the Old
Testament.

Throughout the Bible, God is the Friend of man (2 Chronicles 20:7); and,
especially in the earlier books, man speaks to God as a man to his friend. A
growing sense of the distance of God and of the reverence due to Him in­spires
the later speech with a becoming humility; but many of the older addresses are
marked by an ease, a candor, a bluntness even, which are peculiarly welcome as
showing how real to the speakers, and how human, was the God they thus boldly
addressed. Goethe remarks somewhere that the speech of a man to his friend may
be more deadly than to a stranger. To his friend he is less careful of the
proprieties and conventions. He lets himself go; and, in a moment of
provocation, he may stab with a word the friend he loves. A similarly dangerous
familiarity, occa­sionally degenerating into something very like im­pertinence,
marks some of the speeches in the patri­archal narratives.

After an unsuccessful visit to Pharaoh, Moses thus addresses Jehovah: “Lord,
wherefore hast Thou dealt ill with this people? why is it that Thou hast sent
me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Thy name, he hath dealt ill with
this people; neither hast Thou delivered Thy people at all” (Exodus 5:22 f.).
Even more extraordinary is the temper displayed in the speech made by Moses when
the people, tired of the manna, begin to clamor for meat. “Why hast Thou dealt
ill with Thy servant? and why have I not found favor in Thy sight, that Thou
layest the burden of all this people upon me? Have I con­ceived all this people?
Have I brought them forth, that Thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in Thy
bosom as a nursing father carrieth the sucking child, unto the land which Thou
sparest unto their fathers ’? Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this
people? For they weep unto me, saying, ‘Give us flesh, that we may eat.’ I am
not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. And if
Thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favor
in Thy sight, and let me not see my wretchedness” (Numbers 11:11-15). Two other
disappointed prophets beseech, in their petulance, Jehovah to kill them (Elijah
in 1 Kings 19:4 and Jonah in Jonah 4:3. Cf. Job 6:8 f.). Jacob once addresses
God almost in the spirit of a man who is driving a bargain (Genesis 28:20-22);
and the skeptical Gideon, after putting the word of God to one test which issued
in a way that should have satisfied his misgivings, immediately proceeds to
demand another test (Judges 6:36-40). The primitive nature of ancient religion
and the familiarity of men in their relations to God are often quaintly
illustrated by the motives with which they urge their prayer upon Him. Sometimes
the divine sense of justice is appealed to: “Shall one man sin and wilt Thou be
angry with all the congregation?” (Numbers 16:22) Or the divine mercy is
besought for the guilty people because of Jehovah’s special relations with the
patriarchs (Deuteronomy 9:27), or because of the redemption which He wrought for
them in ancient times (Deuteronomy 9:29; 1 Kings 8:51-53), or because they are
called by His name (Daniel 9:19). But the most characteristically primitive
appeal is the appeal to Him to consider His reputation. If He fails to help
Israel, what will the nations think (Joel 2:17)? They will be more inclined to
say that He was unable than that He was unwilling. So, to save His reputa­tion,
as it were, He is bound to interpose; otherwise not only Israel’s name, but His
name will be cut off (Joshua 7:9). This reminds us of the practice of Muller of
Bristol who, it is said, “used to employ arguments in prayer, giving eleven
reasons why God should do a certain thing: He could not suffer His own glory to
be dimmed or His promise to be dishonored,” etc. Perhaps the most delightfully
naive illustration of this type of appeal is in the memoirs of Ezra (Ezra
8:21-23). He had already told Artaxerxes that God protected those who trusted
Him, and so he was ashamed, he tells us, to ask him for a guard of soldiers to
protect his com­pany on the way to Palestine. Consequently they prayed very
earnestly to God that He would Himself guide them safely. God was thus, if we
may say so, put upon His honor; “and He was entreated of us, and He delivered us
from the hand of the enemy and the ambush by the way” (Ezra 8:23; Ezra 8:31).

These easy relations of men with God bordered, as we have seen, sometimes on
irreverence; but they have also a very attractive side. Just because He stands
so near them, can be spoken to and reasoned with, as a man speaks to and reasons
with his friend, so they can introduce into their requests details of the most
concrete kind. Very charming, for example, is the prayer of Abraham’s servant
for guidance. “Behold, I am standing by the fountain of water, and the daughters
of the men of the city are coming out to draw water; and let it come to pass
that the damsel to whom I shall say, ‘Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I
may drink,’ and she shall say, ‘ Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also’:
let the same be she that Thou hast appointed for Thy servant Isaac, and thereby
shall I know that Thou hast showed kindness unto my master” (Genesis 24:13-14).
The precision with which the details are arranged is very naive, and the trust
which inspires the prayer is beautiful. So practical is the spirit of Biblical
prayer that proper names, elaborate descriptions of the speaker’s situation, and
historical and geographical allusions are of frequent occurrence. When David,
pursued by Saul, is at a loss to know which move to make next, he prays, “Will
Saul come down as Thy servant has heard? O Jehovah, the God of Israel, I beseech
Thee, tell Thy servant.” And—when an affirmative answer is given—“Will the men
of Keilah deliver me and my men up into the hand of Saul?” (1 Samuel 23:11 f.)
The tearful prayer in Lamentations 2:20-22 contains a vivid catalogue of the
horrors of the siege of Jerusalem, and Lamentations 5, in form a prayer, is
really an elaborate description of the people’s distress. Other prayers give a
glimpse of the temple, “our holy and beautiful house where our fathers praised
Thee,” trodden under foot of the adversary and burned with fire (Isaiah 63:18;
Isaiah 64:11).

Another proof of the extreme ease and naturalness of Biblical prayer lies in the
fact that, but for the context one would often suppose that a petition, which is
in reality addressed to men, was a prayer to God. Take, for example, Aaron’s
intercession to Moses for Miriam: “Oh, my lord, lay not, I pray thee, sin upon
us, for that we have done foolishly, and for that we have sinned. Let her not, I
pray thee, be as one dead” (Numbers 12:11-12). Or take Shimei’s confession to
the king whom he had cursed: “Let not my lord impute iniquity unto me, neither
do thou remember that which thy servant did perversely; for thy ser­vant doth
know that I have sinned” (2 Samuel 19:19-20). No hard and fast line was drawn
between the vocabulary of religion and that of daily life. Words like “grace”
(Ruth 1:8) and “blessing” (A blessing, 2 Kings 5:15, is a very tangible thing.
It may­be a present of two talents of silver and two suits of clothes, 2 Kings
5:23) were equally applicable to God and man.

Perhaps there is no part of the Old Testament from which we learn so clearly the
fearlessness and candor, with which men who felt their awful need of God could
pray to Him, as the book of Job. The appeals of Job—until he is humbled by the
marvelous panorama of God’s mighty wisdom and love (Job 38 f.)—are always brave,
often bold, and occasionally all but blasphemous, so that we cannot wonder that
his conventional friends were shocked or that the oldest of them should reproach
him with forgetting that spirit of humble devotion which becomes men in the
presence of God (Job 15:4). The boldness of Job even in prayer—if such his
desperate appeals can be called— is the boldness of conscious integrity,
intensified a thousand fold by his intolerable and unmerited suffer­ing.
Repeatedly he asserts that he would not be afraid to appear before God, and he
clamors for an audience with Him, if only the conditions of the audience be
fair, and such that he will be able to do his own case justice: that is, God
must, on the one hand, remove his leprosy from him, and, on the other, He must
not overwhelm him by His terrible majesty (Job 9:34 f.; Job 13:20 f.) If these
conditions be fulfilled, then Job is ready to appear, not as a coward with
hanging head, nor yet as a penitent suppliant, but with head erect “as a prince
would I go near unto Him” ( Job 31:37). Why should God torment him so? “Am I a
sea-monster, that Thou settest a watch over me? Granted that I have sinned, what
harm can I do unto Thee, O Thou who watchest men only too terribly well. Why
hast Thou set me as a mark for Thee? Granted that I have sinned, why then dost
Thou not pardon my trans­gressions and take away mine iniquity?” (Job 7:12; Job
7:20 f.) He refuses to be condemned unjustly, and demands that God should show
him why He condemns him (Job 10:2). “Thou knowest that I am not guilty” (Job
10:7). What good does God get by crushing him, by despising the work of His own
hands? (Job 10:3) He parodies the eighth Psalm: “What is man, that Thou
shouldest count him so great and set Thy mind upon him, and visit him every
morning”—only to torment him? (Job 7:17 f.) He denies that the world is governed
on moral prin­ciples: “It is all the same: He destroys the innocent and the
guilty alike” (Job 9:22). And in a terrible moment he utters the audacious
thought that God has made him only to destroy him (Job 10:7-13).

Such utterances are not perhaps prayer in the common sense of the word. They are
rather a volley of angry bitter questions, and of agonized appeals. But through
the audacious form breathes a spirit which is the condition of all prayer—the
overwhelm­ing recognition of the fact of God. These bold speeches remind us
again of Goethe’s remark: they suggest the liberty, the thoughtless liberty,
that a man in a passion will take with his friend. They are very different from
the sweet humility of Psalms 131.

Jehovah, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty.

Neither do I exercise myself in great matters, Or in things too wonderful for
me.

Surely I have stilled and quieted my soul;

Like a weaned child with his mother, Like a weaned child is my soul within me.
The temper is very different, but inspired by the same passion for the
friendship of God. It has, of course, to be remembered that the book of Job is
poetry and not history, though probably it correctly enough mirrors the
struggles through which perplexed souls passed in the political and intellectual
confusion of post-exilic times.

There is perhaps no Old Testament character, certainly no Old Testament prophet,
whom we know so intimately as Jeremiah. He is the most intensely human of all
the prophets, “bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh.” He has nothing of the
transcen­dentalism of Ezekiel, nothing of the serenity of Isaiah. His eyes are
so blinded with tears that he cannot see the King upon His throne high and
lifted up. The religion of such a man must be of peculiar interest to us, and it
is a matter of great good fortune that so many of his prayers have been
preserved. Most of his re­corded prayers, however, are wrung from him by the
treachery and heartlessness of his people, and together they give a very
inadequate and perhaps totally mis­leading impression of the man.

He “rolled his cause upon Jehovah”—that is the phrase in which he describes his
recourse to God in time of persecution (Jeremiah 20:12); and often enough, in
the course of his checkered and heart-breaking career would he have occasion to
turn to the God whom he calls “my strength and my stronghold and my refuge in
the day of affliction”(Jeremiah 16:19). The siege of Jerusalem, when “the city
was being given into the hand of the Chaldeans that fought against it” (Jeremiah
32:24), would bring him many a sorrowful moment, and at least two allusions to
prayer come from that time. After purchasing the field of his cousin in
Anathoth, though humanly speaking the prospects are that the land will be
permanently alienated, he seeks in prayer for the guarantee of the hope of
ultimate restoration that seems to be belied by the existing situation (Jeremiah
32:16 ff.). And again comes the impulse to pray when he is imprisoned in the
court of the guard (Jeremiah 33:3). But more than by the doubt and misery of the
siege was Jeremiah distressed by the depravity of his fellow-countrymen, who
hated and feared him so much that they plotted against his life; and some of the
most appalling prayers in the Bible are offered by him that the divine vengeance
may fall upon these base and treacherous men. “Let their wives become childless
and widows, and let their men be slain” (Jeremiah 18:21). “Bring upon them the
day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction” (Jeremiah 17:18). “Pull
them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of
slaughter” (Jeremiah 12:3), and “let me see Thy vengeance upon them” (Jeremiah
20:12).

These are singular prayers; but prayer has to be interpreted, like prophecy, in
its historical context. On Jeremiah’s view of the world, such prayers were
inevitable. Generally speaking, the ancient Hebrew belief was that God rewarded
men according to their works; their material fortune was therefore the key to
their character. This creed seems to be palpably belied by the facts. Jeremiah
is perplexed and con­founded by what he sees. He does not doubt the justice of
God, and yet he would fain discuss with Him the principles on which He governs
the world (Jeremiah 12:1). He had meant the best and suffered the worst; if he
fails in the end, and his enemies succeed, he is dis­credited, and with him the
character of God and His government of the world. It is this that accounts for
the temper of Jeremiah’s prayers. Without any sure outlook upon immortality, if
the moral order is to be vindicated at all, it must be here and now. Jeremiah,
therefore, repeatedly protests his own innocence, as well as his persecutors’
guilt. With transparent sin­cerity, he fearlessly appeals to God’s knowledge of
his heart. “Thou that triest the righteous, that seest the heart and the mind
(Jeremiah 20:12), Thou knowest me, Thou seest me and triest my heart toward
Thee” (Jeremiah 12:3).

Jeremiah’s contemporary Habakkuk was equally perplexed, but he meets his doubts
more serenely. He takes his stand upon the watch-tower of faith and listens for
an answer (Habakkuk 2:1; cf. Psalms 85:8). Jeremiah remains down below upon the
plain in the din and confusion of the battle, with the footman and the horsemen
and his own hot heart (Jeremiah 12:5). His temperament, his tragic experience,
his sensitive religious nature, all combine to inspire his prayers with a
passion and familiarity which have no parallel anywhere. He addresses God as one
who is behaving like a man who has lost his head, and who cannot save (Jeremiah
14:9); he compares Him even in prayer to a deceitful brook and to waters that
fail (Jeremiah 15:18). He charges Him with beguiling him into his prophetic
mission (Jeremiah 20:7). He, the mighty Jehovah, had overmastered the
tender­hearted Jeremiah, who was but a child (Jeremiah 1:6), and thrust him upon
a career in which he had become a laughing stock all the day (Jeremiah 20:7).

Yet nothing in the world is so precious to Jeremiah as the God who tries and
perplexes him so. He stands alone, without wife or child (Jeremiah 16:2) or any
of the human joys that lift men over trouble or console them within it; he has
no seat in the gatherings of men who meet to make merry and rejoice (Jeremiah
15:17). All the more real to him, therefore, is God. God is all that he has, and
He must be everything. He is his refuge in the day of evil (Jeremiah 17:17), and
His words are the joy and the rejoicing of his heart (Jeremiah 15:16). Jeremiah
is, in some ways, the most religious spirit in the Old Testament, and it is
significant that among historical characters—for Job is not historical— his
prayers are the boldest. He speaks with all the fearlessness and passion of a
man to his friend. No book dealing with historical times is so replete with
dialogue between God and man as Jeremiah. His ear is very sensitive to the
divine voice; he can both speak and listen. For himself, he beseeches help and
healing (Jeremiah 17:14); upon his enemies he calls for ven­geance. But that is
not all. Again and again we find him in the capacity of intercessor. It is
unfor­tunate that none of his intercessory prayers have been preserved; but it
is plain from a few stray references that they must have been habitual and
earnest (Jeremiah 11:14; Jeremiah 14:11). “Remember how I stood before Thee to
speak good for them” (Jeremiah 18:20). Such a man as Jeremiah, even when his
message was rejected, must have produced, like Jesus, a tremendous impression
upon the people. He is universally recognized as a man whose intercession is
powerful. Even when his fortunes are at their lowest, Zedekiah the king
recognizes the power of his prayer (Jeremiah 37:3), and no less the people
(Jeremiah 42:2). The greatness of Jeremiah both in prophecy and prayer is all
the more striking when we contrast him with Ezekiel. To Ezekiel God is also very
real, but He is girt about with a mysterious glory which renders Him all but
inaccessible, and it is significant of this remoteness of God that dialogue and
prayer are very rare in the book of Ezekiel. The dialogue in Ezekiel 4:14 f.
turns upon ceremonial cleanness, and though “the hand of Jehovah” was often upon
him, there are only two brief prayers in the book. Ezekiel’s characteristic
address is “Ah Lord Jehovah” (Ezekiel 4:14; Ezekiel 9:8; Ezekiel 11:13). There
is, if you like, a profounder reverence than in Jeremiah, but he lacks that
prophet’s terrible passion and his overwhelming sense of the need of God as his
friend.

It now remains to discuss how the answer to prayer was mediated. In early times
the methods were primitive. An answer might, of course, come directly, without
any other mediation than that of circum­stance. Abraham’s servant prays for a
specific sign to guide him to the woman of whom he is in search, and the sign
comes to pass (Genesis 24:15). Such prayers, in their naivete, often come
perilously near dictation. The speaker needs definite guidance, and he can be
most sure of it when the conditions are pre-arranged by himself. Sometimes, as
in the case of Gideon, the circumstance through which the divine will is
declared is miraculous. But in early times, as a rule, it had to be
profes­sionally interpreted. How elaborate was the apparatus of Oriental peoples
for ascertaining the divine will, we may see from the very earnest protest
raised against all but prophetic mediation in Deuteronomy 18:9-16. There were
diviners, augurs, enchanters, sorcerers, necromancers, etc.; and though as early
as the reign of Saul, there was an energetic attempt to remove these influences
from Israel (1 Samuel 28:9), they continued to flourish more or less openly for
centuries. Saul himself tried to pierce the secrets of the future by the aid of
necromancy; the practice is attested for Isaiah’s (Isaiah 8:19) time, and
persisted at any rate a century longer (Deuteronomy 18). There is a curious
reference in 2 Kings 16:15 to an altar which Ahaz used “to inquire by.” The
common methods of ascertaining the divine will are summarized in the story of
Saul, who, it is said, inquired of Jehovah but received no answer, “either by
dreams or by Urim or by prophets.” (1 Samuel 28:6; cf. 1 Samuel 28:15).

We have already seen how both in Old and New Testament God is represented as
speaking to men in dreams and visions. From this early notice, therefore, we may
conclude that, apart from a revelation which might come directly in a dream, the
divine answer was usually conceived as mediated by priests and prophets. It was
an Israelitish priest who was sent from Assyria to teach the way of the God of
Israel (2 Kings 17:27 f.). —in this case the way in which He should be
wor­shipped; and the Urim just mentioned were part of the paraphernalia of the
priest. Precisely what they were we do not know; but an interesting notice,
preserved in the Greek version of 1 Samuel 14:41, but suppressed in the
Masoretic text, suggests that they were a means of casting lots. Instructive,
too, is the notice in 1 Samuel 30:7-8. When David is in doubt as to whether or
not he should pursue the Amalekites who had raided his camp, he “inquired of
Jehovah.” But in order to do this, “he Said to Abiathar the priest, ‘I pray
thee, bring me hither the ephod,’ and Abiathar brought thither the ephod to
David.” And, now that the priest is present with his oracular instruments,
“David inquired of Jehovah, saying, etc.” The priest had control of the oracle
(1 Samuel 22:10. For peoples outside of Israel, cf. 1 Samuel 6:2-3), and it was
by the oracle that the divine will was ascertained. Espe­cially were affairs of
tribal and national importance submitted to it. It is consulted, for example,
before the assault of Israel upon Canaan (Judges 1:1), it is repeatedly referred
to in the book of Samuel, and it is an inter­esting fact that these references
nearly all occur in the life of David, who determines, in particular, the
movements of his military career by it (1 Samuel 23:10; 1 Samuel 30:8; 2 Samuel
2:1; 2 Samuel 5:19). The answer of the oracle is not confined to Yes and No. It
can give specific guidance (Judges 1:1; Judges 20:18; 1 Samuel 10:22; 2 Samuel
2:1). Possibly alternative questions were put and the answer determined by lot
(1 Samuel 23:10 ff.). The last illustration of the casting of lots in the Bible
is in connection with the appointment of a successor to Judas (Acts 1:26).
Possibly it was felt that such methods were no longer worthy or compatible with
absolute reliance upon the guidance of the spirit. But far more important for
the development of religion than the oracle of the priests was the pro­phetic
interpretation of the divine will; and it is with a true instinct that in
Deuteronomy 18:15 prophecy is singled out as that which is distinctive of and
essential to Israel’s religion. “Jehovah Thy God will raise up unto Thee a
prophet: unto him ye shall hearken.” It was to them that Jehovah revealed His
secret (Amos 3:7), and though multitudes of the professional prophets were
time-servers (1 Kings 22:6), it was they more than any others who were felt to
be the repositories of the purpose of God. When the divine will has to be
ascertained on the eve of a campaign, on two occasions Jehoshaphat is anxious to
hear what a true prophet has to say (1 Kings 22:7; 2 Kings 3:11). Hezekiah,
distressed by the blasphemous insolence of the Assyrians, and their menace of
Jerusa­lem, appeals to the prophet Isaiah, and receives a divine answer through
him (2 Kings 19:1-6), just as, more than a century afterwards, Zedekiah receives
an answer through Jeremiah (Jeremiah 21:1-4). The prophetess Huldah was also
consulted by the deputation of Josiah, whom the discovery of the book of the
covenant had thrown into consternation (2 Kings 22:14).

How the prophets themselves reached their lonely pre-eminence as interpreters of
the divine will is a mystery to the depths of which we cannot altogether
penetrate. But it is plain that the, knowledge they won of the purpose of God
was conditioned, in very large measure, by their sympathy with that purpose. It
is the pure in heart who see God, and it is they who hear Him too. The prophets
who uttered false mes­sages were those who cared less for the truth than for the
bite that was put into their mouths (Micah 3:5). Inter­course of the highest
kind was possible only to one who was cleansed of all mercenary motives and
whose sole ambition was to see the people turn to purity and God. But even to
such men the answer did not always come quickly. The will of God could only be
revealed to those who could possess their souls in patience. Twice we find
Jeremiah reaching certainty only through a period of watching and waiting. Once,
as he lies in prison, he hears a voice telling him to buy the field in Anathoth
which his cousin will come to offer him for sale; and, when the cousin comes,
“then I knew that this was the word of Jehovah” (Jeremiah 32:6-8). Another time,
Hananiah promises complete deliverance from Baby­lon within two years (Jeremiah
28:1-5). At first Jeremiah does not know how to deal with the prophecy, and
contents himself with pointing out that, according to the teaching of history,
prophecies of peace are less likely to be fulfilled than prophecies of evil:
“and he went his way.” But afterwards the conviction that Hananiah was wrong
grew upon him till it became a cer­tainty. Then he appeared, denounced
Hananiah’s message as a He, and prophesied his death within the year—a prophecy
which seems to have been literally fulfilled. The pause before the answer comes
is not always so obvious as in these two cases, but it is usually plain enough
for those who can read between the lines. Jeremiah, perplexed by the anomalies
of the moral world, appeals to the God who sees him and knows his heart, to pull
his enemies out like sheep for the slaughter (Jeremiah 12:3). But no bolt from
heaven falls. Then after the silence and agonized meditation of days and it may
be of months, a voice articulates itself, and answers his prayer, but only by
assuring him that more terrible things are in store. “If thou hast run with the
footmen and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and
if in a peaceful land thou fleest, how wilt thou do in the jungles of Jordan?”
(Jeremiah 12:5) So it was with Paul. In a matter that concerned him very closely
the answer came only after he had besought the Lord three times; and when at
last it came, it seemed, as did the answer to Jeremiah, stern and hard. The
desire of his heart was not granted; but there came to him an assurance which
was better still—the assurance of the grace of Christ, and that was sufficient
(2 Corinthians 12:9).


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  CHAPTER 5: 04.     THE THEMES OF PRAYER
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The Themes of Prayer

If proof were wanted that the religion of Israel under­went development, it
could be secured in abundance from an examination of the prayers of the Bible.
Not that the later prayers are universally finer or pro­founder than the
earlier; prayers for vengeance, for example, are among the latest as well as the
earliest in the Bible. But, generally speaking, there is an advance from the
material to the spiritual. In the earlier times, God was seen only, or at least
most clearly, in His gifts. Men longed for them, partly because in them they
found Him. But in course of time they learned to love Him apart from them, and,
even without them, to be content with Him. The descendants of the men who had
prayed for abundance of corn and wine and oil learned to pray for the nearer
presence of God and for the spread of the gospel of Christ.

We shall consider, first, the petitions of the Bible. More or less throughout
the Old Testament, but especi­ally throughout the earlier period, they gather
round things material. Food, drink, and raiment—after these things the Gentiles
seek, said Jesus; and the same might have been said of the average Hebrew. A
perusal of Deuteronomy 28 or Leviticus 26 illustrates the things which even to
the later Hebrews constituted a blessing and a curse, and there is much truth in
Bacon’s aphorism that “prosperity is the blessing of the Old Testament.” “The
dew of heaven, the fatness of the earth, and plenty of com and wine” —these
words of an ancient blessing (Genesis 27:28) find an echo very late in Hebrew
religion. “Thy great goodness” to which Ezra refers in his prayer of confession
was repre­sented by “a fat land, houses full of all good things, cisterns hewn
out, vineyards and olive-yards, and fruit trees in abundance” (Nehemiah 9:25).
In the prayer associated in 1 Kings 8. with the dedication of the temple by
Solomon, petitions are offered for deliverance from pestilence, famine, drought,
siege, exile, but not for spiritual things as we understand them; though it is
only fair to note that these prayers are to be offered in a spirit of true
penitence—the worshippers are to turn to their God “with all their heart and
with all their soul” (1 Kings 8:48) — and in a sense they are prayers for
forgive­ness. A later writer prays indeed that he may have neither poverty nor
riches, but only such food as was needful for him (Proverbs 30:8); but, broadly
speaking, the object of petition and the ideal of blessing is “the fruit of the
body and the fruit of the ground, grain and wine and oil, in­crease of cattle,
victory over enemies and immunity from sickness” (Deuteronomy 7:13-16). And as a
land without people is worthless, the bless­ing which is entreated and promised
takes the form of an increase of numbers in the family, the tribe, or the nation
(Genesis 28:3; Deuteronomy 1:11; Deuteronomy 13:17); so that to “bless”
practically means to “multiply” (Genesis 1:22; Genesis 28:3). This was very
natural to a people whose existence and prosperity were being continually
menaced by foes on the right hand and on the left. The more numerous were the
defenders of the city, the more confidently could they speak with their enemies
in the gate (Psalms 127:5). Thus prayers for children are of very frequent
occurrence: they are offered some­times by the man (Genesis 25:21), sometimes by
the woman (Genesis 30:17; 1 Samuel 1:11), and invariably by those who wish a
family well (Ruth 4:11). There is a beautiful prayer of a father for guid­ance
in the training of his yet unborn child (Judges 13:8, cf. Judges 5:14), though
the context suggests that the prayer has in view material rather than spiritual
things. Riches, honor, and long life were no doubt the theme of many a petition
(1 Kings 3:13); and a somewhat sinister light is cast upon the possibilities of
early Hebrew prayer by the circum­stance that even the life of one’s enemies is
conceived as a possible object of petition (1 Kings 3:11).

Petition might be negative as well as positive: it might express the desire of
the heart for certain gifts or the desire to be delivered from certain evils or
dangers. It is most of all when men’s souls faint within them that they remember
and cry to Jehovah (Jonah 2:7). The conscience-smitten Jacob, on the eve of
facing the brother whom he had wronged, prays earnestly that God may deliver him
from his hand (Genesis 32:11). So Hezekiah, in mortal terror of the Assyrians,
who “have laid waste the nations and their lands,” prays the God of Israel to
save him from the hand of Sennacherib (2 Kings 19:19). Jeremiah reproaches his
contemporaries with worshipping stocks and stones, and turning their back upon
the living God; “but in the time of their trouble they will say, ‘ Arise and
save us’” (Jeremiah 2:27).

“Save us.” This might be said to be the most char­acteristic prayer of the
Bible; but, in the Old Testa­ment, the deliverance besought is not usually from
sin, but from enemies of a more tangible sort. The Psalter is haunted by the
cruel faces of scheming men, and it is from them that the psalmists pray for
deliverance. Then, as ever, distress drove men to God. “Is any suffering, let
him pray” (James 5:13). When tender women, maddened by hunger, were eating the
bodies of the children they loved (Lamentations 2:20); when Zion had become a
wilder­ness and Jerusalem a desolation; when Jehovah’s holy and beautiful house
had been burned with fire (Isaiah 64:10 f.); then men were constrained to “pour
out their heart like water before the face of the Lord” (Lamentations 2:19) and
to “lift up their heart with their hands unto God in the heavens” (Lamentations
3:41). As we have already seen, the need of God, acutely felt in all times of
danger, was felt with special acuteness before the very obvious dangers of
battle; and from every period of Israel’s history prayers rise from the
battle-field. One of the oldest prayers in the Bible is Joshua’s apostrophe to
the sun and moon during the battle of Gibeon (Joshua 10:12). Samuel prays for
Israel before the battle of Ebenezer (1 Samuel 7:5), and nearly a thousand years
later in the Maccabean struggles, which, more than any other, recall the ancient
days of Hebrew heroism, the same piety is observed (1Ma 4:30-33; 1Ma 5:33; 1Ma
11:71 f.). Between these periods the union of piety and heroism is illustrated
by Nehemiah, one of whose weapons in battle is prayer. He urges his men not only
to fight with all their might for their wives and children, but to “remember the
Lord, who is great and terrible” (Nehemiah 4:14).

There are several characteristic references to prayer before battle in the book
of Chronicles. Abijah delivers a long religious harangue before the battle with
Jeroboam I (2 Chronicles 13:4-12), and Asa prays to Jehovah before his assault
upon the Ethopians (2 Chronicles 14:11). Most interesting, however, and most
characteristic of all is the Chroni­cler’s description of the preparations for
the attack upon the combined forces of Moab and Ammon (2 Chronicles 20). The
king Jehoshaphat offers a very earnest prayer to save Judah from the great army
opposed to them; and, as if that were not enough, an exhortation is delivered
the day before the battle by a Levite, after which they all fall down before
Jehovah. The next morning Jehosha­phat again heartens them: “Believe in Jehovah,
your God, so shall ye be established”; and after that singers are appointed to
go before the army singing, “Give thanks to Jehovah; for His loving-kindness
endureth for ever.” It seems natural to suppose that the Chronicler has imported
into his battle scenes that peculiar type of ecclesiastical piety which colors
his whole history. The speech of Abijah is replete with ceremonial allusions,
and Jehoshaphat concludes his prayer with the words: “We have no might against
the great company that cometh against us, neither know we what to do; but our
eyes are upon Thee” (2 Chronicles 20:12). It can hardly be denied that there is
a certain unreality about this, when we consider that, according to the
Chronicler’s own account, he had nearly a million and a quarter fighting men (2
Chronicles 17:14-18). But whatever the historical value of such narratives may
be, they are at least significant for the piety of the period: it was incredible
that Israel should enter a battle without committing her cause to God. But even
within the Old Testament there are prayers for other things than bread and
victory. The seers of Israel knew that men did not live by bread alone
(Deuteronomy 8:3), and prayers rise for wisdom and forgiveness, for guidance and
a closer walk with God. The noble prayer of Solomon for wisdom is regarded in
the narrative as touching unusual heights (1 Kings 3:11; cf. James 1:5) in its
deliberate rejection of riches and honor. Ezra acknowledges that along with the
manna which fed Israel “Thou gavest also Thy good spirit to instruct them”
(Nehemiah 9:20). One of the most fervent prayers in the Bible is for the
presence of the spirit, and for the cleansing and renewing of the heart.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from Thy presence. And take not Thy holy spirit from me.
(Psalms 51:10 f.)

There were men who longed for the light of God’s face, and to whom that light
was better than corn and wine (Psalms 4:6 f.), men whose heart’s desire was to
be delivered from every crooked way, and led in the way everlast­ing (Psalms
139:24), men who felt that a man was nothing profited, if he gained the world
and lost God and his soul. The supreme longing of the profounder souls of Israel
was for God, not gifts but Himself. This passion receives everlasting expression
in the words of a later psalmist: “If I have but Thee, I ask for nothing in
heaven or earth. Though flesh and heart fail, yet God is my portion for ever. .
. . My happiness lies in being near my God” (Psalms 73:25-28). Such men felt
that God held them by the hand, and guided them through this world, and they
were sure that He would afterwards receive them to glory (Psalms 73:24). When,
after the anguish of doubt, they had found him, they were content with Him, and
they could dispense with all the visible and customary proofs of His goodness.
For though the fig-tree shall not flourish, And there be no fruit in the vines,
Though the labor of the olive fail And the fields yield no food, Though the
flock be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls;

Yet will I rejoice in Jehovah, I will joy in the God of my salvation. (Habakkuk
3:17-18) The defects of the Old Testament prayer are asso­ciated with the
defects of the Old Testament religion generally. To one who forgets that the
Biblical reli­gion was in every stage historically conditioned, nothing can be
more disappointing than the frequent cries for vengeance which are heard more or
less loudly in every stage of its development. One of the very oldest poems in
the Bible—the so-called Song of Lamech (Genesis 4:23 f.)— is a song in
glorification of revenge, and one of the oldest prayers—Samson’s—is a prayer for
vengeance (Judges 16:28); and the note struck thus early reverberates throughout
the centuries.

Each of the first four elegies in the book of Lamen­tations concentrates its
passion in a concluding cry for vengeance—Do to them as Thou hast done unto me.
We have already seen how the torn heart of Jeremiah utters itself in wild
appeals to Jehovah to “bring upon his enemies the day of evil and destroy them
with a double destruction” (Jeremiah 17:18); and Nehemiah prays that God will
remember his enemies according to their works (Nehemiah 6:14), frustrate their
plans, carry them to a foreign land, and refuse to pardon their sin (Nehemiah
4:4).

It is somewhat remarkable that the two historical characters whose prayer life
we know best and whose piety was of the intensest, should have repeatedly prayed
in this strain. It is equally remarkable that some of the tenderest and most
beautiful voices in the Psalter occasionally break into imprecation (Psalms
137). It is the man who expressed in language of unapproachable simplicity and
beauty his sense of the mysterious omni­presence of God, that confesses to
hating his enemies with implacable hatred, and prays for their destruc­tion
(Psalms 139:20 f.). Two men die with prayers for vengeance upon their lips
(Judges 16:28; 2 Chronicles 24:22); and in the book of Revelations (Revelation
6:10) the martyred souls beneath the altar are represented as crying aloud to
God for vengeance on those who had slain them.

It has to be remembered that these imprecations are seldom or never the
utterance of a selfish passion. The enemies denounced are enemies of the moral
order (Psalms 94:5-6). They are the men who plotted against the innocent
Jeremiah, who sought to frustrate the patriotic work of Nehemiah, who longed to
see Jeru­salem razed to the ground (Psalms 137:7). Further, there was for long
no outlook upon immortality, no certainty of a judgment beyond. If God was to
interpose to vindi­cate the violated order of the moral world, He must do so
speedily. Of the Old Testament saints it could seldom be said, “believing where
they did not see.” Seeing was believing; and, without sight, faith was
difficult, sometimes impossible. Very seldom does the Old Testament religion
shake itself completely free of this materialism. The skeptics are not
convinced, and the pious are not content, till they see something. “Let him make
speed, let Him hasten His work, that we may see it” (Isaiah 5:19) say the
former. They taunt Jere­miah with the challenge, “Where is the word of Jehovah?
Let it come now” (Jeremiah 17:15); and it is this chal­lenge that drives the
prophet to his passionate prayers. The disconsolate who cry, “Where is the God
of justice?” (Malachi 2:17) Malachi points to a coming judgment in which the
righteous shall be spared and the wicked consumed; and then “ye shall see the
difference between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God
and him that serveth Him not” (Malachi 3:18). The weakness of Old Testament
religion is its materialism, but this is also its strength. Deprived for
centuries of the hope of another world, it threw itself with passion upon the
world that now is, and claimed it in its every part for God. Without the
splendid range and versatility the Greek, the Hebrew had an almost Greek
interest in this world. There is an occasional mysticism about Hebrew poetry:
every man walketh in a vain show, and life is but a pilgrimage and a dream
(Psalms 39). But that is not the dominant note of the older religion. It did not
lose itself in the distant heavens. The earth was the Lord’s, and He had given
it to men; and there, if at all, they were determined, and even bound, to find
Him. If He moved upon it, was it unreasonable to expect that His footprints
would be visible? And so all the treasures of field and vine­yard, all the
delights of home and country were regarded as blessings from His good hand.
History was but the march of the Divine purpose; and when virtue seemed to be
defeated and vice triumphant, faith was put to a terrible strain. It seemed as
if God had left His world. But though Old Testament religion was limited, within
its limitations it was intensely and passionately real. Its healthy materialism
was one manifestation of its faith. It expected and found God in the world,
because it claimed the world for God. In the New Testament, prayer is, as we
might expect, predominantly for things spiritual. Doubtless material things
could not be altogether ignored or for­gotten; had not the Master Himself taught
His dis­ciples to pray for bread, and had He not made upon them the impression
that any request they made in His name would be answered? But requests by such
men and in such a name would be overwhelmingly for things spiritual. Those whose
ambition was to “abide in Him” would not be sorely troubled by ambitions of a
worldly kind.

All requests were to be made in accordance with the Divine will, and as that
will was the salvation of all men through the gospel of Jesus, many of the New
Testament prayers are for the success of that gospel among those to whom it is
preached, for boldness in proclaiming it, and for the further strengthening and
establishing of those who have already accepted it. One of the earliest prayers
in the book of Acts (Acts 9:20 f.) is that the servants of the Lord may be
enabled to speak His word with all boldness, and that signs and wonders be done
through the name of Jesus. Paul, like his Master (John 17:15), prayed that his
converts should be preserved from all that was evil and perfected in all that
was good, that they should be filled with the knowledge of the Divine will
(Colossians 1:9), and with the desire to do the same. In the early church, this
spiritual note is the dominant one. Epaphras prays earnestly that the Colossians
“may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God,” (Colossians 4:12)
and in almost the same words the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews (Hebrews
13:21) prays that those whom he addresses may be made perfect in every good
thing to do His will.

One of the most eloquent proofs of the profound seriousness of Israel’s
religion, despite its materialistic bias, is to be found in the prayers of
confession. She needed forgiveness as well as bread. Her creed was, “there is no
man that sinneth not (1 Kings 8:46); and although the conception of sin included
breaches of the cere­monial no less than of the moral law, all the formal
confessions of the Old Testament fall within the latter category. It is very
significant that, with probably only one real exception, these prayers are
collective, not individual—confessions, that is, of national and not of personal
sin. The exception is the confession which David makes after numbering the
people, where he prays that the punishment may fall, not upon his innocent
people, but upon himself and his father’s house (2 Samuel 24:17). This last
phrase throws light upon the com­parative absence of individual confessions. In
reality, the father’s house should have been no more entitled to pay the penalty
than the innocent people; but in earlier times, the whole family of the sinner
was in­volved in his doom (Cf. Achan in Joshua 7). This, of course, was due to a
defective sense of the absolute value of the individual soul. Relatively
speaking, at least till the time of Jeremiah, and more or less till the time of
Jesus, the individual was lost in the community. The religious unit was the
nation, not the man; the individual had not yet fully come to his own. A
striking feature of these public confessions is that almost invariably the
worshippers acknowledge the sin of the fathers as well as their own. The ages
are felt to be linked each to each by a chain of sin. “We have sinned against
Jehovah our God, we and our fathers” (Jeremiah 3:25). “We acknowledge, O
Jehovah, our wickedness and the iniquity of our fathers” (Jeremiah 14:20).
“Since the days of our fathers,” prays Ezra, “we have been exceedingly guilty
unto this day” (Ezra 9:7). Another con­fession led by him is introduced with the
words, “they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers”
(Nehemiah 9:2; cf. Leviticus 26:40); and a much later prayer runs: “For our sins
and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Thy people are become a
reproach to all that are round about us” (Daniel 9:16). Sometimes the speaker
acknowledges his own personal guilt in the general confession—“my sin and the
sin of my people Israel” (Daniel 9:20; Cf. Nehemiah 1:6, “I and my father’s
house have sinned.”) —and sometimes the various classes of the community,
especially the leading classes, are ex­pressly mentioned—“kings, princes,
priests” (Nehemiah 9:33; cf. Daniel 9:8) —as if to include all under the same
condemnation.

Usually in the Old Testament confession is con­nected with calamity: suffering
is the impulse to self-examination. It was when Israel was “sore dis­tressed,”
that she “cried unto Jehovah, saying, ‘ We have sinned against Thee’” (Judges
10:9-10). The sins con­fessed are usually general rather than specific. As the
grace of God was most typically manifested in the deliverance of Israel from
Egypt, so the sins of that early period are typical of the sins of Israel’s
subsequent career: obstinacy, disobedience, rebellion, ingratitude, incredulity,
forgetfulness, indifference, idolatry (Nehemiah 9; Psalms 106; Isaiah 64:5-6).
Since to later times, the religion of Israel was supremely embodied in Moses and
the prophets, the worshippers confess in general terms that they “have not kept
the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances, which Thou didst command
Thy servant Moses,” (Nehemiah 1:7; cf. Daniel 9:5) that they had cast the divine
law behind their back (Nehemiah 9:26). In particular, Ezra confesses the breach
of the law which forbade intermarriage with their heathen neighbors (Ezra 9:12).
Again it is said that they had not walked according to the laws which Jehovah
had set before them by His servants the prophets (Daniel 9:10); they had even
gone the length of slaying the prophets who had testified against them (Nehemiah
9:26). The climax of the confession is usually solemn and impressive, and it
conforms to a certain simple type. In two Hebrew words (Daniel 9:15), or three
(1 Kings 8:47), or four—“we have sinned, we have dealt perversely, we have done
wickedly, we have rebelled” (Daniel 9:5)—the penitents pour out their hearts. It
is more like a series of sobs than a prayer. The simple brevity (Cf. the
confession of the prodigal son in Luke 15:21) of the Hebrew is very solemn and
impressive, and is altogether lost in the diffuse language of the English
translation. Prayers of confession are more frequent and elaborate in
post-exilic than in pre-exilic times, partly because the church, as a whole, is
more highly organized, and partly because, as the religion advances, under the
strain of sorrowful experience, it is led to take on a more somber color. The
formal confessions of later times always acknow­ledge the justice of God. “Thou
hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve,” (Ezra 9:13) and “Thou art
just in all that has come upon us” (Nehemiah 9:33). So the wor­shippers can do
nothing but throw themselves upon the marvelous mercy of God. “To the Lord our
God belong mercies and forgiveness” (Daniel 9:9). He is ready to blot out as a
thick cloud their transgressions (Isaiah 44:22). He is a God that pardons
iniquity (Micah 7:18 f.). True, it is this persistent goodness of God—what Ezra
twice calls His “manifold mercies” (Nehemiah 9:19; Nehemiah 9:27) — that makes
their wicked­ness so heinous. They had sinned against a light that had shone as
the noon-day. But as that mercy was the deepest thing in the divine nature, it
could always be depended upon by those who turned to it in sin­cerity and truth.
So they confess in hope (Micah 7:9). “For we do not present our supplications
before Thee for our righteousness, but for Thy great mercies’ sake” (Daniel
9:18); and a passionate earnestness rings through the words with which this
prayer concludes: “O Lord, hear; O Lord forgive; O Lord hearken and do. Defer
not, for Thine own sake, O my God” (Daniel 9:19).

We shall now consider the intercessory prayers. They are not very numerous, but
they are of great significance. It would not be unfair to estimate a man’s
religion by the earnestness with which he longs for the welfare of others and
love of the brethren will express itself, in normal circumstances, in prayer for
them. Those who love them most and those who are most responsible for their
spiritual welfare will be likely to pray most for them. It is, therefore, very
fitting that the prophets, who in a special sense were charged with the
religious welfare of Israel, should so often appear as intercessors. We think of
them pre-eminently as preachers, but they had first pled with God for the men to
whom they afterwards ap­pealed in His name. Most of them must have been
powerful, or at least, impressive speakers. Their gifts and temperaments
differed widely, but the passionate sincerity of such men as Elijah and
Jere­miah must have produced a stupendous impression even upon audiences that
were not disposed to accept their message; and we can well believe that a
special (efficacy was supposed to attach to their prayers.

Twice, in moments of danger, the people beseech Samuel to cry to their God for
them (1 Samuel 7:8; 1 Samuel 12:19), and Samuel seems to regard intercession as
part of his official duty the neglect of which is a sin. “Far be it from me that
I should sin against Jehovah in ceasing to pray for you (1 Samuel 12:23; cf. 1
Samuel 7:5). A similar sense of the duty and power of prophetic prayer shines
through the words of Jere­miah: “Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my
mind would not be toward this people.” (Jeremiah 15:1. There may also be here
the feeling that the prayers of the ancient prophets were more efficacious than
the modern. Ezekiel 14:14; Ezekiel 14:16; Ezekiel 14:18; Ezekiel 14:20, in a
similar connection, mentions the names of Noah, Daniel and Job.) Moses is
regarded as the incomparable prophet whose like had not arisen since in Israel
(Deuteronomy 34:10), and it is worthy of note that nearly all the prayers
ascribed to him are intercessory. Repeatedly he prays that the plagues be
removed from Pharaoh. He prays for his apostate people in language that reaches
almost un­paralleled heights of self-sacrificing devotion (Exodus 32:31 f.). He
prays that the leprosy be removed from Miriam (Numbers 12:13). And, in his case,
as in Samuel’s, the people recognize his intercessory power (Numbers 21:7). The
date of these narratives is immaterial: they are at any rate a proof of the
power which later ages conceived to accompany the prophet’s speech with God no
less than his speech to men.

Practically all the intercessory prayers of the Old Testament are offered either
by prophets or by men —such as Abraham (Genesis 20:7) and Job—whom later ages
idealized as prophets. Abraham’s intercession for Sodom (Genesis 18:22 ff.) and
for King Ahimelech (Genesis 20:17), and Job’s inter­cession for his friends are
characteristic; and their prayers are efficacious. “Abraham is a prophet, and he
shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live” (Genesis 20:7). “My servant Job shall
pray for you,” (Job 42:8) that is, for the “orthodox” friends, who had not
spoken of God the thing that was right. The historical prophets from Elijah (Cf.
the late story in 1 Kings 13:6, where Jeroboam I entreats the man of God to pray
for the restoration of his withered hand.) on appear frequently in the role of
intercessors. Elijah prays for the restoration of the widow’s son (1 Kings
17:21). Amos the stem, from whom one would expect little pity, pleaded twice
that the blow should not fall upon Israel (Amos 7:2; Amos 7:5). King Hezekiah,
after insulting message of the Rabshakeh, entreats Isaiah through the priests
and two court officials to “lift up his prayer for the remnant that is left” (2
Kings 19:4); and the Chronicler puts into the mouth of Hezekiah himself a very
beautiful prayer to “Jehovah the good” for pardon for those who had) earnestly
sought their God, even though their conduct had not been ceremonially correct (2
Chronicles 30:18).

Most instructive, however, is the intercession of Jeremiah. From several
allusions in the course of the prophecy we may conclude that Jeremiah
habi­tually prayed for the people (Jeremiah 7:16; Jeremiah 11:14; Jeremiah
14:11), and we have his own express statement, “I stood before Thee to speak
good for them, to turn away Thy wrath from them” (Jeremiah 18:20).

People and king alike request his prayers. During a temporary respite in the
siege of Jerusalem, Zedekiah sent two men to Jeremiah with such a request
(Jeremiah 37:3); and, in the confusion that followed the assassination of
Gedaliah, the governor of Judah, a great crowd; visited Jeremiah with a similar
request. “Pray for: us unto Jehovah thy God . . . that Jehovah thy God may show
us the way wherein we should walk and the thing we should do” (Jeremiah 42:2-3).
The double recognition of Jehovah as Jeremiah’s God is very striking. They may
indeed have besought his prayers, because of the acknowledged and peculiar
efficacy of a prophet’s prayer; but they may also have felt that their sin
(Jeremiah 7:9) had rendered their approach impossible or their prayers
unavailing. Twice, too, Ezekiel is moved to a brief intercessory prayer for the
remnant of Israel (Ezekiel 9:8; Ezekiel 11:13). Prayers are occasionally offered
for for­eigners, but here, as everywhere in the Old Testa­ment, the national
note is heard. Jeremiah, for example, urges the exiles to pray to Jehovah for
Babylon and to seek her welfare, “for in the peace thereof ye shall have peace”
(Ezra 6:10); and Darius, in his decree, desires the prayers of the Jews for
himself and his dynasty (Ezra 6:10). In the Old Testament, intercessory prayer
is usually offered for forfeited or imperiled lives; in the New Testament, its
object is usually the spiritual welfare of those for whom it is offered, as when
Jesus prays that Peter’s faith fail not (Luke 22:32), or Paul, that his Ephesian
converts be strengthened with power in the inward man (Ephesians 3:16 ff.), or
that the Philippians may abound more and more in love (Php 1:9). There are
occasional prayers for blessings of a more material sort. The elders of the
church are to pray for a sick member (James 5:14) and Peter prays for the
restoration of the dead Tabitha (Acts 9:40). The “great Prophet that should come
into the world,” like the ancient prophets, was great in intercession. He poured
out his heart not only for his disciples (John 17:6-19) but for His murderers
(Luke 23:34). A reminiscence of the ancient belief in the power of prophetic
prayer is to be seen in the request of Simon Magus that Peter should pray to the
Lord for him (Acts 8:24); but, with the progress of the gospel which proclaimed
the equality of all men, this belief would tend to disappear, especially after
the last of the disciples had passed away. The prayer of any right­eous man
should avail as much as the prayer of an apostle; and, in accordance with the
belief that, irrespective of rank, men need the prayers of one another (James
5:16), we find Paul not only praying for his converts, but equally earnest in
his requests that they should pray for him (1 Thessalonians 5:25, etc.; cf.
Hebrews 13:18). The Lord’s prayer had taught men that spiritual interests were
paramount, and the lesson was deeply written upon the mind of the early church.
The apostles pray that the Samaritans should receive the Holy Spirit (Acts
8:15): and elsewhere it is recommended that intercession be offered for all men,
especially for those in positions of authority, “that we may lead a tranquil and
quiet life in all godliness and gravity” (1 Timothy 2:1-2). The “welfare of
Jerusalem” was still, as of old, the object of fervent prayer, but it was now no
more the old Jerusalem, but the unseen city not built with hands.

We shall consider in conclusion the prayers of thanks­giving. It is
characteristic of the difference between the Old Testament and the New that such
prayers are relatively far fewer in the former book than in the latter. For one
thing, gratitude is less natural than petition; besides, fullness of joy was
possible only to those who were partakers of the salvation pro­claimed and
wrought by Jesus. But even in the Old Testament there is a deep under-current of
joy. The religious festivals of pre-exilic times were happy gatherings at which
men rejoiced and were glad, as they looked at the produce of the field and
vine-clad hillside, and reminded themselves of the divine good­ness; and even
post-exilic religion, though in many ways somber, is also glad. Worship was
solemn, but happy.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise.

Give thanks unto Him, and bless His name; For Jehovah is good, His love is
everlasting. (Psalms 100:4-5)

These last words—the summary confession of Israel’s faith—are repeatedly echoed,
especially throughout the writings of the priestly school; for example, in the
ideal descriptions of the founding of the first and second temples (2 Chronicles
5:13; Ezra 3:11; cf. Jeremiah 33:11 at the restoration). They form the burden of
one of the most beautiful of the later psalms (Psalms 107; cf. Psalms 145-150,
and they doubtless incarnate an important element in the temple worship. One of
the principal functions of the Levites was “to thank and praise Jehovah,” (1
Chronicles 23:30; cf. 2 Chronicles 8:14) and the book of Daniel represents him
as “kneeling on his knees three times a day, and praying, and giving thanks
before God” (Daniel 6:10). In spite, however, of this pervasive joy, there are
few recorded prayers of thanksgiving in the Old Testament, and those that occur
usually express gratitude for things material—for land (Deuteronomy 8:10), and
food (Deuteronomy 26:6-10), and victory (Psalms 149:5-6). Just as the
Philistines praise Dagon for their victory over Samson (Judges 16:23 f.), so
Jephthah vows and offers a sacrifice for his victory over the Ammonites (Judges
11:30 f.), and much of Israel’s war-poetry was simply a poetic tribute to
Jehovah, their great “man of war” (Exodus 15:3). The only prayer that is
formally prescribed in the Old Testament is a prayer of thanksgiving to be
offered by the worshipper after he has set down the basket of first fruits
before the altar (Deuteronomy 26:6-10). He thus expressed his gratitude—not in
word only, but in deed and truth. As we may infer from many a Hebrew proper
name, prayers of thanksgiving were no doubt offered for the birth of a child
(cf. 1 Samuel 2); also for recovery from sick­ness (Isaiah 38:10-20). David, in
accordance with the rough spirit of a primitive time, blesses his God, when
death has re­moved Nabal out of his way (1 Samuel 25:39). In the New Testament,
though the incomparable joy is that which comes through Jesus, gratitude for
material things is not forgotten. Both Jesus and Paul are recorded as having
prayed before meat; and, although the occasions on which these prayers are
alluded to are always remarkable for other reasons —Jesus’ prayers being
associated with his miracles of feeding the multitude (Matthew 15:36; Mark
8:6-7; Matthew 14:19; Mark 6:41; Luke 9:16; John 6:11), with the institution of
the supper (Matthew 26:26-27; Mark 14:23; Luke 22:19), and with the evening meal
at Emmaus after the resurrection (Luke 24:30), and Paul’s with his shipwreck
(Acts 27:35) — there is every reason to believe that they did this habitually in
accordance with Jewish custom. Re­covery from sickness is often acknowledged in
the New Testament by prayer, the gratitude being some­times expressed by the man
who is healed (Luke 18:43; Acts 3:8), and some­times by the multitudes that
witnessed the cure (Matthew 9:8; Mark 2:12; Luke 5:26; Luke 7:16; Luke 18:43).
But most characteristic of the New Testament are the prayers of thanksgiving
offered to God for the gift of Jesus, and for the triumph of His gospel. Two of
the earliest prayers in the gospel of Luke—those of Simeon and Anna (Luke
2:29-32; Luke 2:38)—are prayers of thanks to God for Jesus, and this reflects
faithfully the spirit of the early church (Acts 4:25 ff.). The triumph of His
gospel among the Gentiles is also a source of the profoundest grati­tude. The
Jerusalem church, a little inclined to be narrow-hearted, is led by the
marvelous stories of Peter (Acts 11:18) and Paul (Acts 21:20) to glorify God,
because that to the Gentiles also He had granted repentance unto life. One
offers thanks for being called to the ministry of Jesus (1 Timothy 1:12), and
another for the hope of immortality which is inspired by the resurrection of
Jesus (1 Peter 1:3 ff).

Songs of praise are unusually abundant in the book of Revelation. Day and night
they rise from the lips of the four living creatures to Him that sitteth upon
the throne (Revelation 4:8). And the reason why the great multitude in heaven
rejoices and gives the glory to God (Revelation 19:6) is because Christ has
conquered the world, and He shall reign for ever and ever (Revelation 11:15).
The scene is set in heaven, and the vision is a vision of faith, not of reality;
yet, though of faith, it is intensely real. The writer sees, if only with the
eye of faith, what Jeremiah had longed to see, and was perplexed and grieved
because he could not see—the manifest vindi­cation of the moral order, the
indisputable triumph of the Kingdom of God. “We give Thee thanks, O ’Lord God,
the Almighty, because Thou hast taken Thy great power and didst reign”
(Revelation 11:16). He had proved Himself more than a match in the struggle with
the cruel powers of evil. Salvation and power belonged to Him, because “He had
judged the great harlot and avenged the blood of His servants” (Revelation
19:2). They had poured out the blood of the saints and prophets, “and blood hast
Thou given them to drink: they deserve it” (Revelation 16:6). Therefore
Hallelujah, and again Hallelujah (Revelation 19:1; Revelation 19:3). Yes,
“righteous art Thou, true and righteous are Thy judgments” (Revelation 16:5;
Revelation 16:7; Revelation 19:2). It is the contemplation of the divine
justice, of the thoroughness and terribleness of the divine judgment upon the
gigantic forces of evil, of the victory of right and good and God, it is these
things that stir the writer’s blood. In its longing for a vindication of the
moral order by the divine vengeance (Revelation 6:10) upon all opposed to that
order, this great literary witness to the spirit of Jewish Christianity stands
very near the Old Testament. But the book, though intensely Jewish, is also
in­tensely Christian. It draws its inspiration, if not always from the spirit of
Jesus, at any rate from an absolute faith in Him, an immovable confidence in His
power and ultimate victory. This confidence is enthusiastically shared by all
the writers of the New Testament; and so it is fitting that although the New
Testament doxologies are usually offered to God (1 Peter 1:3 f.; 1 Peter 5:11),
there is at least one undisputed doxology to Christ. “To Him be the glory both
now and for ever. Amen” (2 Peter 3:18).


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  CHAPTER 6: 05.     THE RELATION OF FAITH AND PRAYER
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The Relation of Faith and Prayer

Apart from the Psalter, the Bible contains fewer prayers than we should be
inclined to expect in a reli­gious literature of so great compass; and although
the incidental allusions to prayer are numerous enough, the question forces
itself upon us whether prayer—at least in the sense in which it is recommended
by Paul— formed so vital and essential a part of practical religion as we are
accustomed to suppose. Prayers are often absent where we should naturally expect
them.

There is, of course, a view of the world to which prayer is impossible, if not
absurd. It is stifled, for example, in such an atmosphere as that of
Ecclesiastes. If one event happened to us all (Ecclesiastes 2:14), “to the
righteous and to the wicked, to the clean and to the unclean, to him that
sacrificeth and to him that sacrificeth not” (Ecclesiastes 9:2), what would be
the meaning of prayer? Would the faith in such a blessed immortality as is
anticipated in Psalms 73:24 not be a delusion, and was the baffled thinker who
wrote Ecclesiastes not right when he refused to console himself with a beatific
vision, but after the dust returned to the earth as it was and the breath to the
God who gave it, pronounced his monotonous and melancholy verdict, “Vanity of
vanities; all is vanity?” (Ecclesiastes 12:7-8) With such an outlook upon life
prayer would lose most of its meaning, and we need not be surprised at its
absence from such a book. But what is, at first sight, really surprising, is its
absence on occasions where it would seem most natural and appropriate. Abraham
offers no prayer of grati­tude when the angel voice delivers him from his
fright­ful obligation to sacrifice his son (Genesis 22:13 f.). Jacob mourns, but
he does not pray, when he learns of the calamity that had befallen Joseph
(Genesis 37:34 f.); he faints for joy, but he does not pray, when he learns that
that son is yet alive (Genesis 45:28). Joseph himself is a man of the most
profound and beautiful piety, but there is no record of a single prayer. The
reformations of Hezekiah and Josiah, though both were dictated by a sense of
sin, were, so far as the records go, unaccompanied by prayer, even in the
Chronicler’s account (2 Chronicles 29, 35), which is all the more remarkable, as
he frequently embellishes his narratives with prayer. Much is said of sacrifice
and music, but nothing of prayer. It is not mentioned in Romans 12:6-8, or in 1
Corinthians 12:28, among the gifts which distinguish the members of Christ’s
body from one another, nor among the fruits of the spirit in Galatians 5:22 f.
It is incidentally mentioned in Paul’s description of the Christian warrior, but
not as part of his armor (Ephesians 6:18).

More remarkable still is the way in which prayer is ignored in the books which
deal with the worship of the sanctuary and the duty of its ministers. There is
no mention of it even in connection with the conse­cration of the priests
(Exodus 40:13 ff,; Leviticus 8:12 ff., Leviticus 8:30 ff.) or the Levites
(Numbers 8), or in connection with the offerings prescribed for the various
festivals in Numbers 28 f. In a chapter which describes a service of peculiar
solemnity, there is only the briefest allusion to it—“Aaron lifted up his hands
toward the people and blessed them” (Leviticus 9:22) —and an equally brief
allusion to the confession of sin in the imposing ceremonies connected with the
great day of atonement (Leviticus 16:21).

Most of the casual references to the priests and Levites occur in connection
with the sacrificial and musical arrangements of the temple—with the offering of
burnt-offering, incense, thanks, and praise (1 Chronicles 16:4; 1 Chronicles
23:13; 1 Chronicles 23:30; 2 Chronicles 29:11; 2 Chronicles 31:2; Luke 1:9;
Hebrews 8:3). The priests also exercised judicial functions (Deuteronomy 17:9;
Deuteronomy 21:5; Ezekiel 44:14), and had the duty of teaching the people the
ritual distinction “between the holy and the common, the clean and the unclean”
(Ezekiel 44:23; Haggai 2:11-13). The casual allusions to thanks and praise no
doubt give us a glimpse into a musical service which, judging by the musical
superscriptions of the psalms, may have been tolerably elaborate; and, in one
aspect, these hymns of thanksgiving may be regarded as prayers. In a description
of such a service two lengthy fragments of Psalms 96 and Psalms 105 are
incorporated (1 Chronicles 16:8-22 = Psalms 105:1-15; 1 Chronicles 16:23-33 =
Psalms 96:1-13; 1 Chronicles 16:34-36 = Psalms 106:1; Psalms 106:47 f.).
Nevertheless, it is striking that in the distinctively ritual books or sections
(Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Ezekiel 40-48), there should be hardly any mention
of prayer in the sense of petition. It would be absurd, of course, to infer from
this silence that petitions were not offered in the temple worship. Sacrifice
even in earlier times was accompanied by prayer (Genesis 12:8). In the calamity
described by Joel, the priests are urged to pray Jehovah to spare His people
(Joel 2:17), and what they did in a crisis they no doubt did, if with more
formality, always. The fact that the priestly legislation deals all but
exclusively with ceremonial goes a long way to explain its almost unbroken
silence on prayer; still that silence cannot but be regarded as striking. In
estimating, however, the frequent omission of references to prayer where they
might naturally have been expected, the scantiness of our records should never
be forgotten. Because, on a certain occasion, a prayer is not recorded, we have
no right to infer that none was offered. No historian is bound to record
everything; and the Bible historian, in particular, exercises sovereign liberty
in his choice of what he shall record and omit. He often depicts the religious
mood so graphically that the prayers which are un­recorded may be taken for
granted. David refuses to curse Shimei, because “it may be that Jehovah will
look on the wrong done unto me, and that Jehovah will requite me good for his
cursing of me this day” (2 Samuel 16:12). Without doubt such a hope would
express itself in prayer. So Jehovah-jireh, the name said to be given by Abraham
to the place where he was delivered from his dilemma (Genesis 22:14), is an
expression of faith which is almost equivalent to a prayer.

Often, again, where no prayer is expressly recorded, an incidental remark or a
parallel passage raises a strong presumption that one was offered. In Leviticus
23:10 f. no mention is made of any prayer of gratitude in connection with the
offering of the first fruits, but in Deuteronomy 26, on a similar occasion, not
only does prayer accompany the offering but a definite prayer is prescribed.
After the prayer (Deuteronomy 26:5-10) occur the words, “and thou shalt
rejoice.” It would not be unnatural to infer from this that all the other
numerous references to rejoicing at the festivals in the sanctuaries were
accompanied by prayer, even though it is not explicitly mentioned.

Further, a stray word in the course of the narrative sometimes-suggests an
unrecorded prayer. Important, for example as was the Jerusalem council Acts 15,
there is no mention of prayer; but its presence is strongly suggested by the
words, “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us” (Acts 15:28). Again, though
the heathen sailors in the Book of Jonah (Jonah 1:5) pray when over­taken by a
storm, no prayer is ascribed to Paul during the storm which wrecked his ship;
but when, in the night, he hears an angel saying to him, “Fear not, God hath
granted thee all them that sail with thee,” (Acts 27:24) it is most natural to
infer that the message comes in response to earnest prayer for himself and his
company.

It is further to be remembered that the Hebrew, like the God he worshipped,
revealed his inmost nature in deeds rather than in words: consequently we may
find an act where we expect a prayer. The feast of booths, for example,
according to the later view of its origin, recalled the deliverance of Israel
from Egypt: it is the pictorial embodiment of gratitude (Leviticus 23:42-42).
Another aspect of that deliverance is supposed to be com­memorated by the
Passover. These and other festivals “remind” Israel (Deuteronomy 16:3, cf.
Deuteronomy 16:12) of the ancient goodness of her God, and so, by the
celebration, she keeps her gratitude fresh; she may also well have expressed it
in the formal language of prayer, though none is recorded. Simi­larly, no formal
prayer of thanksgiving is recorded when Israel crosses the Jordan, but memorial
stones are erected (Joshua 4). The mood which dictates these memorials is the
same as that which expresses itself in prayer. Indeed, it is perhaps more
earnest and religiously valuable; for it expresses not only a momentary
grati­tude, but also the deep determination to perpetuate the memory of the love
of God. A living faith is bound to express itself. It may do so in words of
prayer, but it is at least conceivable that it could do so in the general
attitude and direction of the life, without formally expressing itself in
language. This may partly explain the absence of prayer in the story of such a
life as Joseph’s, and on other occasions where it would be natural. Of course we
must never forget, as we have already said, how extremely meager our sources are
and to what injustice and absurdity the argument from silence could lead in such
a case. Still, the absence of all mention of prayer from the story of Joseph is
somewhat remarkable. Occasions enough there were for it. For long he trod a path
of sorrow. He was destitute, afflicted, tormented. It was through a hard
discipline of misunderstanding, persecution, and imprisonment, that he reached
his seat beside the king. Besides, he was a man of noble piety; yet it is never
said that the prayed.

Such a life, we may suppose, must have expressed itself in prayer; but it is
significant, at any rate for the stand­point of the historian, that he says
nothing of it. In its place, however, is an overwhelming sense of the pres­ence
and providence of God. “It is not in me,” says Joseph; “God shall give Pharaoh
an answer of peace” (Genesis 41:16, cf. Genesis 41:28; Genesis 41:32). Joseph
gives the answer (Genesis 41:25) at once without any recorded prayer for help,
such as is sent up by Nehemiah (Nehemiah 2:4); but he recognizes here, as
elsewhere (Genesis 40:8), that the answer comes to him from God, and Pharaoh
himself admits this (Genesis 41:39). Joseph believes in a gracious providence,
guiding both the past and the future. “It was not you that sent me to Egypt,” he
says to his brothers, “but God” (Genesis 45:5; Genesis 45:7-8) “Ye meant evil
against me, but God meant it for good,” (Genesis 50:20) and the God who has
graciously guided my life “will surely visit you” (Genesis 50:24). The
controlling power that the thought of God exer­cised over him receives its most
brilliant illustration in his memorable answer to the woman who tempted him:
“How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9). Here
is a man of the most splendid piety, but it is interwoven with his life. It is
not—at least in the record—expressed in the formal language of prayer. With
Joseph it is very interesting to compare the story of Daniel. In the later book,
prayer and allusions to prayer are frequent. Daniel offers a prayer of
grati­tude after the revelation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (Daniel 2:20-23), and
an elaborate prayer of entreaty for the forgiveness and restoration of Jerusalem
(Daniel 9:4-19). He requests his com­panions to pray that God would mercifully
reveal the secret of the dream (Daniel 2:18): he himself prayed three times a
day (Daniel 6:10), and there are other references to prayer in the book. Now
this difference in the emphasis on prayer in the two narratives of Joseph and
Daniel is all the more striking when we consider how very similar were the
careers of the men. An element of romance attaches to both stories. Both are
full of dreams and interpretations, the heroes of both were captives, and they
both rose in the land of their captivity to positions of exceptional honor and
influence. The one story comes from the ninth century B.C.,, and the other from
the second. In this simple fact lies no doubt the real explanation of the
difference in their attitude to prayer. The same great faith in God animates
both narratives, but the one expresses itself in prayer and the other does not;
and this, together with many other facts, leads to the conclusion that prayer
shared in the development which characterized the religion generally. We cannot
too often or too earnestly repeat that from silence we are not entitled to infer
indifference; and yet the relative prominence of prayer in post-exilic as
compared with pre-exilic litera­ture is no accident. The prayers are at once
more numerous, more elaborate and more formal. This may be partly due to the
need and desire of the Church to organize her religious life, but it is also due
to a growing sense of the place of prayer in religion. Even more than to the
compilation of history and prophecy must the exile have given the impulse to
prayer. The men who were sinking in the horrible pit and the miry clay would cry
to be set upon a rock. Sorrow would impart to prayer a seriousness it had never
known before; and the exigencies of political and ecclesiastical life after the
return would necessitate a more formal regula­tion of public worship than had
hitherto been cus­tomary. The exile seriously affected both the spirit and the
form of Hebrew prayer This could be abundantly proved by an examination of the
Book of Chronicles. The Chronicler inserts prayers for which there is no warrant
in Samuel and Kings, his principal sources, and a very slender pretext suffices
him for such an insertion. Jehoshaphat, for example, cried out, when the
charioteers turned upon him, mistaking him for the king of Israel; and Jehovah
helped him (2 Chronicles 18:31). There the implication is that the cry is a
prayer, but this presumption is not raised by the narrative in 1 Kings 22:32.
When David built his altar upon Araunah’s threshing-floor and offered sacrifice
(2 Samuel 24:25), the Chronicler adds, “and he called upon Jehovah, and He
answered him from heaven by fire” (1 Chronicles 21:26). Doubtless the sacrifice
was accompanied by prayer, but it is significant that the Chronicler should
elaborate the point. The very beautiful prayer put into the mouth of David after
the presentation of the free-will offering for the temple (1 Chronicles
29:10-19) has no support in the Book of Samuel and is altogether in the later
style. Jehovah is directly addressed in almost every verse, twice in one verse
(1 Chronicles 29:11), also as “our God,” (1 Chronicles 29:16) “my God,” (1
Chronicles 29:17) and more elaborately in the last appeal as “O Jehovah, the God
of Abraham, of Isaac and of Israel” (1 Chronicles 29:18. The multiplication of
addresses and titles is very com­mon, but not an invariable feature of later
prayer; in Jehosha­phat’s prayer, 2 Chronicles 20, the Deity is addressed only
three times, 2 Chronicles 20:6-7; 2 Chronicles 20:12). The tendency to multiply
addresses is illustrated by David’s prayer in 1 Chronicles 21:17, where, in the
middle of the prayer, “Let Thy hand, I pray Thee, be against me and against my
father’s house,” 9 the Chronicler inserts “O Jehovah, my God.”

We have already dealt with the prayers which the Chronicler inserts before a
battle (2 Chronicles 14:11; 2 Chronicles 20), and commented upon their
occasional unreality. A Levite encourages the men of Judah before a battle with
the words, “The battle is not yours, but God’s. Ye shall not need to fight. Set
yourselves, stand still, and see the salvation of Jehovah.” (2 Chronicles 20:15;
2 Chronicles 20:17) This is completely out of touch with the world of reality,
and altogether unlike the vivid battle scenes of the Judges or the Maccabees;
but it goes to explain the exclusive emphasis on prayer, which a cloistered
piety supposed was the only weapon needed in a fight. This pietistic and
impossible view of war could not, of course, be shared by a practical man like
Nehemiah, who, not content with prayer, first saw that his men were supplied
with swords and spears and bows, and then addressed them with the words, “Don’t
be afraid. Remember the Lord, and fight.” (Nehemiah 4:13 f.) The growing
prominence of prayer is seen in the eagerness to compose prayers manifested by
the Apo­crypha, with its Song of the Three Children, Prayer of Manasseh, etc.
The latter prayer is peculiarly in­structive. The Book of Kings (2 Kings 21) has
much to say of Manasseh’s wickedness, but nothing of his prayer. The Chronicler,
however, relates that when he had been car­ried into exile by the king of
Assyria, “he besought Jehovah his God and humbled himself greatly before the God
of his fathers. And he prayed unto Him, and He was entreated of him, and heard
his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his king­dom” (2
Chronicles 33:12 f.). And, as if that were not enough, the prayer is
subsequently twice mentioned in two consecutive verses (2 Chronicles 33:18-19).
Indeed, it is said to be extant in one, if not two, already existing histories
(2 Chronicles 33:18-19), and therefore pre­sumably a prayer purporting to be
Manasseh’s was in circulation probably as early as 400 B.C.

How the later ages went to work we see in the Prayer of Manasseh, preserved in
the Apocrypha, which is characteristic enough to be worth quoting. It begins by
heaping up the attributes of God in the fashion of later Judaism:—

O Lord, Almighty God of our fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and of their
righteous seed; who hast made heaven and earth with all the ornament thereof;
who hast bound the sea by the word of Thy commandment; who hast shut up the deep
and sealed it by Thy terrible and glorious name, etc.

Very different from the simple “Father” with which the prodigal son introduces
his confession. But the confession itself, though somewhat diffuse, is
beauti­ful:—

I have sinned above the number of the sands of the sea. My transgressions, O
Lord, are multiplied; my transgressions are multiplied, and I am not worthy to
behold and see the height of heaven for the multitude of mine iniquities. ... I
have provoked Thy wrath, and done evil before Thee. I did not Thy will, neither
kept I Thy com­mandments. I have set up abominations and have multiplied
offences. Now, therefore, I bow the knee of mine heart, beseeching Thee of
grace.

I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned, and I acknowledge mine iniquities:
wherefore I humbly beseech Thee, forgive me, O Lord, forgive me and destroy me
not with mine iniquities. Be not angry with me for ever, by reserving evil for
me; neither condemn me into the lower parts of the earth. For thou art the God,
even the God of them that repent, and in me Thou wilt show all Thy goodness; for
Thou wilt save me, that am un­worthy, according to Thy great mercy. There­fore I
will praise Thee for ever all the days of my life: for all the powers of the
heavens do praise Thee, and Thine is the glory for ever and ever. Amen. The
half-theoretic, half-practical interest that con­tinued to gather even in New
Testament times round the prayers of Old Testament worthies may be seen from
James’s allusions to the prayers of Elijah, which he adduces as illustrating the
efficacy of the prayers of a righteous man (James 5:17 f.). But the allusions to
Elijah’s prayers for drought and rain are not supported by the Book of Kings,
unless the posture in 1 Kings 18:42 is intended to indicate prayer for rain.
Besides the three years of Kings have become three years and six months (Luke
4:25; James 5:17). In the time of James there may have been prayers of Elijah in
existence, similar to the Apocry­phal prayer of Manasseh, or, at any rate,
narratives expanded from the Book of Kings and illustrating the power of his
prayer. In the light of all these facts it is very plain that prayer underwent
development, and this, no doubt, accounts for its simplicity and comparative
infrequency in the earlier records of the Old Testament. But it is also possible
that faith did not always express itself in prayer. It is by no means
inconceivable, though it would hardly be normal, that faith should take the form
of a steady confidence to which prayer would be superfluous. The God whose
goodness was so mani­fest in the past, is the same yesterday, today, and
for­ever; and that goodness could be trusted without being entreated. The
constancy of the Divine love and law, as proved by history, is a great fact, in
which men of a certain religious temperament will quietly and confidently rest.

“Rejoice and remember” (Deuteronomy 16:11 f.): that is the motto of the Hebrew
festivals. “Beware lest thou forget Jehovah, who brought thee forth out of the
land of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 6:12). The people rekindled their faith in Jehovah
by rehearsing His righteous acts (Judges 5:11), that is, the deeds by which He
had vindicated them against their enemies. This appeal to the past is one of the
most characteristic things of the Old Testament. Inspiration often seems to come
rather from memory than from prayer. The thought of the past and the Divine
goodness which crowded it, strengthened in the present crisis and nerved for the
future; for what God had been He would ever prove Himself to be to the souls
that trusted Him. The mood in which, according to the late story, David
approaches Goliath, is a thor­oughly religious mood: “Thou comest to me with the
sword, but I come to thee in the name of Jehovah” (1 Samuel 17:45-47). But David
does not pray. He says: “Jehovah that delivered me out of the paw of the lion
and out of the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand of this
Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:37). There is no recorded prayer, but there is a steady
confidence, determined by past ex­periences of God’s goodness. The Hebrew people
had an altogether unique sense of the presence of God. “What great nation is
there that hath a God so nigh unto them as Jehovah our God is, whenever we call
upon Him?” (Deuteronomy 4:7) and the later poets felt that, not only when in the
definite attitude of prayer, but uninterruptedly and persistently, He be­set
them behind and before (Psalms 139). Heaven was not far from any one of them.
Its doors were open wide; and, without knocking, they could go in and walk about
as men who were at home. Thus it comes that many of the Psalms, though they take
the form of speech to God, are almost more meditation than prayer. Their writers
are so sure of God and so satisfied with Him that they are content to rest in
Him without assail­ing Him with petition. The one hundred and thirty- ninth
Psalm, with the exception of the last two verses, expresses communion without
request. In the twenty- third Psalm, the writer does not pray that the Lord be
his shepherd, to lead him beside the waters of rest, and guide him through the
valley of the deep shadow. He knows that the Lord has been this to him already,
and he is sure that He will continue to be this to the end. The Psalm is not a
prayer, but a confession of faith. This accounts for the rapid transitions of
the Psalter—as in this very (Psalm—from the third person to the second, and vice
versa: “He restoreth my soul: Thou art with me.” They are not due to
inattention. They are due to the fact that to the Psalmists God was the
ever-present fact. Whether they prayed to Him or thought of Him, He was ever
with them, as real to them in meditation as in petition. The motto of the Bible
is “Immanuel,” that is, “with us is God.” Whatever else may totter or disappear,
He abides; and His mercy endureth for ever. Amid life’s innumerable
uncertainties He is the great certainty, therefore it is wisdom to “rely on
Jehovah thy God, so shalt thou be established” (2 Chronicles 20:20; 2 Chronicles
16:7; Isaiah 8:9). By the man of faith every issue may be faced with
confi­dence, for he knows that God doeth all things well. Nehemiah advances to
the task of building the walls of Jerusalem, sure that the God of heaven will
prosper him (Nehemiah 2:20), and the three Hebrews face the furnace not with any
spoken prayer, but in the confidence that God will deliver them from it (Daniel
3:17).

Prayer is an attitude as well as a practice. It is the sense—at once cleansing
and inspiring—that “my times are in Thy hand” (Psalms 31:15). And, if the spoken
prayers of the Bible are not so numerous as we might have anticipated, all the
more abundantly clear is the steadfastness with which the true Hebrew life was
rooted in God and set towards God. This attitude is known in the Old Testament
as “the fear of Jehovah.” It is this that keeps Joseph pure in the hour of
tempta­tion, and that preserves Nehemiah from taking dis­honorable advantage of
his official position (Nehemiah 5:15). This fear is the basis of all wisdom
(Proverbs 9:10), the condition of all true success, and the guarantee of inward
peace. When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid, Yea, thou shalt lie down,
and thy sleep shall be sweet (Proverbs 3:24) . In peace will I both lay me down
and sleep (Psalms 4:8). The practical effect of this controlling fear of God is
to drive out the fear of man. The number and variety of occasions on which men
hear a Divine voice saying, “Fear not,” makes a very interesting study (Joshua
8:1; Joshua 10:8; Joshua 11:6; Isaiah 41:10; Isaiah 41:13-14; Isaiah 44:2;
Isaiah 44:8; Jeremiah 1:7; Jeremiah 30:10 f; Lamentations 3:57; Ezekiel 2:6;
Daniel 10:19; Joel 2:21; Zephaniah 3:16; Zechariah 8:15; Matthew 10:26; Matthew
17:7; Matthew 28:5; Mark 6:50; Luke 1:13; Luke 1:30; Luke 2:10; Luke 5:10; Luke
12:4; Luke 12:7; Luke 12:32; Acts 18:9; Acts 23:11; Acts 27:24; Revelation
1:17.) “Fear not, for I am with thee”: and the human response is:—

Jehovah is on my side, I will not fear;

What can man do unto me? (Psalms 108:6)

How this fearlessness which issues from the fear of God, and sometimes more
particularly from the con­sciousness of a Divine call, affects practical life
may be strikingly seen in Amos’s brave answer to the insinua­tions of the
courtier-priest Amaziah (Amos 7:12-17). But if “Fear not” means much in the Old
Testament, how much more does it mean in the New, after the “good news” has
found eternal expression in the words and in the life of Jesus! “Be of good
cheer. It is I, be not afraid.” This superiority to all fear rests in the last
resort on the recognition of God as Father; for we have received the spirit, not
of bondservants unto fear, but of sons (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6).

“Be not anxious.” This is one of the great watch­words of Jesus. Be not anxious
for food or drink or raiment (Matthew 6:25; Luke 12:22), be not anxious for the
morrow (Matthew 6:34), be not anxious when, for My sake, ye are brought before
tribunals (Matthew 10:19; Luke 12:11). Depend upon the love of God. But the
whole teaching and practice of Jesus go to show, not only that that immovable
confidence in God which we call faith is thoroughly compatible with prayer, but
that it demands it as its natural and necessary expression. “Your Father knoweth
what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him. Nevertheless after this manner
pray ye” (Matthew 6:8-9). Quite in the spirit of the Master, Paul says, “In
nothing be anxious, but let your requests be made known” (Php 4:6). So James
(James 1:6) “Let him ask in faith.” A prayerless believer would be no less of a
monstrosity than a child who never spoke to his father. According to one
account, the disciples were unable to cure the epileptic boy, because of their
little faith (Matthew 17:19-20); according to another (Mark 9:29), it is implied
that they failed through lack of prayer. Faith and prayer are correlate: their
interrelation is suggested by the phrase “in prayer believing” (Matthew 21:22).
Faith is the inspiration of prayer, as prayer is one expression of faith. The
twelve, it is said, resolved to continue “in prayer and in the ministry of the
word” (Acts 6:4). The prayer was the fountain of the ministry, co-ordinate in
importance with preaching and the source of its power. The whole practice of the
New Testament and the implications of the Old justify the remark of a French
writer that “the ideal of the Christian life is a perpetual communion with God,
sustained by prayer as frequent as possible.” Who is then the God to whom the
men of the Bible pray? He is spirit, invisible (Deuteronomy 4:12) and absolute:
there is none beside Him (Deuteronomy 4:35). He is in heaven above and upon
earth beneath, there is none else (Deuteronomy 4:39). He is unlike man (Hosea
11:9), yet He is like him. He is not a force, but a Person. He has the pity of a
father (Psalms 103:13; Deuteronomy 1:31). Yet He is infinitely kinder than the
kindest of fathers; for, if earthly fathers give gifts to their children, how
much more will the heavenly Father give gifts to His! (Matthew 7:11) He will
listen to the cry of poor men whose wages have been withheld; and He can not
only listen, but help. All nature is His (Exodus 8-10), so that His arm can
never wax short (Numbers 11:23; Isaiah 59:1).

He is so great that the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him (1 Kings 8:27), and
He sits above the centuries (Lamentations 5:19; Psalms 102:26; Daniel 6:26). He
is the King of kings, and Lord of lords, dwelling in light inaccessible, whom no
man hath seen or can see (1 Timothy 6:15 f.). Yet He is not remote from the
world. He is the Life of men, and the Lord of history. His eyes run to and fro
throughout the whole earth (2 Chronicles 16:9). He sees in secret (Matthew 6:6)
and searches the hearts of men (1 Kings 8:39; 1 Chronicles 28:9; Luke 6:15; Acts
1:24.). But more marvelous than His power or His wisdom is His love. The central
message of the Bible is that He “is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and
abundant in loving-kindness and truth,” (Exodus 34:6; Deuteronomy 4:31; Nehemiah
9:17; Psalms 86:15; Psalms 103:8; Psalms 145:8.) and it is this that makes
prayer worth while. To Him belong mercies and forgiveness (Daniel 9:9), and
whosoever comes to Him in penitence and sincerity will be in no wise cast out.
With such a God, then—one who is not imprisoned within the walls of the world
which His own fingers framed, nor indifferent to the men who live and move upon
it, but Himself like unto a man, with an ear open to the cry of men, and a love
that goes out with the strength of omnipotence to those “that are broken in
their heart and grieved in their mind” —with such a God prayer becomes a
necessity and an inspiration.

O Thou that hearest prayer, All flesh shall come to Thee (Psalms 65:2).

—not only all the tribes of men, but all that can call itself flesh, all that is
conscious of its weakness. The attitude of the worshipper and the character of
the God whom he addressed in prayer may also be appropriately studied in the
names by which He is called, and the epithets by which He is described. As a
rule, the mode of address is the very essence of simplicity. Sometimes it is
simply “O God” (Numbers 12:13). A personal touch is given to the name in the
address “my God,” which seems to have been a favorite with Nehemiah (Cf.
Nehemiah 5:19). This is amplified in the Korahitic psalms to “My King and my
God” (Psalms 64:4). Here the “my” may be collective rather than individual, but
the practical difference is not great. As Israel’s God is Jehovah, this name
naturally occurs with very great frequency in prayer; and even in prayers of
great intensity, these simple names, God and Jehovah, unadorned by any epithet,
are felt to be enough. There is no more passionate prayer in the Old Testament
than Isaiah 63:7 to Isaiah 64:12, yet throughout the mode of address is simply
“O Jeho­vah.” So usually in the Book of Lamentations. But Jehovah’s special
relation to Israel and the fathers of the Hebrew people is frequently emphasized
in the address. Jacob, for example, prays to the “God of my father Abraham and
the God of my father Isaac,” (Genesis 32:9) and Elijah to the “God of Abraham,
Isaac, and Israel” (1 Kings 18:36. This feature is peculiarly common in the
later prayers, and served to remind the worshippers of the continuity of their
national history, and of the gracious links that bound them to the great men of
the past.

Jehovah is therefore addressed as the “God of our fathers,” (2 Chronicles 20:6;
cf. Daniel 2:23) or the “God of Israel” (Ezra 9:15) our father (1 Chronicles
29:10), or as the “God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel our fathers (1 Chronicles
29:19);” but it is worthy of note that in these very prayers which emphasize the
national aspect of worship and the presence of God in the days of old, the
wor­shippers also—and almost in the same breath—address God as “our God,” (1
Chronicles 29:16; 2 Chronicles 20:7; 2 Chronicles 20:12; Ezra 9:10; Ezra 9:13.
Daniel 10:1) and even as “my God.” (1 Chronicles 29:17; Ezra 9:6; Daniel 9:18.)
The address “my God” seems to be peculiarly charac­teristic of post-exilic
prayer. In pre-exilic times, the individual’s right to approach Jehovah was
conditioned by his membership in Israel, the people of Jehovah; he could not so
easily have thought of him­self as having an indefeasible and unmediated right
of his own to approach Jehovah and call Him “my God” (1 Kings 3:7 is probably
affected by the redaction) Jehovah was the God of Israel, rather than his God.
But, speaking broadly, religious in­dividualism was born with Jeremiah. Jehovah
is to him no more only the God of Israel, but “my strength and my stronghold and
my refuge in the day of afflic­tion” (Jeremiah 16:19). Post-exilic Israel felt
itself to be a religious unit as much as pre-exilic Israel had ever done, but
the collective aspect of religious life was now accom­panied by an individualism
which had never been possible, in the same measure, before. The lesson burned by
his fiery experiences into the soul of Jere­miah was written by him indelibly
upon the religion of Israel; and the worshippers who still addressed Jehovah as
the God of Israel could address Him with equal ease and sincerity as our God and
my God. The term “Jehovah” suggests intimate historical relations with Israel,
and consequently usually carries an atmosphere of grace about it, whereas “Lord”
suggests possession and power (To appreciate this distinction in “Lord”, the
English reader must use the American Revised Version. In the other English
versions, the Hebrew word for Jehovah is nearly always erroneously re­presented
by the word Lord.). The combination therefore “O Lord Jehovah” is a peculiarly
im­pressive one, and usually occurs in prayers of especial earnestness, whether
of intercession or entreaty. It is found, for example, in Moses’ prayer to be
permitted to enter the promised land (Deuteronomy 3:24), and in his intercession
for the guilty people (Deuteronomy 9:26), in Joshua’s prayer after Israel’s
defeat at Ai (Joshua 7:7), in Samson’s dying prayer for strength (Judges 16:28),
repeatedly in David’s prayer of gratitude for the brilliant future foretold for
his kingdom by Nathan (2 Samuel 7:18-29, in Amos’ intercession for guilty Israel
(Amos 7:2-5), and in two similar intercessions of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 9:8; Ezekiel
11:13, cf. Jeremiah 4:10). The effect of the term Lord is heightened where it
stands alone unaccompanied by Jehovah, and such con­texts are always worthy of
special consideration. God is addressed as Lord, for example, throughout
Abra­ham’s intercession for Sodom (Genesis 18:23-32), and Daniel’s intercession
for Jerusalem (Daniel 9:4-19. “Jehovah” occurs in the course of the prayer,
Daniel 9:10; Daniel 9:14, but not as a direct address. Very instructive is the
introduction: “I prayed unto Jehovah my God”—that is narrative—“and made
confession, and said, O Lord.”), and in the remonstrances of Moses (Exodus 4:10;
Exodus 4:13; Exodus 5:22).

It is possible that Jehovah was directly addressed by the Hebrews as Father
oftener than the records of the Old Testament would lead us to suppose. Israel
was Jehovah’s son (Exodus 4:22), and it would be natural for, Israel to
acknowledge Jehovah as Father. Indeed this is actually done twice in one prayer
(Isaiah 63:16; Isaiah 64:8; cf. Malachi 2:10), and Jere­miah represents Israel
in her distress appealing directly to her God as “my Father” (Exodus 4:22).

Attributes are not common in the earlier prayers: the name of God was held to be
sufficient. Epithets and adjectival clauses are usually a sign of lateness.
Jeremiah addresses God as “Jehovah of hosts, who judgest righteously, and triest
the heart and the mind,” (Jeremiah 11:20) and this style of address is greatly
developed in post-exilic times. Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1:5), for example, begins a
prayer thus: “I beseech Thee, O Jehovah, the God of heaven, the great and
terrible God, that keepeth covenant and loving-kindness with them that love Him
and keep His commandments.” This seems to have been a favorite mode of address
(Nehemiah 9:32; Daniel 9:4). He is also the “God of the spirits of all flesh.”
(Numbers 16:22) In an imprecatory Psalm (Psalms 94:1), He is addressed as the
“God of vengeance,” and once He is called “Jehovah the good” (2 Chronicles
30:18). From all this we may infer that the God addressed by the later Hebrews
was felt, in the moment of prayer, to be at once the God of the national[1] and
the in­dividual life, of the past and of the present, of the existing church as
a whole, and of each of the members of which that church was composed—Israel’s
God and our God and my God. He is Lord, but He is also Jehovah: great and
terrible, but also just and faith­ful; Sovereign, but also Father; and indeed—in
spirit, if not in name—Father most of all.

[1]Of course it must not be forgotten that most of the extant prayers of later
times are public prayers. The private prayers of Nehemiah are usually addressed
to “my God” without any specific allusion to the God of Israel. Cf. even in the
narrative “my God”Nehemiah 7:5. But his work was essentially a national work,
and he would naturally commit it and himself to the tutelage of the national
God; cf.ourGod,Nehemiah 4:4;Nehemiah 4:9;Nehemiah 6:16; and the long opening
prayer of the book is addressed substantially, though not formally, to the God
of Israel,Nehemiah 1:5—11) In the New Testament, with one remarkable ex­ception,
there is little that is really new in the mode of address to God; but the
difference—which is pro­found—between the two Testaments, lies in a change of
emphasis. There He was often God, seldom Father; here He is usually Father, and
seldom God alone. In the Apocalypse, which is intensely Jewish, echoes of the
Old Testament are unmistakable. He is the Lord God, the Almighty (Revelation
4:8; Revelation 16:7). He is the Despotes—a difficult word to translate
(Revelation 6:10),—but significant and occurring also in the prayer of Simeon
(Luke 2:29). Elsewhere He is the King eternal, immortal, invisible (1 Timothy
1:17). There is, in some quarters, the same tendency towards the use of epithets
betrayed by the later books of the Old Testa­ment; for example, “O Lord who
knowest the hearts (One word in the Greek) of all men” (Acts 1:24)—perhaps a
customary epithet, or it may have been a favorite phrase of Peter’s (Cf. Acts
15:8). Sometimes the epithets seem to be otiose; as in the prayer for boldness
in preaching, which begins: “O Lord, Thou that didst make the heavens and the
earth and the sea and all that in them is” (Acts 4:24) Such a phrase, which also
seems to have been a favorite (Cf. Acts 14:15), may have formed part of the
general vocabulary of prayer and preaching. A frequent address of Paul’s seems
to have been “my God” (Cf. Php 1:3) —which recalls the practice of Nehemiah. But
that which is new, not in fact, but in emphasis, is the use of the word Father;
and this is directly due to Jesus. His own prayers are addressed to God simply
as Father: not our Father, or my Father (“My Father” in Gethsemane, according to
Matthew 26:39; Matthew 26:42), but Father. Probably this simple address was
seldom amplified; but, in moments of more than usual exalta­tion, the title is
expanded by an adjective or a clause. The unique prayer in Matthew 11:25 begins,
“O Father, Lord of heaven and earth” and in the high-priestly prayer of John 17.
He calls God holy (John 17:11) and righteous (John 17:25) Father, as well as
Father (John 17:1; John 17:5; John 17:21; John 17:24). The atmo­sphere of
Fatherhood hangs about most of the New Testament prayers. God is addressed as
the Father of mercies (2 Corinthians 1:3); and He may also have been addressed
as the Father of spirits (Hebrews 12:9. Cf. Numbers 16:22) and the Father of
lights (James 1:17), though it happens that these words occur not in prayer, but
in narrative. The exception, to which allusion was made above, is the address—so
familiar in the epistles of Paul— to the “God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:3). It may be considered to have a remote parallel in
the Old Testament addresses to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, at least in
so far as it contemplates God in relation to a historical personality; yet it is
something widely different and deeper. It is a subtle reminiscence of Jesus’ own
method of prayer; was it not He pre-eminently who had called God Father? It is
further a most remarkable tribute to His unique­ness that Paul calls Him the
Father of Jesus. It suggests that his new relation to God, which involved
nothing less than a spiritual revolution, had been created and mediated by
Jesus. It suggests the infinite obligation of him and of all men to Jesus.
Prayer is now surer of itself than ever it could have been before, because it is
prayer to the Father of Jesus.


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  CHAPTER 7: 06.     INWARD AND OUTWARD CONDITIONS
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Inward and Outward Conditions

Having examined the contents of Biblical prayer, and its relations to the faith
which creates it, but does not supersede it, we shall now consider the mode of
the worshipper’s approach to God, the spirit in which he offers his prayer, the
other religious exercises or practices which occasionally accompany it, the
place in which and the time at which prayer was wont to be made. In earlier
times, as we have seen, the man who prays is often on surprisingly familiar
terms with his God. A penalty had to be paid for that anthropomorphic view of
God which makes Biblical religion so attractive to us. God was much like man
himself. Like a man, He had to leave His home to acquaint Himself with facts
which he was anxious to ascertain (Genesis 18:21; cf. Genesis 11:5); like a man,
He worked and rested from His labors; like a man, He walked in the garden in the
cool of the day. It is not surprising, therefore, that the language ad­dressed
to Him by men was occasionally lacking in that reverence which was His due, that
it was some­times defiant (Genesis 4:9; cf. Genesis 3:12), and sometimes
familiar even to the point of impertinence. Many of the early prayers are
beautiful (Genesis 24:12 ff.); but on the whole it is true, here as elsewhere
that when Israel was a child, he spoke as a child. But it is also true that when
Israel became a man he put away—by no means all, but many—of his childish
things. Some of the latest prayers in the Old Testament breathe a spirit which
shows how much Israel had yet to learn (Psalms 149:6-7); but, speaking broadly,
experience had wrought wisdom, and wisdom rever­ence. Men approached God with
the knowledge that He was the high and lofty One that inhabited eternity (Isaiah
57:15), that life was a mystery before which it was wisdom to bow, that, as we
receive good at the hand of God, we should also unmurmuringly receive evil (Job
2:10). Such a God must be approached in a spirit of humility, as by servants who
come into the presence of their lord. In prayers of every age, the speakers call
themselves “thy servant” and “thy handmaid,” (2 Samuel 7:25-27, etc.; in 1
Samuel 1:11, three times in one verse) and even a very early worshipper
acknowledges that he is not worthy of the least of all the love and of all the
faith­fulness that God had shown him” (Genesis 32:10).

Sometimes, as in the case of Job, men might be tempted to address God in words
of bitter and almost irreverent audacity; but it must not be forgotten that the
daring and awful speeches of Job are spoken “in the anguish of his spirit and in
the bitterness of his soul” (Job 7:11; Job 10:1). Such prayers may be models of
intensity, but not of devotion. Jonah’s foolish and impudent prayer has a
somewhat similar excuse. “Was this not just what I told Thee, while I was yet in
my own country?” he prays in the petulance of his disappoint­ment. “So kill me,
for I would rather die than live” (Jonah 4:2-3). This was a prayer offered by
the prophet when he was “exceedingly displeased and angry” (Jonah 4:1). That is
not the mood in which to pray. Besides, men could only pray thus who had not had
an adequate vision of God. After Job had truly seen Him, and not merely heard of
Him with the hearing of the ear (Job 42:5), humbled and overwhelmed he laid his
hand upon his mouth and would proceed no further (Job 40:4 f.). Without the
humility inspired by such a vision, one may pray, like the Pharisee, a prayer of
gratitude, when one ought to cry, like the publican, for mercy (Luke 18:11; Luke
18:13). When a mortal comes before the heavenly throne, he will pray as a man
who remembers that he has need to be forgiven (Mark 11:25), and whatever else
his prayer contains, it is likely to be, like the publican’s, for mercy, and for
grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). The throne is a throne of grace
(Hebrews 4:16), and the holy mountain is not a mountain that bums with fire and
blackness and storm and tempest. The God whom man approaches in prayer is not,
as Job imagined in his despair, a God of devastating and unscrupulous
omnipotence (Job 9). He is one whose tender mercies are over all His works; and
though in His presence man may, in certain moods, consider himself but “dust and
ashes” (Genesis 18:27), yet it is not forgotten that He pities His children like
a father; and, rejoicing in that loving kindness which endureth for ever, His
worshippers may enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise—not
only the gates and courts of His spacious house where brethren meet together to
worship Him in unity, but also the door of the quiet inner chamber where the
spirit is alone with Him. The man whose heart has been searched by Christ, will
never indeed, like Job, with loud declaration of innocence, approach his God
with the proud bearing of a prince (Job 31:37); but, though reverent and humble,
he will be unafraid. God is the Lord of men, but He is also their Father. They
are His servants, but they are also His sons; and as sons, they are not bondmen,
but free. How well the lesson of the Fatherhood had been learned may be seen
from the frequency of the word “boldness” in the New Testament allusions to
prayer. It was men of unimpeachable reverence who urged that we should “draw
near with boldness unto the throne of grace” (Hebrews 4:16) and enter with
boldness into the holy place (Hebrews 10:19), and who spoke of the boldness
which those may have towards Him (1 John 5:14), whose hearts condemn them not (1
John 3:21).

Another condition of prayer is sincerity. It is “with a true heart” that we are
to draw near with boldness (Hebrews 10:2). Men must not only honor God with
their lips (Isaiah 29:13; Matthew 15:8), they must cry unto Him with their
hearts (Hosea 7:14; Jeremiah 29:13). It is the prayer of the upright that is His
delight (Proverbs 15:8), the prayer of the righteous that He hears (Proverbs
15:29). “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear” (Psalms
66:18). “No evil man can be a guest of Thine” (Psalms 5:4). The prayer at the
festival that Jehovah should look down from heaven and bless the people and the
land was only to be offered after the tithes had been reserved for the
father­less and the widow (Deuteronomy 26:12-15), and it contains an explicit
confession that the divine commandments had been kept and all the obligations
met (Deuteronomy 26:13 f.). It is significant of the difference made by Jesus
that a very similar con­fession is used to pillory the Pharisee in the parable
(Luke 18:12).

It is a singular and very interesting feature of the Old Testament that
confessions of integrity are nearly as common as confessions of sin. Doubtless
this is largely due to the fact that religion is conceived some­what externally.
Where it is supposed to consist in the outward observance of laws, the man who
observes them is free to count himself innocent. Of course, Old Testament
religion is a much profounder thing than that; but there was a great deal,
especially in the elaborate ecclesiastical regulations of post- exilic life, to
encourage this view (Psalms 44:18; Psalms 19; Psalms 119). Even apart from this,
however, a certain rugged honesty led men to assert their innocence before God
in a way no longer possible, when religion has learned to make the in­finite
demand which it makes in Christianity. Along­side of the beautiful prayer of
Jacob that he is un­worthy of all the love God has shown him, is Hezekiah’s
appeal to God to remember how he had walked before Him in truth and with a
perfect heart, and had done that which was good in his sight (2 Kings 20:3),
Jere­miah’s appeal to God’s knowledge of His heart (Jeremiah 11:20; Jeremiah
12:3), and Job’s violent and repeated protestations of his inno­cence (Cf. Job
10:7; Job 13:23). Whatever objections theology might make to statements of this
kind, they are indicative of a rare and splendid sincerity. We may not imitate
these prayers, but we may well imitate the lives which; made such prayers
possible. But sincerity will also show itself in its willingness to confess the
sins of which it is conscious and to translate penitence into action. On behalf
of the people Ezra confesses, “Thou, O Jehovah, art right­eous; we are before
Thee in our guiltiness. None can stand before Thee because of this” (Ezra 9:15);
and the prayer is followed by an attempt to remove the cause of guilt (Ezra 10).
The promise made by the people to Jere­miah that they would obey the will of God
as soon as he made it clear to them was easier to make than to keep (Jeremiah
42:3; Jeremiah 42:20-21). Without sincerity, it is impossible to pray.

Besides humility towards God, there must, in prayer, be love towards man. The
link that binds us to Him binds us also to each other, and the deepest interests
of men lie among the things that all can pray for. The temple is the house of
prayer for all nations. Whatever may be their political differences, in the
interests represented by the house of prayer all nations are one. And this sense
of community, of brotherhood in the deepest things, ought to be implied, if not
ex­pressed in prayer. It is to our Father that we pray. The opening word of the
Lord’s prayer compels us to acknowledge our brotherhood. This is one of the
per­manent lessons of the Old Testament, that the in­dividual is not the only
unit. He lives and moves and has his being in the nation of which he is a
member, and his prayer is to the God of Israel. True, He is also my God (Ezra
9:6; Nehemiah 5:19; Daniel 9:8); but the men who address Him with the
understanding as well as with the heart, also call Him our God (Ezra 9:10; Ezra
9:13; Daniel 9:17).

Further, God must be approached in a spirit of absolute and implicit confidence.
The earth is full of His glory, and the past of His mercy; and, though man
cannot by searching fully find Him out, he knows enough to trust Him. On the
lower levels of Biblical religion, men doubt—for example, Gideon and Heze­kiah
(Judges 6:36 ff.; 2 Kings 20:9; 2 Chronicles 32:24) — and have, as the stories
go, to be reassured by a sign; but the best need no sign, and the bad need look
for none (Matthew 12:39). Job, as his heart is torn by the dreadful conflict
between the God of tradition and the God of his conscience, has, in one of his
pro­founder moments, the clear assurance of a vindication somewhere, somehow;
for “my Witness is in heaven and my Sponsor is on high” (Job 16:19). In one of
the sayings of Jesus, prayer is compared to the knocking at a closed door,
behind which is a Person—a Person with a gracious will—who can and will open.
But that will must be trusted: the heavenly Father knows what the kingdom and
its subjects need. A sublime illustration of this confidence in God is Elijah’s
com­mand to drench the bullock and the wood upon the altar, before calling down
upon it fire from heaven (1 Kings 18:33 f.). Isaiah’s offer to the skeptical
Ahaz of any sign in the height above or in the depth beneath, though not in a
prayer context, is another illustration of the same daring—one had almost said
reckless—faith (Isaiah 7:10). Very beautiful is the confidence, on which we have
already commented, of Ezra, before starting for Palestine, that his God would
protect him from the perils of the way (Ezra 8:21-23). This leads us to ask what
is meant by an answer to prayer, what sort of prayers are answered, and what is
the condition of an answer to prayer. These prob­lems begin to find an
approximate solution, as soon as it begins to be understood that man’s chief end
is to discover the will of God, and to learn to do it gladly. In prayer, the
heart’s desire is turned into a supplica­tion to God (Romans 10:1), and is
purified of all selfishness and worldliness, by having His white and searching
light thrown upon it. The only true prayers are those that can live in His
presence. The moment prayer is realized as contact with a holy God, all merely
selfish desires are burnt up; and if “ye ask and re­ceive not,” it is “because
ye ask amiss, that ye may spend it in your pleasures” (James 4:3).

If then, the desire to have the will of God fulfilled in us and by us be the
sovereign impulse of our lives, on the one hand, our petitions, whatever their
concrete contents may be, will always be controlled and in­spired by a passion
for the will of God, and will always, in their essence, be a prayer that that
will be done; and on the other hand, the answer to that prayer will be
conditioned by a sincere and earnest desire to have that will fulfilled. This is
the great circle from which there is no escape. In other words, the man who
would pray with the hope of an answer must love the will of God, and that for
which he prays must ulti­mately be the realization of the will of God. God must
be an end and not a means. The place which the desire for the glory of God
should occupy in prayer is illustrated, in a way that is somewhat superficial,
but here adequate for our purpose, by Hezekiah’s prayer for deliverance from
Sennacherib. “Incline Thine ear, O Jehovah, and hear; open Thine eyes, O
Jehovah, and see; and hear the words of Senna­cherib. . . . Save us, I beseech
Thee, out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that
Thou,Jehovah, art God alone” (2 Kings 19:16; 2 Kings 19:19; cf. 1 Kings 8:60).
Jerusalem was to be de­livered, and through that deliverance the God of Israel
was to be glorified.

It will always be with a humbling consciousness of the infinite complexity of
life and of our own infinite foolishness, that we approach God with specific
peti­tions affecting the concrete details of our life; for though our Father
knows the things that we have need of, we do not. Therefore specific petitions
must be begun, continued, and ended with the prayer, “Thy will be done.” The
answer to this prayer, at least, is, in one sense, inevitable. If we ask
anything accord­ing to His will, then assuredly in some sense He heareth us (1
John 5:14). Ask, and—in the asking—ye receive; for the prayer, if it be sincere,
is itself a sign that the human will is, in its deepest depths, in harmony with
the divine. True prayer is not the desire to determine the divine will, but to
be at one with it; and the eternal answer to all true prayer is, “Be not afraid,
for I am with thee.” The question might even be raised whether, in view of our
pathetic and inevitable ignorance, specific petitions are worth while, and
whether the simple prayer, “Thy will be done,” does not more wisely and safely
express the ultimate and only real long­ing of the devout soul. But the examples
of Jesus and Paul would seem to justify a negative answer to this question.
Jesus said, “Take away this cup from me: yet Thy will be done”; and he said it
again and again (Matthew 26:44). And Paul, like his Master, also prayed three
times, that the thorn be removed from his flesh (2 Corinthians 12:8). It is of
the profoundest religious interest and importance to note that, in the ordinary
sense, neither of these prayers was answered. The cup had to be drained to the
dregs—My God, why hast Thou forsaken me? — and the thorn was not removed. But it
is of equal interest and importance to note that, in the profoundest sense,
these prayers were both answered. The will of God was done. With fine in­sight,
the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews re­marks that Jesus “in the days of his
flesh, having offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears
unto Him that was able to save Him from death, was heard for His godly fear”
(Hebrews 5:7); and Paul was so strengthened by the grace of Christ that he
actually learned to glory in his weakness, because in it he was conscious that
the power of Christ rested Upon him (2 Corinthians 12:9). The prayers that are
answered are prayers for the fulfillment of the will of God, though, as we have
seen, the answer may come in a form very different from that entreated by the
speaker. Jeremiah prays for deliverance from one distress, and for answer he
learns that he has to face another. Wearied in his race with the footmen, he is
divinely summoned to contend with the horses (Jeremiah 12:5). Sometimes, indeed,
the answer may come at once, before he had done speaking (Genesis 24:15);
sometimes only after many days, and sometimes, to all seeming, not at all.
Habakkuk thought he had found an answer in his own day (Habakkuk 1:5) to his
prayer for divine intervention; but, after years of disappoint­ment, he begins
to learn that the purpose of God, though sure, may be slow. The will of God is
ulti­mately done in history, but not as and when we will; therefore “though it
tarry, wait for it” (Habakkuk 2:3). But if it is slow, it is sure. It has its
appointed time. “It is sure to come, it will not lag behind” (Habakkuk 2:3). The
most comprehensive petition is “Thy will be done.” But how may this will be
known, and where is it expressed? Contrary to the genius of the Chris­tian
religion, the ordinary man longs for definite statements. Like the perplexed
people who came to consult Jeremiah, his prayer is, “Show us the way wherein we
should walk and the thing that we should do” (Jeremiah 42:3). It is astonishing
how often in the Old Testa­ment the will of God is identified with social
justice, and how often this is made a condition of answered prayer. This is the
whole burden of the Book of Amos; but all prophecy is weighty with the message
that the only man to whom God listens is the man whose dealings with his fellows
are governed by principles of justice and mercy. Seeking God is equivalent to
seeking good (Amos 5:4; Amos 5:6; Amos 5:14; cf. Zephaniah 2:3), and the good is
the “establishing of justice in the gate” (Amos 5:15). He who would be a friend
of God must be a friend of the poor. Those who “eat the flesh of My people and
flay their skin from off them, when they cry to Jehovah He will not answer them”
(Micah 3:3-4). If thou feed the hungry, and shelter the poor and cover the
naked, “then thou shalt call and Jehovah will answer; thou shalt cry, and He
will say, ‘ Here I am’” (Isaiah 58:7; Isaiah 58:9). Those who crush the widow,
the father­less and the poor, and make their hearts like an adamant stone, “when
they cry, I will not hear” (Zechariah 7:10; Zechariah 7:12-13). The iniquities
which separated the people from their God, so that He would not hear, were
cruelty, treachery, and in general, social injustice (Isaiah 59:2-3; Isaiah
59:12-15). And just as, for the men of wealth and influence, the will of God
would have been fulfilled in the discharge of social obligations in a spirit of
justice and mercy, so, for the poor, it lay in that meekness and humility which
the hard discipline of life was calculated to produce in pious natures. The poor
in this world’s resources were very often, in the nature of the case, the poor
in spirit (Matthew 5:3; Luke 6:20), and theirs was the kingdom of heaven.

It is very significant for the post-exilic period that a discharge of ceremonial
obligation is sometimes regarded as a condition of the presence of God. The
apathy of the people towards the rebuilding of the temple (Haggai 1:4), and
their contemptible offerings after it was built (Malachi 1:13), had hindered a
blessing. When the tithes were paid, the blessing would pour down from the
windows of heaven (Malachi 3:10). This view is not without re­lative
justification. Indifference to the formal ordi­nances and obligations of
religion, meant for those days, and very frequently means for these,
indifference to religion itself. And as the will of God in the Old Testament
ex­pressed itself chiefly in the commandment to love the brethren (Cf.
Deuteronomy, passim.), so it is also essentially in the New. The conscience is
infinitely searched and quickened by the royal words of Jesus, but the new
commandment, no less than the old, is that we should love one another. This is
the demand alike of James (James 2:15 f.) and John (1 John 3:17), as well as of
Jesus. He who dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and “he prayeth best who loveth
best.”

We shall now consider briefly a few illustrations of answers to prayers for
external things. After the previous discussion, it will be no surprise to find
that these cases are much more numerous in the Old Testa­ment than in the New.
It has to be remembered, of course, that the former literature is much more
extensive than the latter, and further that, in the nature of the case, the tone
of the latter is much more severely spiritual, and its literary records much
more exclusively and intimately related to the king­dom of God. The more private
and personal prayers of the early Church remain, for the most part, un­recorded.
But even so, the difference is striking and suggestive. The prayers of prophets,
or of men who were re­garded as prophets, were believed, as we have seen, to be
peculiarly efficacious (Jeremiah 52:2 ff.), though Moses’ request to cross the
Jordan was not granted (Deuteronomy 3:26). Abraham’s prayer for Ahimelech
(Genesis 20:17) and Moses’ for Miriam (Numbers 12:13) were heard. But no
continuous section so thoroughly illus­trates the efficacy of prophetic prayer
as the career of Elijah and Elisha, especially the latter. Elijah’s prayer for
the dead child (1 Kings 17:21 f.) and for fire from heaven upon the altar on
Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18), Elisha’s curse in the name of Jehovah upon the youths
who mocked him (2 Kings 2:24), his prayer for the Shunammite’s dead son (2 Kings
4:35), his prayer that his servant’s eyes should be opened to see the horses and
chariots of fire upon the moun­tain (2 Kings 6:17), his prayer that the Aramean
army should be smitten with blindness (2 Kings 6:18) and afterwards recover
their sight (2 Kings 6:20) —these prayers, according to the historian, were all
answered; and all this goes to illustrate the idea that the prophets were
believed to speak as power­fully with God as with man. Their note of authority
they probably owed in large measure to prayer. But the prayers heard are as
various as the worship­pers who offer them: witness Isaac’s (Genesis 25:21) and
Hannah’s (1 Samuel 1:27) prayer for a child, Hezekiah’s prayer for recovery from
illness (2 Kings 20:5), and Paul’s for the father of Publius (Acts 28:8) —for
the prayer of faith shall save the sick (James 5:15) —Hezekiah’s prayer for
deliverance from Sennacherib (2 Kings 19:20), Ezra’s for safe conduct to
Palestine (Ezra 8:23), the prayer of the Church for Peter in prison (Acts
12:5-7). Answered prayers for the restoration of the dead are naturally rare:
note the prayer of Elijah (1 Kings 17:21) and the similar prayer of Elisha (2
Kings 4:35) for a dead child, and that of Peter for Tabitha (Acts 9:40). Most of
the miraculous answers to prayer, however, occur in docu­ments or sections which
are either late, or whose historicity has, with more or less justice, been
doubted. |To this class belongs the story of Gideon’s fleece (Judges 6:36 ff.)
and of the sundial on which the shadow went backward (2 Kings 20:11). The story
of the healing of Jeroboam’s hand by a prophet occurs in a chapter which is
demonstrably very late (1 Kings 13:6), and the interpretation put upon Joshua’s
appeal to the sun and moon (Joshua 10:13 f.) rests on a misunder­standing of the
poem cited. The spirit of worship is infinitely more important than the rules by
which it is hedged about, and the ceremonies that accompany it; but this is a
lesson that is learned late in religion and seldom learned perfectly. The inward
attitude of the man who approaches God in prayer has already been considered: we
shall now discuss the concomitants, the place, and the time of prayer.

Throughout the Old Testament, sacrifice is very frequently and naturally
associated with prayer. One of the ideas underlying the practice was that God,
like a human lord, had to be approached by His suppliants with gifts as well as
words. At the festivals celebrated in the various sanctuaries scattered
throughout the land, and afterwards in the Temple (Ezra 6:21 f.) exclusively,
sacri­fice played an important part, and was accompanied by prayer. In the
exile, sacrifice was not possible, and men learned then that it was not
indispensable: “the lifting up of the hands” in prayer could be “as the evening
sacrifice” (Psalms 141:2). But the close connection between seeking God and
sacrifice is indicated in the request of the “people of the land” to be allowed
to share with the returned Jews in the work of rebuilding the Temple; for “we
seek your God as ye do, and we sacrifice unto Him” (Ezra 4:2). The intimate
relation between sacrifice and prayer must have been of very ancient origin.
Abra­ham called upon the name of Jehovah, after building an altar (Genesis
12:18; cf. Genesis 26:25). The practice was shared by the sister religions. The
Philistines accompanied their song of praise to Dagon for the capture of Samson
with a sacrifice (Judges 16:23 f.). Sacrifice is also mentioned in connection
with intercessory prayer. Job’s intercession for his friends (Job 42:8) and
Samuel’s for the people (1 Samuel 7:9) were accom­panied by sacrifice, the
latter also by a libation (1 Samuel 7:6). In Revelation 8:4 the smoke of incense
ascends with the prayers of the saints unto God. In prison, Paul and Silas sang
hymns as well as prayed (Acts 16:25).

Fasting is also a frequent accompaniment of prayer, especially, though not
exclusively, in later times. It is mentioned in connection with the prayer of
Samuel just alluded to (1 Samuel 7:6), but its importance increased after the
exile. The later view is represented in the saying, “Prayer is good, with
fasting and alms and righteous­ness” (Tob 12:8). Ezra proclaims a fast before
his prayer for the Divine protection on the way home (Ezra 8:21), and Nehe­miah
(Nehemiah 1:4) and Daniel (Daniel 9:3) before their intercession for the
desolate Jerusalem. The custom lasted into New Testament times—“the disciples of
John fast and make supplications, likewise also the disciples of the Phari­sees”
(Luke 5:33) — and was adopted by Christians (Acts 13:3; Acts 14:23). The
earliest disciples of Jesus, however, had not fasted (Mark 2:18), and the best
texts in Mark 9:29 which simply read, “This kind cometh out by nothing save by
prayer,” give no reason to suppose that Jesus laid any stress upon fasting,
though apparently He did not positively discountenance it, but regarded it as
legitimate so long as it was the spontaneous and unostentatious expres­sion of
the religious mood (Matthew 6:16). Prayers and alms are co­ordinated in the case
of Cornelius (Acts 10:4), as in the passage quoted from Tobit. As an expression
of the speaker’s earnestness a prayer is sometimes supported by a vow; for
example, Jacob’s prayer for guidance (Genesis 28:20 ff.), Hannah’s for a child
(1 Samuel 1:11), and Absalom’s for a safe return to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 15:8).
Even in New Testament times, the lot is once used in connection with prayer
(Acts 1:26). The healthy spirit of the Bible is indicated by the fact that
prayer is usually accompanied by work. The Biblical men of prayer are not
hermits. Like Moses, Jeremiah, Nehemiah, Paul, they are also mighty in word or
deed or both. Under God, Moses created, and Jeremiah may be almost said to have
recreated Hebrew religion: Nehemiah reorganized the nation, and Paul, by his
practical genius, laid the foundations of the Christianity that was to be. Faith
does not supersede effort. The foreign sailors in the Book of Jonah “cried every
man unto his god, and then they cast forth the tackling to lighten the ship”
(Jonah 1:5) They prayed their gods to help them, and then they helped
themselves. The union of work and prayer is splen­didly illustrated by the
career of the pious and practical Nehemiah. We made our prayer unto God and set
a watch against the enemy day and night” (Nehemiah 4:9). Instinc­tively this
statement recalls the injunction of Jesus to “watch and pray” (Mark 13:33;
Matthew 26:41). This insistence upon the use of means and the exertion of effort
is just as characteristic of the Bible as its insistence upon faith. The prayer
of faith that was to save the sick was to be accom­panied by an anointing with
oil (James 5:14 f.). Those who continued steadfastly in prayer were no less to
communicate to the necessities of the saints (Romans 12:12 f.): and “praying in
the spirit” did not exempt those whom Jude (Jude 1:20) addressed from building
themselves up on their most holy faith. The intense earnestness of Biblical
prayer is often suggested by the emotion which accompanied it. There is frequent
reference, for example, to tears. Hezekiah wept sore as he prayed for recovery
from his illness (2 Kings 20:3), Nehemiah weeps as he prays for Jerusalem
(Nehemiah 1:4), and Ezra, as he makes his confession for the people (Ezra 10:1);
and the priests in Joel 2:17 are called upon to weep while they intercede for
the people. Other signs of mourning occasionally accompany prayer. The elders
throw dust upon their heads after the defeat at Ai (Joshua 7:6), and Job utters
his noble words of resignation, prostrate upon the ground, after rending his
robe and shaving his head (Job 1:20-21). After Paul’s farewell prayer with his
friends at Miletus, they wept and kissed him (Acts 20:36 f.). The prayer scenes
of the Bible are occasionally dramatic and exciting. The most exciting of all
occurs in connection with a heathen prayer, where the Baal priests, as they
frantically shout for hours, “O Baal, hear us,” cut themselves with knives and
lances till the blood gushed out upon them (1 Kings 18:26; 1 Kings 18:28).
Equally terrible and more tragic must have been the scene in which the king of
Moab upon the battle-field offered up his eldest son—undoubtedly with a prayer
to his god— to secure the victory over Israel (2 Kings 3:27).

It is no accident that nothing so terrible as the lacerations on Carmel ever
occurs in connection with the prayers of the true worshippers of Jehovah.
Israel’s conception of God was incomparably more serious and worthy than that of
her neighbors; but the Israelites too were Semites, and shared, in their
measure, the violence of the Semitic temper. The degenerate worshippers of
Hosea’s time, in imitation of their heathen neighbors, “cut themselves (So reads
the Greek text, rightly) for the grain and the new wine” (Hosea 7:14) But even
on truly noble levels, prayer takes a dra­matic turn. Most conspicuous in this
respect is Ezra —all the more that he is a priest. Before the prayer of
confession which he made weeping and casting him­self down before the house of
God (Ezra 10:1), he tells us that he rent his garment and robe, and plucked off
the hair of his head and beard, and sat down confounded. “And at the evening
oblation I arose up from my humilia­tion, even with my garment and my robe rent,
and I fell upon my knees and spread out my hands unto Jehovah my God; and I
said, ‘O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to Thee, my God’”
(Ezra 9:3; Ezra 9:5-6).

It must not, of course, be forgotten that these scenes were not normal. This was
not the formal worship of the sanctuary, but a very exceptional occasion. But
after making every allowance, it is very probable that, Oriental nature being
what it was, prayer was more violent than it normally is with us. The lan­guage
of Paul suggests that Christian prayer is, in one aspect, a struggle (Romans
15:30; Colossians 2:1); and while this intensity is in part created by the
deadly earnestness of Christianity, it is also in part an inheritance from older
Hebrew custom. The publican beat upon his breast (Luke 18:13), and the early
Christians groaned in the excess of their emo­tion (Romans 8:26). But by far the
greatest illustration of intensity in prayer is that of our Savior as He prayed
in Geth­semane. Whether or not the statement, omitted by many of the
manuscripts, is literally true, as it well may be, that “His sweat became as it
were great drops of blood falling down upon the ground” (Luke 22:44), it is
certainly true to the spirit of the situation, and is practically corroborated
by the other statement that “He offered up prayer and supplications with strong
crying and tears” (Hebrews 5:7). The posture most frequently mentioned in
connection with prayer is prostration (Cf. Genesis 24:26). The worshipper
approached his God with the same deference that he showed when presenting a
petition to an earthly superior. Unfortunately the Hebrew equivalent for “he
prostrated himself” is usually rendered in the English Bible by “he worshipped.”
The prostration, with the face to the ground (Nehemiah 8:6), was commonly
preceded by the bowing of the head (1 Chronicles 29:20; Nehemiah 8:6), and it is
sometimes de­scribed as a falling to the earth upon the face (Joshua 7:6); as
Ezekiel fell on his face (Ezekiel 3:23) when he saw the glory of Jehovah in the
plain, and in this attitude he offered his brief intercessory prayers (Ezekiel
9:8; Ezekiel 11:13). Jesus, too, falls on His face in Gethsemane (Matthew
26:39), and it is thus that the angels in Revelation 7:11 offer their praise to
God. It is adopted in prayers of gratitude (Genesis 24:26; Revelation 7:11) as
well as of suppli­cation. A very peculiar posture is that of Elijah, who, on
Mount Carmel, put his head between his knees (1 Kings 18:42). The context
suggests that this may have been the attitude of one who prayed for rain.

Prayer could also be offered kneeling (1 Kings 8:54). In point of fact most
references to kneeling appear to belong to the later books (Cf. Psalms 95:6).
Daniel (Daniel 6:10), Stephen (Acts 7:60), Peter (Acts 9:40), Paul (Acts 20:36;
Ephesians 3:14) knelt: these prayers are all petitions or inter­cessions.

Sometimes, however, the worshipper stood. It was standing that Hannah prayed for
a son (1 Samuel 1:26), that Solomon blessed the people (1 Kings 8:54; cf. 1
Kings 8:14; 1 Kings 8:22), and that Jeremiah interceded for them (Jeremiah
18:20). The “hypocrites” in Jesus’ time stood at prayer (Matthew 6:5), but He
presupposes the same attitude for His own disciples (Mark 11:25). The Pharisee
offered his prayer of gratitude standing (Luke 18:11), so also did the publican
his for mercy (Luke 18:13); and in Revelation 7:10 a great multitude in heaven
stands to praise God. Thus this attitude could be adopted alike in prayers of
petition, intercession, and thanksgiving. It has been suggested, with some
probability, that ordinarily prayer was offered kneeling or standing, with
prostra­tion at the beginning and the end.

Sitting does not seem to be a particularly natural attitude in prayer; but it
occurs at least once, in David’s prayer of gratitude (2 Samuel 7:18; 1
Chronicles 17:16), and possibly another time (Cf. Judges 20:26), in a context of
sorrow.

Whether kneeling (2 Chronicles 6:13; Ezra 9:5) or standing, the hands were
usually stretched out (Exodus 9:29; Exodus 17:11; 1 Kings 8:22), either towards
the Temple (1 Kings 8:38; Psalms 5:7; Psalms 134:2) — in particular towards the
shrine (Psalms 28:2), where Jehovah was supposed pre-eminently to be—or towards
heaven (1 Kings 8:22; 1 Kings 8:54), though when the worshipper was not in the
holy land, he could also turn to Jerusalem (1 Kings 8:38; 2 Chronicles 6:34;
Daniel 6:10). Jehovah Himself is even represented as spreading forth His hands
(Isaiah 65:2); and in public worship, not only the leaders pray thus (1 Kings
8:22), but also the people, when they respond with the Amen (Nehemiah 8:6). So
characteristic was this attitude that the lifting up of the hands is synonymous
with prayer (Isaiah 1:15; Lamentations 2:19; Lamentations 3:41; Psalms 141:2),
and it was a feature also of Christian prayer (1 Timothy 2:8). In prayer the
eyes are open, but they are usually turned upwards, as we may infer from the
statement that the publican “would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven”
(Luke 18:13). Jesus looked up to heaven when saying grace before meat (Mark
6:41; Luke 9:16), and before He healed the deaf and dumb man (Mark 7:34). These
are all open-air scenes, where the upturned face of the Master would be
strangely impressive. It is not said that He lifted up His eyes in His prayer of
gratitude at the institu­tion of the supper, or in the grace which He said
before supper at Emmaus (Luke 24:30); but the fact that the high priestly prayer
was so delivered (John 17:1) shows that this attitude was not impossible within
closed doors.

Women, at least in public, prayed with the head veiled, men with the head bare,
though in the Corinth­ian Church there appears to have been a movement among the
women for emancipation from this custom (1 Corinthians 11:5; 1 Corinthians
11:13). Job shaved his head (Job 1:20) before prostrating himself in prayer; but
that, like the rending of his robe, was a symbolical expression of grief. The
prayers of the Bible are nearly all spoken in a loud voice. Nehemiah offers a
silent prayer on an. occasion when a spoken prayer was impossible (Nehemiah
2:4), and in Hannah’s prayer for a child “only her lips moved, but her voice was
not heard” (1 Samuel 1:13). As a rule, however, the worshipper “cries with a
loud voice.” Often this is explained by the nature of the situation. It is
thor­oughly in keeping that the Baal priests, who gashed themselves till the
blood spurted, should cry aloud (1 Kings 18:28). Oaths made (2 Chronicles 15:14)
or praises offered (Revelation 5:12; Revelation 7:10) by a crowd are naturally
spoken in a loud voice, and a speaker who is praying before a large assembly
also has to exert his voice (1 Kings 8:54). But even private prayers seem, as a
rule, to have been spoken loudly. This would be no surprise in the case of so
rugged a figure as Elijah (1 Kings 17:20-21), or in the first fresh enthusiasm
of conscious sonship (Romans 8:15); but even Ezekiel prays thus, as he lies upon
his face, and briefly pleads for “the remnant of Israel” (Ezekiel 11:13). The
leper whom Jesus healed glorified God with a loud voice (Luke 17:15); and with a
loud voice Jesus (Luke 23:46) and Stephen (Acts 7:60) utter their dying prayer.

Most of the Biblical prayers are short. The origi­nal prayers may, of course,
well have been longer than the records would lead us to suppose. The par­ables
of Jesus were no doubt texts rather than sermons, and the extant prophecies are
summaries rather than addresses. Many of the minor prophets could be read
through in half an hour, and one or two in a few minutes. But, as we cannot
suppose that these books exhaust the activity of the prophets, so we need not
suppose that the prayers were as brief as the records. On the whole, however,
there can be no doubt that earlier prayers were brief. “O Baal, hear us”—two
Hebrew words—that is the whole prayer of the Baal priests, though it rends the
air with weird iteration from morning till noon (1 Kings 18:26). The prayers of
their great opponent Elijah are somewhat longer, but still very brief. “Let this
child’s soul come into him again” (1 Kings 17:21; 1 Kings 18:36 f.). In the
earlier times, at least, the speakers said simply and briefly what they had to
say, and then stopped. We have already seen how, in the older dialogues, God
speaks much and men comparatively little. Few things can be more impressive than
the reticence of Isaiah in his inaugural vision. All he says after his first
expression of guilt and confusion, is, “Behold me, send me,” and “Lord, how
long?” (Isaiah 6:8; Isaiah 6:11) A man whose eyes have seen the King will not be
very garrulous. Ezekiel had also seen the Divine glory, and his prayers are very
brief. After his vision of God, Job laid his hand upon his mouth. In the
presence of Jehovah silence is wisdom.

Jehovah is in His holy temple, Let all the earth keep silence before Him.
(Habakkuk 2:20, cf.; Zechariah 2:13)

If words must be spoken, the fewer the better. “God is in heaven, and thou upon
earth; therefore let thy words be few” (Ecclesiastes 5:2) — whether they be
spoken to God or man.

Reverence is hardly compatible with loquacity; but probably the exceptional
brevity of Hebrew prayer is connected with the Hebrew view of the perils and
responsibilities of all speech.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue. (Proverbs 18:20) Whoso keepeth
his mouth and his tongue, Keepeth his soul from troubles. (Proverbs 21:23) In
all labor there is profit, But the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.
Their wise men were acutely sensitive to the dangers of superfluous speech; and
James, a Hebrew prophet-sage in the Christian Church, felt that the taming
(James 1:26) of the untamable (James 3:8) tongue is no small part of a man’s
religion. Naturally, if care had to be exercised in the daily speech of man to
man, how much more in his solemn speech to God!

It is characteristic of the growing emphasis placed upon prayer, as we have
seen, in the post-exilic period, not only that formal prayers are more numerous,
but that they are longer. The national confession, led by Ezra, lasted three
hours (Nehemiah 9:3), and this spirit developed till, in the time of Jesus, long
prayers are a passion with the offi­cials of the Jewish Church. He, both by
precept and example, taught the duty of brevity in prayer, and grounded it upon
God’s knowledge of our needs: “In prayer, do not babble like the heathen, for
your Father knows” (Matthew 6:7-8). No doubt private prayer could be offered at
any time; the time would depend upon the mood or the need of the man who offered
it. Any one who was sick or suffering or cheerful (James 5:13-14) could pray
then and there. But the needs of an organized religious community would tend to
impose a certain regularity upon the hours of prayer, consequently the
references to fixed hours practically all belong to the post-exilic period. One
Psalmist speaks of praising God seven times a day (Psalms 119:64); but in
general prayer was offered three times a day (Daniel 6:10) —evening, morning and
noonday (Psalms 55:17)—the even­ing being mentioned first as the Hebrew day
began then (Genesis 1:5); and in the Book of Acts, the three hours of prayer—the
third hour, (Acts 2:15) the sixth, (Acts 10:9) and the ninth (Acts 3:1; Acts
10:30) —are expressly attested, and observed, not only by the Jews (Acts 2:15),
and by Cornelius (Acts 10:30), but also by Christians (Acts 3:1; Acts 10:9).
Prayer of course would be offered on the Sabbath day (Acts 16:3). Ezra offers
his confessional prayer at the hour of the evening oblation (Ezra 9:5; cf. 1
Kings 18:36; Luke 1:9). Prayer was also offered at mealtime (Romans 14:6).
Morning prayers are mentioned in connection with the Temple (Psalms 5:3).
Specially earnest private prayer is naturally enough often associated with the
night (Lamentations 2:19; cf. Psalms 119:62). That was the time when it was
specially easy to commune with one’s own heart (Psalms 58:6; Psalms 77:6), and
for more reasons than one it was the favorite time of Jesus (Mark 1:35; Luke
6:12). Nehemiah in one age (Nehemiah 1:6), and Anna in another (Luke 2:37), are
represented as praying night and day for the redemp­tion of Jerusalem: they
illustrate what Paul means by prayer without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
With that refusal to legis­late which characterized all the ministry of Jesus,
He laid down no law concerning the time of prayer. Ye, when ye pray, shut the
door (Matthew 6:5-6). With regard to the place of prayer: the local country
sanctuaries in early times, and the temple in later, were felt to be places of
prayer in a very peculiar sense. Hannah offers a private petition of her own at
Shiloh (1 Samuel 1:11), and Hezekiah at the Jerusalem temple (2 Kings 19:14).
But prayer could be offered in every place (1 Timothy 2:8) — in the land of
exile (1 Kings 8:47; Jeremiah 29:13) as well as in the holy land; in a house
(Acts 10:30; Acts 12:12), on a house-top (Acts 10:9), in bed (Psalms 63:6), in
prison (Acts 16:25), in the fields by a well of water (Genesis 24:11-12), on the
hillside (Genesis 28:18-20; Matthew 14:23), on the battle­field, by a riverside
(Acts 16:13), on the sea-shore (Acts 21:5). The hypocrites loved to pray at the
street comers (Matthew 6:5), but Jesus taught and practiced secrecy in prayer.
If in the house, let the door be shut (Matthew 6:6; cf. 2 Kings 4:33); but He
Himself loved the deserts (Luke 5:16), and the mountains, and the great spacious
silence of the night, for there and then He could be alone. He went up into the
mountain apart to pray; and when even was come, He was there alone (Matthew
14:23). The mountain, the evening, the loneliness—these things are the earthly
background of the strength of Christ. A suggestively large place in the gospels
is occupied by the word apart. Jesus prays apart (Luke 9:18). “Sit ye here while
I go yonder, and pray” (Matthew 26:36). He calls His disciples apart. “‘ Come ye
apart into a desert place.’ And they went away in the boat to a desert place
apart” (Mark 6:31 f.; cf. Galatians 1:17). He took His three favorite disciples
up into a high mountain apart (Matthew 17:1; Luke 9:28). Public prayer is a
religious necessity, but it must have its roots in private prayer. To this,
loneliness is essential; and that must be secured in the inner chamber, with the
door shut, or, best of all, on the mountains or some desert place apart. But to
the Jew, the temple was, in an altogether unique sense, the house of prayer
(Isaiah 56:7). Prayer was offered before it (Ezra 10:1; in Joel 2:17, “Between
the porch and the alter.”) for Jehovah’s name was in it (2 Chronicles 20:9). It
is “the beautiful house where our fathers praised Thee” (Isaiah 64:11). To it
the publican and the Pharisee go up to pray (Luke 18:10), but also Peter and
John (Acts 3:1), for the early Christians regarded it equally with the Jews as
the house of prayer (Luke 24:53; Acts 3:1; Acts 22:17). But the great word of
Jesus “neither in this moun­tain nor yet in Jerusalem shall ye worship the
Father” (John 4:21) was the inevitable corollary of His view of God. For “God is
spirit,” and the consequences of this for religion are innumerable and
inestimable. If God be spirit, and His worshippers must worship Him in spirit,
then questions of posture and gesture, time and place, can never be of supreme
consequence. The exigencies of practical and ecclesiastical life will compel us
to select certain places and times for reli­gious observances; but the soul must
not be bound by them or attach to them a fictitious importance. Where the spirit
of the Lord is, there is liberty. The only thing of real consequence is that the
finite man come face to face with his infinite Friend; and this he may do, as
well at midnight as at the third hour or the ninth of the day, as well in the
desert place apart as in the holy and beautiful house where our brethren praise
Him.


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  CHAPTER 8: 07.     THE TEACHING AND PRACTICE OF JESUS
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The Teaching and Practice of Jesus No prayers and no teaching about prayer can
be so important as the prayers and the teaching of Jesus Here, as everywhere in
religion, He is the Master— with his incomparable union of simplicity and depth,
serenity and earnestness; and nothing is more natural than that, “as he was
praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of His disciples said unto Him,
‘ Lord, teach us to pray’” (Luke 11:1).

It is of more than ordinary interest to ascertain precisely the words He used,
as well as the manner and spirit of His prayer. Most of His recorded prayers are
brief and striking, and we have every reason to believe that they faithfully
represent not only His spirit, but His language. But the facts providentially
forbid an idolatrous worship of the letter. The two versions of the Lord’s
prayer (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4) and the three versions of the prayer in
Gethsemane differ—very slightly indeed, but they do differ—from one another.
Some­times, as in the word rendered by daily in the English version of the
fourth petition of the Lord’s prayer, the difference rests upon the difficulty
of translating the Aramaic original into adequate Greek; but all the differences
cannot be so explained. The question, too, might with some justice be raised
whether the idea of prayer being rewarded (Matthew 6:6) does not come from an
age or circle in which the pure message of Jesus was somewhat colored by an
externalism inherited from the ancient Jewish Church; or whether the story of
the unjust judge, in which God is represented as “avenging His elect that cry
unto Him day and night” (Luke 18:7) does not, like Revelation 6:10, bear traces
of a later day than that of Jesus, when the church was exposed to persecution.
The greatest difficulties naturally lie in the gospel of John. The general
characterization of Jesus in that gospel is wonderful: in one sense, it is the
truest of all the gospels, because it penetrates most pro­foundly into the inner
nature of Jesus. But just because it has, with such sensitiveness, yet with such
power and originality, assimilated His spirit, its language, though we can often
feel sure that it breathes the very breath of Jesus, is often very obviously
rather that of the writer himself than that of Jesus. To this statement, the
prayers are no exception. Take, for example, the great intercessory prayer in
John 17 : It is altogether probable that this prayer is, in every essential
respect, the prayer then offered by Jesus. It has all the atmosphere of the last
days, it contains the characteristic ideas of Jesus, it enables us to look
deeper into His heart than perhaps any other of His recorded words do. Yet the
writer’s hand is unmistakable. After the words, “Thou (the Father) gavest Him
(the Son) authority over all flesh, that to all whom Thou hast given Him He
should give eternal life,” (John 17:2) follows a definition, “and this is life
eternal, that they should know Thee, the only true God, and Him whom Thou didst
send, even Jesus Christ.” This definition is extremely improbable in the course
of a prayer. The improbability is heightened by the fact that Jesus, who is the
speaker, would thus be made to refer to Himself by name, and even to add to this
his quasi-official title “Christ.” There can be little doubt that this is a
theological interpolation of the writer, suggested by the words “eternal life.”
A similar motive seems to explain the reference in John 17:12 to the fulfilling
of the Scripture. This is the language of apologetic rather than of prayer;
least of all is it in the manner of Jesus. A similar criticism might be made of
the prayer at the grave of Lazarus. “Father, I thank Thee, that Thou heardest
me; and I know that Thou hearest me always.” (John 11:41 f.) This is quite in
the manner of Jesus (Cf. Matthew 11:25), and it points to an unrecorded and
probably silent prayer, such as Jesus seems to have been in the habit of
offering before a miracle (Mark 7:34). But what of the words that follow? “But
because of the multitude that standeth around I said it, that they might believe
that Thou didst send me.” In other words, it was hardly a real prayer; it was
offered simply to produce a certain impression on the multitude. It is hard to
believe that such a motive ever dictated any prayer of Jesus. But, after all,
most of these criticisms are unimportant, they do not touch the essence of
Jesus’ prayer. The occasions on which Jesus is recorded to have prayed are very
suggestive. They are nearly all connected with crises in His mission. But we
must not be misled by their relative infrequency. His dying prayer, Father, into
Thy hands I commend my spirit, was no doubt the prayer of all His life. He said
nothing but what He had heard from the Father, He did nothing but what He had
seen the Father do. His whole public ministry was rooted and grounded in private
prayer. “Every day He was teaching in the temple, and every night He went
out”—no doubt to pray (Luke 22:39 f.) — “and lodged in the mount” (Luke 21:37).
Could the teaching by day have been so brave and true if He had not lodged by
night in the mount?

It is striking that He is often recorded to have spent the night in prayer after
a day with the multi­tude. For example, in the morning of the day after He had
“healed many that were sick with divers diseases . . . in the morning, a great
while before day, He rose up and went out and departed into a desert place, and
there prayed.” (Mark 1:34 f.) The motives for prayer at such times may have been
very various: the need to renew the strength which had gone out of Him, the need
of the eloquent silence after the noisy din of the crowd, the need of gathering
His soul to­gether before facing the unknown day. In prayer He won new strength
and confidence “to preach the good news of the Kingdom of God to other cities
also.” He may also have felt the need of fortifying His soul against the false
Messianic hopes of the people; for, after sending away the multitudes whom He
had fed and who would gladly have made Him King (John 6:15), He went up into the
mountain apart to pray (Matthew 14:23. Cf. Luke 5:15-16, when the report went
abroad concerning Him and His marvelous cures.).

After healing in the synagogue on the Sabbath day the man with the withered
hand, the church dignitaries “were filled with madness and communed with one
another what they might do to Jesus. And it came to pass in those days that He
went out into the mountain to pray, and He continued all night in prayer to God.
And when it was day, He called His disciples, and chose from them twelve” (Luke
6:11-13). The chronological order of the incidents related in the gospels is
notoriously difficult to establish, and a loose phrase like “in those days” may
be little more than a general connecting link. The prayer offered here
undoubtedly refers primarily to the prayer before the choice of the twelve; but
read retrospectively, it is also true, whether it is true chronologically or
not. We may be sure that when public or private passion was stirred up against
Him, He sought strength and comfort in communion with His Father. But of more
importance is it to note that the whole night before His choice of the twelve
was spent in prayer to God. Humanly speaking, on this step the whole future
history of the Kingdom of God depended. The crisis was one of supreme
importance: therefore it is not surprising that He prayed not only earnestly,
but all night.

Similarly all the great crises of His ministry are accompanied by prayer—the
baptism at the be­ginning (Luke 3:21), and towards the end the confession of His
Messiahship at Caesarea Philippi (Luke 9:18). It was necessary that the right
moment should be chosen for this con­fession, and on this point He must have the
clearness and certainty which only His Father could give Him.

It is also very probable that all His miraculous acts of healing were
accompanied by prayer. This is expressly attested for the story of Lazarus (John
11:41), and suggested by His cure of the deaf and dumb man, to whom, after
looking up to heaven, he said Ephphatha (Mark 7:34). The disciples who had
failed to cure the epileptic boy had forgotten that this kind could come out by
nothing save by prayer (Mark 9:29): the Master who cast out the evil spirit was
fresh from His prayer upon the moun­tain top. If ever any one in this world,
assuredly Jesus must have prayed without ceasing; but in particular, He seems to
have specially committed all that concerned His life-work into His Father’s
hands. In prayer, He secured that unity of will with the Father which made Him
in the deepest sense one with Him.

One of the most prominent features of the prayer- life of Jesus must have been
its spirit of thanksgiving. The thanks He offered before feeding the
multitude—possibly the regular grace before meat said by the head of a Jewish
household—is specially mentioned in all the gospels (Matthew 15:36; Mark 6:41;
Luke 9:16; John 6:11) and must have been peculiarly impres­sive. So at the grave
of Lazarus His prayer begins, “Father, I thank Thee” (John 11:41). He has the
glad conscious­ness that His Father hears Him always. His is a happy prayer. “He
rejoiced and said, ‘I thank Thee, Father’” (Luke 10:21). In the remarkable
prayer—unique in the Synoptic gospels—recorded in Matthew 11:25 ff., and Luke
10:21 f., He confesses His thanks to the Father, whose might and wisdom were
incomparable, who was “Lord of heaven and earth,” and who re­vealed His truth
only to the simple and childlike of heart. He knows the perfect oneness of His
own will with the Father’s, and He is therefore conscious of His own uniqueness
among men. Thus Jesus thanks His Father alike for the earthly things and the
heavenly, the little things and the great, for the mystery of the Father’s will
and for the bread that perisheth.

Like the great prophets of old, Jesus also appears in the role of intercessor.
He intercedes alike for His disciples and for His tormentors. He prayed for
Peter that his faith fail not (Luke 22:32), and as He prayed for him, He prayed
for them all, that they should be preserved from the evil one, and sanctified in
the truth (John 17:6-19); and not only for them, but also for those who should
be persuaded by their word to accept Him (John 17:20-24). In His prayer at the
parting of the ways, He looks down the avenue of the future, and prays for the
unity of those who will believe in Him. But most wonderful of all is His prayer,
“Father, forgive them,” for the men who nailed Him to the cross (Luke 23:34).
This is primarily a prayer only for them. They literally did not know what they
were doing. The church officials who compassed His death and the people who
shouted “Away with Him,” knew much better what they were doing. At least they
knew that they were devoting to death one who had healed their sick, and who had
gone about doing good. But it is not to be wondered at if His challenge of
official religion and of popular hopes created a deadly hostility among men of
deep but natural prejudices and conventional re­ligious attainments. Of them,
too, it might be said, that they did not fully know what they were doing, and
the prayer for pardon is indirectly, if not directly, also for them. So far as
the words of Jesus go, He never directly exhorts that “intercessions be made for
all men” (1 Timothy 2:1). But He does what is more striking: He exhorts His
disciples to pray for those who abuse and persecute them (Matthew 5:44; Luke
6:28). This prayer is the highest and the hardest: it includes all the lesser
intercessions. Jesus, who urged this duty, Himself performed it upon His cross,
at a time when such a prayer must have seemed nothing less than a miracle. One
who intercedes for his enemies will not be likely to forget his friends, and the
world beyond the circle of his friendships. Jesus prayed for those who nailed
Him to the tree, but He also prayed for Peter, for the disciples, and for those
who through them should believe on Him. Thus explicitly by teaching and
implicitly by practice He taught the duty of intercession.

Jesus had nothing to confess, therefore He confesses nothing. Even in the
terrible hour of Gethsemane, when the darkness is such as might be felt; even on
the cross, when, for the moment, He feels as if His God had forsaken Him, there
is no whisper of such a thing. This would not be wonderful in Jeremiah; but in
Jesus, who was sensitive, as none had ever been before, to the stain of sin, it
would be wonderful, if it did not rest upon His conscious sinlessness.
Confession is the one element which was necessarily absent from His prayers and
necessarily present in ours. We have sins to confess and we must pray for their
forgiveness, and the prayer must proceed from a heart that is itself ready to
forgive the trespasses committed against it. The importance of forgiveness and
the condition upon which it depends seem, judging by the peculiar nature and
earnestness of the allusions, to have been a favorite theme of Jesus (Matthew
6:14 f., Matthew 18:35; Mark 11:25 f.). The man who prays must love his fellows:
the unforgiving remain unforgiven. The petitions which Jesus Himself offered and
exhorted others to offer are, as we might expect, pre­dominantly spiritual. The
first thing to be sought was the Kingdom of God. One of the chief prayers of
those who love the Lord of the harvest is that laborers be sent into His harvest
(Matthew 9:38; Luke 10:2). The prayers of the early Church for boldness in
preaching the gospel (Acts 4:29) show that she had learnt the lesson of Jesus
well. But while prayer must be predominantly, it will not be exclusively, for
things spiritual. There is no strained or unnatural idealism in the teaching of
Jesus. It is not as if to Him the Kingdom of God stood first and other things
nowhere, but His conception of the Kingdom of God is so comprehensive that all
these other things find their place and legitimation within it. He taught His
disciples to pray, “Give us bread,” and this is the eternal justification of
prayer for things temporal. Man does not live by bread alone, but neither can he
live without it. The heavenly Father knows that we have need of this and similar
things, and therefore we may pray for them—briefly indeed and simply, but
sincerely, and with no feeling that such a prayer is unworthy of one who aspires
to the full stature of spiritual manhood. The tendency of a later age to give a
spiritual turn to the words of Jesus is illustrated by the change of the word
good things (Matthew 7:11) into the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13) in the sen­tence
“How much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that
ask Him!” The things to be asked must of course be good; but good in the widest
and not in any exclusive sense.

“Pray that your flight be not in the winter,” (Mark 13:18; Matthew 23:20; cf.
Luke 21:36) says Jesus to the people, as He foresees the “great tribulation”
that is soon to fall upon them. Prayer would thus seem to be justified not only
for growth in grace but for deliverance from distress, and the alleviation of
misery. Jesus Himself prayed in the hour of His agony that the cup might pass
from Him, and the disciple may not count Himself more spiritual than his Master.
But this simple prayer of Jesus in Gethsemane is a model in more respects than
one. While it justifies a petition for deliverance from distress, it also shows
that the deepest desire of the man who prays must be not for his own
deliverance, but for the glory of God and the triumph of the Divine will in him.
“Father, save me from this hour; but, Father, glorify Thy name.” (John 12:27 f.)
“Not my will, but Thine be done.” The struggle in Gethsemane was a very real
one. Jesus prayed, according to a late but very credible tradition, till His
sweat became as it were great drops of blood falling down upon the ground (Luke
22:44). He offered suppli­cations with strong crying and tears unto Him that was
able to save Him from death (Hebrews 5:7). He prayed that the cup might be
removed, that the way might not be so terrible; but through, and above, and
crowning all, that the will of God be done. He might have prayed for twelve
legions of angels, but He refused to offer such a prayer; for that, at any rate,
was not His Father’s will. The Father is glorified when His will is done. “I
glorified Thee on the earth, having accomplished the work which Thou hast given
Me to do” (John 17:4). The glory of God, in this sense, is the goal of
history—the establishment of a kingdom in which His will is done as the angels
do it in heaven. Con­sidering Christ’s consciousness of His own unique relation
to the Father and to men (Matthew 11:25-27), it is fitting that His great
intercessory prayer should begin with a petition for the glory of the Father and
the Son, each through the other (John 17:1). For once it would seem as if Jesus’
sustaining con­sciousness of fellowship with the Father was momentarily clouded.
In indescribable torture of body and spirit upon the cross He meekly asks His
God why He had thus forsaken Him (Mark 15:34; Matthew 27:46). It is a cry out of
the deepest depths that sorrow has ever sounded. Yet He knows Himself not
utterly forsaken: He can still appeal to Him and say “My God.” It is of
pecu­liar interest that He does not call God here, as every­where else, Father.
The reason can hardly be that the appeal is a literal quotation from Psalms
22:1, because the words, “Father, into Thy hands I com­mend My spirit,” are also
a quotation; but here Jesus has substituted Father for the Lord (or, in the
Hebrew, Jehovah) in the second half of the verse of the original Psalm (Psalms
31:5 b). He is free to amplify or adapt the original words; consequently, if He
retains them, it must be because they perfectly express the mood of the moment.
In that awful crisis God is felt to be God rather than Father; but He is still
“My God.” After­wards, the feeling of abandonment vanishes. God passes as God,
and returns as Father, and into the Father’s hands Jesus commends His spirit,
with the quietness, the clearness, the simplicity, the triumphant confidence
which had marked all His earthly ministry. The most complete and connected
expression of Jesus’ conception of prayer is to be found in the Lord’s prayer
(Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4). It is not in the least probable that He intended
to bind this prayer upon His disciples. He imparted a spirit, He did not impose
a law—as little in prayer as in any other exercise of religion; and we cannot
suppose that He prescribed a prayer. That was not His way. The prayer is a
model, in­comparable and inimitable; and because inimitable nothing is more
natural than that it should very early have fallen into regular use. The Didache
already prescribes its repetition three times a day. But it is essentially a
model: its object was to present the ideal of prayer.

One cannot but wonder whether the disciples were not disappointed when they
heard it for the first time. According to one account (Luke 11:1), it was given
in response to one of the disciples who had apparently been struck by Jesus’
prayer, and was eager to learn its secret. And what is its secret? Most of the
petitions had in some form or other been offered before. In its individual
expressions it was not and could not be something absolutely new and original.
It but ex­pressed a longing for the deepest things; and that longing had, by
devout men, been felt and expressed before. But assuredly never so expressed:
never with such brevity, sureness, clearness, comprehensiveness, depth, power,
simplicity. Other men had said more, or less—had often said little when they
seemed to be saying much. He said enough, because He said everything. These
seven (Six, according to some, who count the last two as one) petitions sweep
the whole range of religious aspiration, leaving nothing untouched or
unilluminated. Like the twenty-third Psalm, the Lord’s prayer is appropriate to
every stage of religious development. A child can understand it, but the wisest
cannot exhaust its depths. As we grow, it grows: we never leave it behind. Like
the parables of Christ it has an inexhaustible power of suggestion. Every new
experience of life sheds new light upon its meaning, while in its turn it sheds
light on every new experience. It “may be committed to memory quickly,” as F. D.
Maurice says, “but it is slowly learnt by heart.” The brevity of the prayer is
its first surprise, and this is without doubt one of the lessons Jesus meant to
teach. According to its setting in the Sermon on the Mount, it is given as a
contrast to the wordiness which characterized heathen and even much Jewish
prayer. “When you pray, do not babble, like the heathen; for they think that
they shall be heard for their multitude of words. Do not be like them. This is
the way to pray.” Then follows a prayer of barely more than half a minute’s
length, if so much. And the prayer is brief, partly because it deals with the
fundamental things, which are few—the kingdom and the will of God, the need of
bread, of forgiveness and deliverance—and partly because it leaves everything to
God. There is no dictation. How the kingdom is to come, how we are to be
delivered from tempta­tion, it does not say: these things are left to the
omnipotent wisdom of God. The simplicity of the prayer is as striking as its
brevity. Jesus meant to teach that the simplest prayer is also the highest and
the truest. It is the natural speech of a child to the holy Father, and an
everlasting rebuke to all unnaturalness and exaggera­tion, whether in
expression, thought, or feeling. Our Father. This, then, was how to address God
in prayer; not by calling Him God, and then by heaping high epithet upon
epithet—“the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and
loving-kindness” (Cf. Nehemiah 9:32) — but simply by calling Him Father, our
Father, for we are all brethren. The first words usher us into the presence of a
great com­pany of brethren whom no man can number. Our Father who art in heaven.
So Jesus Himself prayed: “I thank Thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth.” As
heaven is high above the earth—infinitely more high and mysterious to us than it
could have been to the Jews of Jesus’ time—so the Father is higher than the
children who cry to Him. The trust and familiarity awakened by the thought of
the Fatherhood are touched to the deepest humility and reverence, as the
worshipper faces the God whose home is the infinite universe, and the heart is
expanded by the contemplation of such a Father and such a home.

How any one who thus addresses God can remain narrow in mind or heart is a
mystery; for in this ad­dress the finite man faces the universe, he
acknow­ledges his kinship with humanity and with the in­finite Father.

Hallowed be Thy name. To a Semitic ear the name meant far more than to us. The
name of God re­presented all that was covered by the term God—His being and
character, including of course His name. All this must be held in holiest
reverence. His name must not be used in a spirit of frivolity or
thoughtless­ness, profanity or superstition. Even in prayer this reverence has
to be carefully guarded. It is for­gotten by the garrulous, who make long
prayers, use vain repetitions, and seem to suppose that they will be heard for
their much speaking. This prayer is a petition for a worthy attitude to God, to
religion, to worship. It implies a rebuke of the indifference to religion which
characterizes many who profess it, and of the noisy and unseemly familiarity
which charac­terizes the worship of many who really believe in it.

Thy kingdom come. There is a growing belief that much of the New Testament in
general, and such phrases as this in particular, are to be interpreted in an
eschatological sense. Whether or no, the kingdom of God would, in any case, be
in its essence a moral and spiritual kingdom. The time and the nature of its
coming might be differently conceived; but in its essence it was righteousness,
peace and joy (Romans 14:17), and, as such, was already in the midst of them
(Luke 17:20 f.). Apart from all historical and theological questions, the prayer
is essentially a petition for the triumph of the cause of God in the world—of
truth, and goodness, and love. It suggests visions of a day when all the world
will be united as one, under the kingship of God, and when all the interests and
ambitions of men will be con­trolled by the necessities of the kingdom. His
subjects must be willing, for in the kingdom of God there is no constraint:
therefore Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. The angels, “mighty in
strength, hearken unto the voice of His word,” (Psalms 103:20) and like those
obedient messengers of Hebrew narrative and poetry, so are we to do His will,
swiftly, gladly and without constraint; for the will must be willingly done: it
is the will of the Father whose children we are. It would hardly be just to the
spirit of the prayer to trace any rigid logical connection between its
petitions—indeed, in one aspect, they are practically synonymous—and yet it is
perhaps not altogether fanciful to see in them a certain simple progress. The
will of God can only be done by men who honor the name and live for the kingdom.
Where and when the name is hallowed, the kingdom comes and the will is done. In
the fourth petition we turn—but without any sense of break—from the
contemplation of God’s majestic universe, kingdom and will, to the more specific
needs and frailties of men. Give us our bread for the day, whether today or
tomorrow: the phrase is hard and need not be here discussed, but the meaning is
plain. We cannot be too grateful for this simple recognition on the part of our
Lord of the material basis of human life. True, only one petition of the seven
is for material things, but, in One whose outlook on life was so sane and true,
that one could not fail. “Ye have need of these things.” That is His will, and
His will be done. The petition is at once modest and comprehensive; it is not a
prayer for prosperity, far less for luxury, but simply for that which makes life
possible, and even that simply for the day—not for that abundance which will
deliver us from anxiety for the morrow. But, on the other hand, it is implicitly
a prayer for all that is needed to make life possible. How much more than bread
that may mean each man has to determine for himself. To all it will include
clothing and shelter, to some it may mean more. It suggests and includes, in its
grandly simple way, all that is necessary to sustain the life—in the largest
sense—of men. No healthy recognition in prayer of the natural basis of life can
be unworthy. The whole earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof. Every
creature of God is good, and may be sanctified through prayer (1 Timothy 4:4).
But more pathetic than man’s need of bread is his need of forgiveness. The
petition forgive us our debts excludes all possibility of self-righteousness:
the worshipper implicitly confesses his guilt and ac­knowledges its seriousness,
for he also confesses his need of forgiveness. His petition implies a longing to
be at one again with the Father, and his confession of guilt is useless unless
it be sincere, for he must be prepared to show the same mercy to others that he
craves for himself. If he will not forgive others, then it is the simple fact
that God cannot forgive him (Matthew 6:15). As the past is full of sin that
needs to be forgiven, so the future is full of peril, in which the old sins may
be repeated, and new ones committed; therefore lead us not into temptation, but
deliver us from evil. The latter petition, though, in a sense, independent, in
another sense explains and deepens the former. The former is essentially a
prayer that we may not be led into situations that will tempt us. But the power
of temptation lies in our susceptibility to evil; if we are delivered from that,
the temptations into which the casual circumstances of our life may bring us
will have no more power over us. And thus the Lord’s prayer ends; for the
doxology, though altogether worthy, is no part of the original prayer. It ends
with the thought of the great anta­gonist, whether we call that evil or the evil
One, and thus forms a somber contrast to the great Father in heaven at the
beginning of the prayer. It makes us feel the terribleness of life to all who
take it seriously; life is threatened and, apart from God, is overpowered by the
strong man who can spoil it of all its goods. But the great antagonist meets his
match in the great Redeemer of human life, and the prayer ends, not with the
thought of the antagonist, but with that of redemption—deliver us—and thus
carries us back from the pain and struggle and temptations of earth to the
serene atmosphere of the opening petitions, with its outlook upon the glorious
kingdom and the will of, the Father in heaven.

Like all the words of Christ, this prayer searches. What do we care for the name
and the kingdom and the will of God? And how do we show that we care? These
questions must rise to the heart of one who is praying sincerely. And the prayer
is also a confession. In our prayer for bread, we confess our impotence over the
mysterious forces of nature, and our absolute dependence upon God. In our prayer
for forgiveness and deliverance, we confess our utter and infinite weakness.

It is often said that this prayer indirectly teaches that in prayer the things
of God must come first: after a petition for the triumph of His cause, we may
then petition for our own affairs. This is to ignore, however, the very intimate
connection between its two parts, and can hardly be in the spirit of Jesus. The
kingdom comes through the practice of loving forgiveness between man and man,
the will of God is done by men who fear and shun temptation. The last three
petitions are but the translation, in terms of human life, of conditions which
the first three regard from the standpoint of God. Man is implicated in the
first half of the prayer, as surely as God is in the second. The kingdom of God
is not in the air, it is “among you.” |The will of God is to be done upon the
earth. The divine interests are not to be separated from human interests, they
are the same. The hallowing of His name, the coming of His kingdom, the doing of
His will are as truly our affair as daily bread and forgiveness of sins and
redemption from evil. The Lord’s prayer illustrates what men ought to pray for:
it goes without saying that such prayer, if sincere, would be earnest. It could
only be offered by a man to whom the kingdom of God and the forgiveness of sins
were dear. The more earnestly it was offered, the more surely it would be
answered; for the interest betokened by the petitions would be, in a sense,
their fulfillment. It is not surprising therefore that Jesus should teach the
duty of persistency in prayer. He Himself prayed with strong crying and tears;
and when His request was not granted the first time, or the second, “He prayed a
third time, saying again the same words” (Matthew 26:44). Prayer He compared to
knocking, as if the door remained closed till the knock was heard. But how long
has the suppliant to knock till the door is opened? There are two parables which
seem to suggest not only the duty of persistence, but of importunity— the
parables of the friend who came at midnight (Luke 11:5-8), and the unjust judge
(Luke 18:1-8). In the sense that one cannot pray such a prayer as the Lord’s
Prayer too earnestly, importunity is intel­ligible and unobjectionable. But the
first impression made by the parables seems to carry us beyond this. The friend
within is surly. “Don’t worry me. I can’t get up and give you.” But “I tell
you,” says Jesus, “though he won’t rise and give him because he is his friend,
yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needs.”
This is a very bold illustration, altogether in the manner of Jesus; but we must
not draw from the parable more than it was intended to yield. It is surely
obvious that the friend within does not adequately represent God. He has no
sympathy for the needs of the man at his door, but he finally gets up for peace’
sake and gives him all he needs, perhaps to make sure that he will not soon be
back again. Anything more unlike what is elsewhere called “the philanthropy of
our Savior God” (Titus 3:4) it would be almost impossible to conceive. The one
thing the parable is intended to teach is the need of persistence; and the
reasonableness of that— considering the things we ought to pray for, as
suggested by the Lord’s Prayer (It is of great importance to note that this
parable imme­diately follows the Lord’s prayer) — we have already seen.
Persist­ence, importunity if you like, is the test of sincerity; but it is not
for a moment to be supposed that impor­tunity could extort from God gifts which
He is initially unwilling to grant. An almost more daring illustration of the
need of persistency is furnished by the parable of the unjust judge. The judge
is determined to refuse the widow’s request, but he finally grants it. “Though I
have no fear of God, and no regard for man, yet because she worries me, I will
give her satisfaction, to keep her from wearing me out by her everlasting
visits.” Surely it is as plain as day that this man cannot repre­sent God. He is
unjust and irreligious; but he, like the friend in bed, finally grants the
request simply to secure his own comfort. If the figure of the judge is so
totally inadequate to represent God, why should we suppose that his conduct can
typify that of God—that God, like him, can, as it were, be coerced, by the
per­sistence of the petitioner, into granting a request which He is at first
disposed to refuse? Here we must say, as before, that the lesson is simply one
of the duty of persistency; and the reasonableness of this persistency must be
obvious to one who has learned his conception of prayer from the example of
Jesus.

If there is any analogy at all, it is rather this: If an unwilling friend and an
unjust judge will yield to a persistent petition for earthly things, how much
more will the heavenly Father to a petition for the heavenly things! It is
altogether alien to the spirit of Jesus and of healthy religion to speak of
assaulting the walls of heaven and of wresting a blessing from God Almighty. The
ultimate prayer is, “Thy will be done”; and the more earnestly we offer that
prayer, the better it will be for ourselves and the world. But earnestness is
one thing, and violent importunity another. If it is the will of God we desire
to see accom­plished, and not our own will, we shall be content to be earnest
without being violent. Against an impor­tunity which may sometimes only be a
disguised selfishness, we have to remember that we shall not be heard for our
much speaking, and that our Father in heaven knows what things we have need of.

It may even fairly be questioned whether the moral of the parable of the unjust
judge really originates, at any rate in its present form, with Jesus. The prayer
of the elect, which can count on being answered, is a prayer for vengeance—such
a prayer as was natural enough to Jeremiah and Nehemiah, and apparently even to
Jewish Christians (Revelation 6:10), but hardly such a prayer as could have been
offered or prescribed by Him who said, “Pray for them that persecute you”
(Matthew 5:44), and who almost with His last breath prayed for His own
tormentors. It is much more like a cry from a later time of persecution: there
is a vehemence about it which suggests dark days. “Shall not God avenge His
elect? I tell you; He will avenge them speedily.” The manner of Christ’s prayers
must have been as striking as their contents. Into the mystery of His private
prayers we are seldom permitted to look. He loved the loneliness—the mountains
and the desert places. Even from His disciples “He was parted about a stone’s
throw” when He knelt down and prayed (Luke 22:41). He believed in the closed
door, and He left the street comers to the hypocrites. But He also knew the joy
and help of fellowship, and more than once He took Peter and James and John with
Him to pray. Special influences were in the air when “two or three were gathered
together.” It is to this that we owe our knowledge of the scene in Gethsemane
and on the mount of transfiguration, which was the mount of prayer. As He was
praying, the fashion of His countenance was altered (Luke 9:29). We can well
suppose that not only then, but every time He prayed, His face was transfigured.
The effect of prayer upon the face—its permanent expression of quiet and the
temporary light that kindles it in the moment of devotion—this may be witnessed
today; and what must have been its effect upon that face? When He spoke,
everyone was astonished, for He spoke with authority; when He prayed, every one
was equally astonished, for He prayed with transfigured face. It is the old
phenomenon we witnessed in the prophets: they had power with men, because they
had prevailed with God. The extraordinary impressiveness—shall we say
fascination? — of Jesus’ prayer is suggested over and over again. It was this,
according to one version, that led one of the disciples to put to Him the
question which led to the Lord’s prayer. In prayer, especially in the open air,
He is often recorded as having looked up. This He did before His healing
miracles (Mark 7:34; John 11:41), and this trait is mentioned in one group of
the narratives of His feeding of the multitude (Matthew 14:19; Mark 6:41; Luke
9:16). Nothing could have been more impressive than to see that shining face
up­turned in prayer before a great expectant multitude sitting on the grass. The
prayer which Jesus offered before the feeding of the multitude is not recorded;
it is simply said that He blessed (or gave thanks, Matthew 15:36; Mark 8:6) and
brake and gave. It so happens that all the illustrations of prayer before a meal
in the New Testament are important for other reasons: the feeding of the
multitude, the institution of the supper (Matthew 26:26 f; Mark 14:22 f.), the
evening meal at Emmaus (Luke 24:30), the meal after Paul’s shipwreck (Acts
27:35) —these are all occasions which may well have called forth special prayer.
Yet it is quite possible that the prayers then offered were simply the ordinary
thanksgiving or grace before meat, offered by the head of a Jewish family. What
this was in the time of Jesus, we cannot be sure; but it was probably not unlike
the later prayer, “Blessed be the Creator of the fruits of the earth.” The
prayer was brief, but as Jesus would offer it, with His eyes lifted up to
heaven, those who heard it would carry the im­pression of it with them to their
graves. That there was a peculiar solemnity about the way in which Jesus gave
thanks and broke bread is made very plain by the Emmaus story. “When He had sat
down with them to meat, He took the bread and blessed, and He broke it and gave
it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew Him” (Luke 24:30 f.).
Nobody had ever broken bread or given thanks like Him. A curious confirmation of
this view of the special solemnity of Jesus’ thanksgiving before meat occurs in
an altogether incidental remark in John 6:23 : “there came boats from Tiberias
nigh unto the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks”
Surely, in the simple description of a place, this is a very remarkable
addition; but it points to the extraordinary and indelible impression produced
by the prayers of Jesus.

Thrice happy those who were privileged to hear Jesus pray! His manner can never
be recalled or repeated, because He stands alone among the sons of men; but the
prayers themselves are for us and for all men. Among all the dissensions that
have dishonored the name of Jesus, and stained the history of the Christian
Church, the prayer He taught His disciples has been an ideal bond throughout the
centuries, binding to­gether all that believe in Him; and, whatever the future
may have in store, that prayer will continue to hold His Church together, while
the world stands.


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  CHAPTER 9: 08.     THE PRAYERS OF PAUL
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The Prayers of Paul

Beyond all comparison Paul is the greatest figure in the history of the early
Church. He was the Master’s aptest pupil; and the truth he learned from Him he
applied with a courage, a penetration, a versatility, and an originality which
are beyond all praise. The tremendous force that was brought into history by
Jesus is well seen in the restless creative energy of Paul. Jesus lives in Him;
and because he possesses the spirit of Jesus, he breathes new life into all that
he touches—the men he meets, the theology he inherits, the prayers he offers.
The contrast between Jesus and Paul is, in one respect, as striking as it could
be. There are few, if any, verbal parallels between them. The direct
remin­iscences of the Master’s teaching are not many; the intricate and
impetuous prayers of Paul (Cf. Ephesians 1:16 ff.; Colossians 1:9 ff.) are
unlike the simple serenity of Jesus. But the contrast is so great just because
Paul is so completely overmastered and controlled by Jesus. He is at once His
slave and His freeman. He does not so much possess the spirit of Jesus, rather
He is possessed by it, and that spirit scorns imitation. It seeks out—as it
always must, wherever its freshness and freedom are felt—new methods of
expression and attack. It shows its true kinship with the Master by the
originality with which it works. The contrast between the prayers of Jesus and
Paul is great, nevertheless the similarity is very real. In particular, he had
caught the Master’s note of thanks­giving. In everything, prayer and
supplication have to be blended with thanksgiving (Php 4:6). He begins almost
all his epistles with thanksgiving and often ends his arguments with doxology
(Romans 11:33). “Thanks be unto God” is the motto of his life. It makes a very
interesting study to compare the petitions and the prayers of thanksgiving
offered by Paul: the latter far outweigh the former. The joy which had welled up
in the heart of the Old Testament worshipper as he entered the courts of Jehovah
was intensified in Paul a thousand times by his gratitude to God for His
unspeakable gift (2 Corinthians 9:15). In Jesus Christ salvation had been
brought nigh. All who enjoyed it and all who witnessed its triumph in the hearts
of other men could not but “rejoice in the Lord always; and again I will say, ‘
Rejoice’” (Php 4:4). It was a duty “in everything to give thanks, for this is
the will of God” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)—a duty to which all who loved God and
men were invincibly constrained. “We are bound to give thanks to God always for
you, because God chose you unto salvation” (2 Thessalonians 2:13). “We are bound
to give thanks to God always for you, brethren”—for your faith and love to one
another (2 Thessalonians 1:3): bound to give thanks for the salvation and
spiritual progress of men. The number of allusions to thanksgiving is more than
surprising upon an area so relatively small as the epistles of Paul. His many
exhortations to gratitude show how much his own mind was controlled by this
thought, and suggest, on the other hand, the tendency of average men to “forget
His benefits.” “Be ye thankful,” “abound in thanksgiving,” “do all in the name
of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks unto God,” “continue steadfastly in prayer,
watching therein with thanksgiving” (Colossians 3:15; Colossians 2:7; Colossians
3:17; Colossians 4:2)—all these admonitions come from one short epistle. He
himself had taken to heart the advice he gave the Ephesians (Ephesians 5:20) to
“give thanks always for all things to God.”

Though thanks must be given for all things, in point of fact the thanksgivings
of Paul are nearly always connected with the salvation that came to men through
Jesus. That was the fact that dwarfed all others in importance, and its effect
upon the heart of himself and other men causes him to rejoice evermore. It is
the depth of the riches of the wisdom of God (Romans 11:33) in send­ing one who
had delivered men out of the power of darkness and translated them into the
kingdom of the Son of His love (Colossians 1:13), one who had given them the
victory over sin and death (1 Corinthians 15:55-57), one in whom they had been
blessed with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3)—it is this that kindles
the heart of Paul to rapture. The amazing unselfishness of the life of Paul is
seen as clearly in his thanksgiving as in his petitions. His thanks are nearly
always connected with the welfare of his converts or the progress of the gospel.
Once he expresses gratitude for a specific gift of his own—that “I speak with
tongues more than you all” (1 Corinthians 14:18); but he at once proceeds to
speak somewhat depreciatingly of this power, at least in so far as it does not
tend to the welfare of the Church. The thing to be grateful for is the progress
of the truth, and any personal gift that contributes to that progress. In
keeping with this altruistic view of life, Paul blesses God for the power he
possesses of comforting others (2 Corinthians 1:4), he thanks Him for the
fidelity of Titus (2 Corinthians 8:16), and he cannot find words to express his
rapture at the thought of his Thessalonian converts (1 Thessalonians 3:9). The
acceptance of Jesus by men and their fidelity to Him whom they had
accepted—these are the things that chiefly inspire Paul to thanksgiving. He
thanks God at the sight of men who had been the servants of sin becoming the
servants of righteousness (Romans 6:17 f.), or when they received his message
not as the word of man but as the word of God (1 Thessalonians 2:13), or—in more
theological language —that God had chosen them unto salvation (2 Thessalonians
2:13). But especially did Paul rejoice over the fruits of conversion, over the
visible signs that his converts were really possessed of the spirit of Jesus. He
gives thanks for the universally acknowledged fidelity of the Roman Church
(Romans 1:8), for the faith in Jesus and the love towards each other which
characterized the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 1:2-3), the Colossians
(Colossians 1:3-4), and the Ephesians (Ephesians 1:15 f.), for the faith and
love of Philemon (Philemon 1:4-5), for the gifts of the Corin­thians (1
Corinthians 1:4 ff.), for the fellowship of the Philippians in fur­therance of
the gospel (Php 1:3-5).

Surely there were never more remarkable prayers of thanksgiving than these. Self
is forgotten: Christ, the converts, the progress of truth, faith, and love—
these are everything. And the thanksgiving becomes all the more astonishing when
we remember the fierce, hard life that Paul was compelled to lead: in
affliction, in distresses, strifes, imprisonments, tumults, labors, vigils,
fastings (2 Corinthians 6:4-5). “Five times I received forty stripes save one.
Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I suffered
shipwreck, I have been a day and a night in the deep, in journeyings often, in
perils of rivers and robbers, of countrymen and heathen, of city, desert and
sea, of hunger, thirst, cold, and nakedness” (2 Corinthians 11:24 ff.) But Paul
remained more than conqueror. In all these things he rejoiced ever­more, because
of the unspeakable gift.

It was inevitable that one who so rejoiced over the salvation and progress of
his converts should pray for them. Intercessory prayer plays a great part in the
life of St. Paul. It is the old story: the true pro­phet, the preacher who means
what he says, will be an intercessor. The man who loves the truth and who also
loves the men to whom he preaches it, will plead for them. So not only Paul’s
heart’s desire, but also his supplication to God for the Jews (Romans 10:1) was
that they should be saved. And once men have been won for Jesus, he prays that
they may be sustained in the good life (1 Thessalonians 3:13), and enabled to
bring forth much fruit, and this to the ultimate end “that the name of our Lord
Jesus may be glorified” (2 Thessalonians 1:12; Romans 15:5-6; cf. Php 1:11). He
prays not only that they may do no evil (2 Corinthians 13:7), but that they may,
in a spirit of blameless sincerity (Php 1:10), do much good, especially that
they may put into practice the Master’s royal lesson of love to one another and
to all men (1 Thessalonians 3:12). But as the quality of the outward life
depends entirely upon the inward spirit, it is usually towards this that the
supplications of Paul are directed. If men are “to walk worthily of the Lord,
bearing fruit in every good work,” then they must be “filled with the knowledge
of His will (Colossians 1:9-10). He therefore prays that God may give them a
spirit of wisdom that they may realize all that is theirs in Christ—the hope of
the Divine calling, and the greatness of the Divine power as attested by the
resurrection of Christ (Ephesians 1:17-20). What is needed is an inward
strength, and this can only come through the indwelling of Christ in the heart;
it is therefore for this that he prays (Ephesians 3:16-17). These requests are
summed up in the prayer, “The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and
into the patience of Christ” (2 Thessalonians 3:5) and “give you peace at all
times in all ways” (2 Thessalonians 3:16).

Paul’s unbounded interest in his converts is attested by the almost extravagant
language in which he describes his prayer for them. He struggles for them, he
prays night and day exceedingly that he may see their face (1 Thessalonians
3:10). Like most great leaders of men, he probably knew personally those who
were devoted to him and never forgot any with whom he had had individual
personal relations. He speaks of “making my sup­plication with joy on behalf of
you all” (Php 1:4). The names of long-forgotten men and women are scattered over
his letters—unknown to us, but dear to him. He gave his life not for an
abstraction, nor even for a gospel, but for Jesus and for men. In words of
moving sincerity, he discloses the secret of his earnestness in intercessory
prayer. He prayed for men because he loved them. “God is my witness,” he says,
“how I long after you all in the tender mercies of Christ Jesus” (Php 1:8); and
still more touchingly and simply, “I have you in my heart” (Php 1:7). So
thoroughly is Paul in earnest about the duty and power of intercessory prayer
that not only does he himself pray for his converts, but he asks them to pray
for him. He knows that their supplications can help him (Php 1:13; 2 Corinthians
1:11; cf. Philemon 1:22). The very last injunction before his parting
salutations to the Thessalonians is “Brethren, pray for us” (1 Thessalonians
5:25). As we might expect, the prayers he requests them to offer on his behalf
are never selfish prayers: they are always intimately related to the progress of
the gospel. Once indeed he beseeches his brethren (Romans 15:30 f.) to strive
with himself in their prayers to God for him that he might be “delivered from
them that are disobedient in Judaea”—in another case, “from unreasonable and
evil men” (2 Thessalonians 3:1); but the con­text shows that this is really a
prayer that his work, and the work of the Lord—which was the same— should move
on unhindered. That the prayers he requested his converts to offer were really
for the gospel’s sake rather than his own is usually made very explicit. They
are to pray that he be enabled boldly to declare the mystery of the gospel
(Ephesians 6:19; Colossians 4:3). That is the supreme ambition of Paul, for
which he enlists the prayers of others—that the gospel may triumph, and that he
may be. equipped to proclaim it.

Considering the power and fidelity with which Paul apprehended the teaching of
Jesus, to say nothing of his own unselfish and enthusiastic devotion to the
cause of evangelization, it can hardly be regarded as other than striking that
he never directly recommends prayer for the heathen. (In Romans 10:1 Paul prays
for the salvation of the Jews.) Jesus prayed for His enemies, Paul prayed for
his friends. He even pronounces ana­thema upon any one who preaches other than
the unadulterated gospel (Galatians 1:8-9), and upon any man who does not love
the Lord (1 Corinthians 16:22). This anathema is nothing but the
corollary—natural to a man of his impetuous temperament—of his flaming devotion
to Christ. The absence of allusions to prayer for the heathen, though it cannot
be accidental (Cf. John 17:9, where Jesus is made to say, “I pray not for the
world.”), must not be unduly strained. The love recommended to the hungry and
thirsty enemy (Romans 12:20), and extolled in one of the noblest prose-poems
ever written (1 Corinthians 13), must surely also have expressed itself in
prayer for the heathen. Such prayers are really involved in his prayers for the
success of the gospel and in his requests for the similar prayers of others.
First and last, he was a missionary; and what was all his crowded life but an
unremitting prayer for the men for whom Christ died and rose again? The absolute
selflessness of the life of Paul is very plainly seen in his petitions. He
recommends indeed that in everything requests be made known unto God (Php 4:6),
but his own recorded requests are nearly all for others. Very characteristically
he assures the Philippians (Php 4:19), “My God shall supply every need of yours”
His own needs were practically summed up in the desire for the new creation and
preservation of men through Christ. For himself he prayed only that he might
become a fitter instrument and win a wider oppor­tunity (Cf. 1 Thessalonians
3:11). He prays night and day that he may see the faces of the Thessalonians,
but it is that he may make perfect that which is lacking in their faith (1
Thessalonians 3:10). He prays that he may be permitted to visit Rome, but it is
that he may impart to them some spiritual gift (Romans 1:11).

Only once does he offer a prayer for his own welfare, and even that is of a very
modest and negative kind (2 Corinthians 12:8 f.). It was for the removal of a
physical disability, which he doubtless considered was an impediment to his life
work; so that even in this desire his passion for the gospel may have been
implicated. But it is signifi­cant that this, his only recorded prayer for his
own welfare, was not granted. Like the Master in Geth­semane, he prayed
earnestly, three times, so that it must have been a matter lying heavily upon
his heart. But when his petition is not granted, he knows what to do. He not
only submits, but rejoices, because, through his weakness, he reaches a deeper
experience of the power of the grace of Christ. The very numerous incidental
allusions to prayer in the life of Paul show what an enormous place it must have
had in his life. Often he speaks of “making mention of you in my prayers”
(Romans 1:9; Ephesians 1:16; 1 Thessalonians 1:2). This phrase does not
necessarily imply that Paul had regular hours of prayer, though this may well
have been the case. He urges the Ephesian (Ephesians 6:18) and the Thessalonian
(1 Thessalonians 5:17). Chris­tians to pray at all seasons, and this he does
himself, praying ceaselessly (Romans 1:9; Ephesians 1:16; 1 Thessalonians 2:13;
2 Thessalonians 1:11), night and day exceedingly (1 Thessalonians 3:10). This
last phrase, together with Paul’s advice to the married (1 Corinthians 7:5), and
a few allusions to “watchings” (Cf. 2 Corinthians 6:5; 2 Corinthians 11:27;
Ephesians 6:18), have created the impression that he believed in regular nightly
vigils for prayer. But this seems to strain the words unduly. Paul was a
practical genius; and knowing the spiritual value of order and regularity, it is
highly probable that he carried over into his Chris­tian life his Jewish habit
of praying three times a day. But he was no legalist. He, of all men, was a man
of the spirit; and though, in his days of travel, it may not always have been
possible for him, more than three times a day, to “bow the knee to the Father,
from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named” (Ephesians 3:14), we may
be sure that, like Nehemiah at the court of Artaxerxes (Nehemiah 2:4), he sent
up many a swift and silent prayer to God, so that, apart from the conscious
God-ward attitude of all his life, it may have been almost literally true that
he prayed without ceasing.

We have now to raise the very important question of the attitude of Paul to
Jesus in prayer. Did he pray to God only or to Jesus also? Before dealing with
this question, it will be well to consider whether, apart from his epistles,
there are other illustrations of prayer to Jesus, and whether Jesus ever
directly pre­scribed or indirectly suggested this.

During the lifetime of Jesus, appeals, usually brief, were occasionally directed
to Him, which sound like prayers. “Jesus, Thou son of David, have mercy upon me”
(Mark 10:47-48). Thus He is addressed by the blind Bartimaeus (Cf. Matthew 9:27;
Matthew 20:30 f.; Luke 18:38). The request is nearly always one for mercy or
help, and was made to Him as the Messiah; but as the Messiah, though divinely
equipped, was not necessarily regarded as Himself divine, this proves nothing
for the possibility of prayer to Jesus. In a similar situation, He is addressed
simply as “Jesus, Master” (Luke 17:13).

Addresses to Him as Lord look, at first sight, a little more in the direction of
worship. “Lord, have mercy on my son” (Matthew 17:15), says the father of the
epileptic boy. “Lord, save me” (Matthew 14:30), is the cry of Peter, and “Lord,
save us, we perish” (Matthew 8:25), of the disciples on the sea. The word Lord,
however, while it was a common designa­tion of God in the time of Jesus, could
be equally well applied to man. It was a polite or deferential address: it is
thus that the servants in the parable of the un­faithful steward address their
master (Matthew 25:20; Matthew 25:22; Matthew 25:24). It was not unlike our
“Sir,” and is the regular word in modern Greek for Mr. Considering, however, the
religious use of the word, it was very natural that, soon after the resurrection
of Jesus, His followers should apply the term to Him in the profounder religious
sense: He was Lord, as God was Lord. But no inference can be drawn from the use
of the word as addressed to Him during His lifetime. The dying thief, according
to the true text in Luke 23:42, says, “Jesus, remember me”; but Jesus is
transformed into Lord by the reverent instincts of a somewhat later age. We can
here see the process at work (Cf. Luke 18:38; Luke 18:41; John 6:34). Nor can
any inference be drawn from the use of the word worship, which occurs in the
story of the visit of the Magi (Matthew 2:2; Matthew 2:11), and of the meeting
of Jesus with the eleven disciples after His resurrection (Matthew 28:17; in
Luke 24:52 the word is omitted in some manuscripts). The Greek word really
implies no more than the prostration with which an inferior honored a superior:
it is the word used to describe the attitude of the servant in the parable who
could not pay his debt. “He fell down and pros­trated himself and said, ‘ Have
patience with me and I will pay thee all’” (Matthew 18:26). It cannot be denied
that in the two stories alluded to, especially as they are late, the idea of
worship may have been more than remotely suggested; but that is not the
essential meaning of the word. The fate of mistranslation has befallen alike the
Greek word and the corresponding Hebrew word of the Old Testament.

It is altogether improbable that Jesus directly counseled or even countenanced
the worship of Himself during His lifetime (Cf. Mark 10:18). He disclaimed
omniscience: “Of that day or that hour knoweth no one, not even the angels in
heaven, nor yet the Son” (Mark 13:32). He refused to accede to the request of
James and John in the words: “To sit on my right hand or on my left is not mine
to give” (Mark 10:40). There may have been moments when the disciples felt
towards their Master something more than reverence—moments when, under the
influence of His manifest power and His strangely searching words, there arose
instinctively in their hearts the con­sciousness that here was a being unlike
any other. But it is another question whether they worshipped Him.

Many influences would contribute to render that, during His lifetime,
practically impossible. First, there was the intense monotheism of Jewish
religion. Jehovah was one, He was spirit; He was like man, but He was not man.
He could speak through men and in them, but He could not be identified with man.
Anything like the worship of a living man, however possible it may have been in
other parts of the Roman empire, must have been inconceivable upon the soil of
Judaism. Besides this, there was Jesus’ own express injunction to worship the
Father. The manner of His own prayers and His own teaching on prayer must have
gone to confirm, if it needed confirmation, the Jewish view of the exclusive
right of God to worship. On the other hand, it cannot be denied that prayers are
addressed to Jesus in the New Testament. Some­times, indeed, the question is
complicated by the ambiguous use of the word Lord, to which we have already
alluded. For example, the prayer of the dis­ciples for a successor to Judas is
addressed to the Lord (Acts 1:24). Is this God or Jesus? The epithet “who
knowest the heart” suggests that the address is to God, and this is confirmed by
Acts 15:8, where this epithet is directly applied to God. But, on the other
hand, three verses before the prayer, we meet the phrase the Lord Jesus; so that
the prayer may, after all, be addressed to Jesus (Acts 9:17, the lord, even
Jesus, etc). Against this, however, we may set the prayer of the Church for
Peter in prison, which is expressly said to have been made to God (Acts 7:5),
though a prayer to Jesus, for whose sake Peter was suffering, would not have
been unnatural, had prayers to Jesus been common. The truth is that, leaving out
the Pauline epistles, prayers to Jesus are exceedingly rare in the New
Tes­tament. An undoubted case is the dying prayer of Stephen—Lord Jesus, receive
my spirit (Acts 7:59)—which can at least be no later than the composition of the
Book of Acts. There is further the brief prayer in Revelation 22:20, Come, Lord
Jesus. These simple appeals are probably the earliest form of prayer to Jesus. A
prayer to the risen Jesus, in a crisis into which one had been brought through
fidelity to Him, would be very natural; and at a time when both the Jewish and
the Christian atmosphere was filled with eschatological hopes, Come, Lord Jesus,
would no doubt be a very common prayer on the lips of Christians.

Thomas’s address to Jesus (John 20:28), “My Lord and my God”—the only passage
(In John 14:14, " If ye shall ask me anything in my name,” me is omitted in the
best texts.) which suggests the worship of Him in the gospel which, more than
any other, em­phasizes His divinity—is an address rather than a prayer. There is
a doxology to Jesus in 2 Peter 3:18, and in Revelation 5:6-13 the Lamb is
praised by a multitude of angels round about the throne in heaven. Though the
Lamb, with the seven horns and seven eyes, is symbolical, and the scene is in
heaven, not on earth, it seems not unfair to conclude from this, supported as it
is by the other doxology and two prayers, that divine honors were early paid to
Jesus. Christian, Jew and heathen could all alike appeal to God; Christian and
Jew could alike address God as Lord; the Christian could distinguish himself
from both by praying to Jesus.

Such warrant for prayer to Jesus as may be sup­posed to be derived from His own
words comes from the Gospel of John, where occasional reference is made to
prayer in His name (John 14:13-14; John 15:16; John 16:23). It is not without
significance that this phrase, in this connection, is not found in the Synoptic
Gospels, and it may reflect the later practice of the Church. But it is quite
possible that Jesus did actually use the expression in the promises of those
farewell days.

What does it exactly mean? The phrase “in the name of” has its roots deep in the
past: it had once carried with it ideas of magic and superstition. To Semitic
peoples the name meant far more than to us. It covered all that we mean by
character, personality; it was mystically connected with the person named. But
it also seemed sometimes to be regarded almost as an entity separable from the
person with whom it was associated, and enjoying, in a sense, an independent
existence alongside of him. The higher the being, the more powerful the name.
There was hardly anything that could not be effected by the help of the Divine
name. It could control the demons. The good spirits obeyed willingly, the evil
could be compelled by the name to service. In the prayer of Manasseh, God is
addressed as the one who has “shut up the deep and sealed it by Thy terrible and
glorious name.”

Belief in the power of the Divine name existed long before the New Testament,
and colors much of the language of both Old and New. When we read that certain
strolling Jews, exorcists, took upon them to name the name of Jesus over those
that had evil spirits (Acts 19:13), we cannot but suppose that a certain magical
power was ascribed to the name. The nature and quality of the apostles’ faith in
the name of Jesus must have been very different from that of these exorcists,
and yet there were points of contact between the two. Their miracles were
wrought in the name of Jesus (Acts 3:6; Acts 4:30; cf. James 5:14). Very
singular are Peter’s words with reference to the healing of the lame man: “By
faith in His name hath His name made this man strong” (Acts 3:16). It is hardly
possible to deny that the name here is more than simply an equivalent for Jesus.
Its curious promi­nence and its repetition in this verse, together with the fact
that the name is actually pronounced when the cure is about to be effected, all
seem to suggest, in accordance with ancient Semitic belief, that the
mani­festation of the power of the person addressed is con­nected with the
naming of his name. Similarly, in the late appendix to Mark those who believe in
Jesus are to cast out devils in His name (Mark 16:17), and even those whom He
rejects in the final judgment claim to have enjoyed the same power (Matthew
7:22). Does not this indisputable use of the word throw light upon the passages
in which Jesus speaks of His disciples as “asking in His name”? To ask in the
name of Jesus would mean to pray, and, in praying, to utter His name. (From this
point of view, the statement, “Hitherto ye have asked nothing in my name,” is
striking.) A prayer so offered would be answered either by Himself or His Father
(John 14:13-14; John 15:16). It is not impossible that the ordinary Christian of
those early times—heir as he was to the Semitic past—would, in a somewhat
mechanical and superstitious way, associ­ate the power of Jesus, whether to act
or to mediate, with the mere naming of His name. That, of course, cannot have
been, in the remotest degree, the inten­tion of Jesus. Here, as everywhere else,
He takes familiar words, and transforms them. Only those could count on being
heard who believed on Him as they uttered His name. In other words, the thing of
essential importance was their faith in Him (Acts 3:16), indicated by their
appeal to Him, and not the mechanical utter­ance of His name. The person who
offered a prayer in His name would be one whose will was in unison with His; so
that prayer in the name of Jesus comes to mean practically prayer in His spirit,
and carries also with it an implicit confession, on the part of the worshipper,
of his supreme debt to Jesus for his new relation to God.

Let us now return to the consideration of the prayers of Paul: did he pray to
God only, or to Jesus also? It is remarkable that, in spite of Jesus’ injunction
to pray to the Father, the address to God the Father— with the exception of the
simple exclamation “Abba,

Father,” which occurs twice (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6)—is found only four
times (Colossians 1:2; Colossians 1:12; Php 4:20; Ephesians 3:14). Everywhere
else Christ is in some way im­plicated in Paul’s address to God, for whom the
usual designation is “the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Colossians 1:3. It
is interesting to note that here this fuller address immediately follows the
simpler address to “God our Father”, Colossians 1:2.) This is certainly no
accident. It is an eloquent testi­mony to the difference that Jesus made in
Paul’s relations to God. What God now is to Paul, He is through Jesus. But does
the phrase imply more? The answer to this question is somewhat facilitated by
noting other expressions—chiefly two—in which Paul describes his approach to
God; namely, “in the name of Christ,” and “through Christ.” As an illustration
of the former, take Ephesians 5:20, “giving thanks always for all things in the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father,” and of the latter,
Romans 1:8, “I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all.” It does not, of
course, go without saying that these expressions are identical in meaning; but,
as they occur in very similar contexts, they cannot lie far apart. The meaning
of “the name” we have already dis­cussed. Strictly speaking, to thank God in the
name of Jesus would naturally mean to thank Him, uttering aloud—for whatever
purpose—the name of Jesus. The purpose for which Jesus is appealed to is
supposed by some to be indicated in the other phrase, where the thanks are
offered to God through Jesus. In other words, it is contended that Jesus is
summoned to con­vey the thanks to God. But there are serious objections to this
view. While a certain magical force may well have been attributed to the name by
average Christians of that time, we can hardly suppose this to have been the
case with Paul. Any such mechanical conception can hardly be ascribed to one who
saw so clearly into the essence of religion, any more than it can be ascribed to
Jesus Himself. There would be something peculiarly wooden about this explanation
as applied to so spon­taneous an utterance as “I thank God through Jesus Christ
our Lord” in Romans 8:25. Besides, it would be very remarkable if this
explanation were correct, that Paul always thanks, and never entreats, through
Jesus: it would be at least as natural, if not more so, to suppose that Jesus
would also be sum­moned to convey petitions.

Through Jesus suggests mediation indeed, but prob­ably mediation of the
salvation rather than of the prayer. A presumption in favor of this view is
created by the triumphant words of 1 Corinthians 15:57, “Thanks be to God, who
giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” If this be the mean­ing of
thanking God through Christ, some light is thus thrown on the other
phrase—thanking Him “in the name of Christ.” The name of Christ is all that
rises to the mind of the worshipper when He utters His name—notably the
salvation which He mediated. Thus there would be in the expression a
reminiscence of the older associations that clung to the name, but into it there
would also be poured the grateful memory of the work wrought by Christ.

Thanks in the name of Christ does not therefore necessarily imply that Paul
prayed to Christ; and even more direct phrases, such as the description of
Christians as “those who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,” (1
Corinthians 1:2; cf. Php 2:9 ff.) do not necessarily lead to this conclusion.
This, while it might indeed involve prayer to Christ, may mean no more than that
Chris­tians implicated the name of Christ in their prayers to God, as Paul
himself did. Immediately after the phrase just quoted, Paul simply says, “I
thank my God,” (1 Corinthians 1:4) and his prayers must certainly have been, in
the main, directed to God (Romans 10:1). But are there no exceptions? Paul’s
view of Christ is so exalted that the worship of Him is certainly any­thing but
inconceivable. He is far above all rule and authority, not only in this world,
but in that which is to come (Ephesians 1:20-23). He had existed in the form of
God, before He emptied Himself and took upon Him the form of a servant (Php
2:6-11). He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation
(Colossians 1:15-18), and in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily
(Colossians 2:9). The conception of Christ being so exalted, the surprise rather
is that there should be so few passages which can, with any plausibility, be
regarded either as direct prayers to Him, or as implying the possibility of such
prayers, especially as in the introductory greetings to the letters, the Lord
Jesus Christ is so frequently co­ordinated with “God our Father” as the giver of
grace and peace (1 Corinthians 1:3; 2 Corinthians 1:2). This may be explained by
the relativity or subor­dination of Christ to the Father which comes clearly to
light in many other passages. God sent Him (Galatians 4:4), delivered Him up
(Romans 8:32), raised Him from the dead (Romans 4:24).

“When all things have been subjected unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself
be subjected”—or shall subject Himself—unto God the Father (1 Corinthians
15:28). Even in the lofty passages just quoted, this sense of subordi­nation is
not absent. The Father of glory raised Christ from the dead, and set Him at His
right hand (Ephesians 1:20). He gave Him the name which is above every name (Php
2:9); and He is the first-born of all creation (Colossians 1:15). Sometimes
there is a sharp distinction drawn between God and Christ. “There is one God the
Father, of whom are all things and we unto Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom are all things and we through Him” (1 Corinthians 8:6; cf.
Ephesians 4:5-6). When Paul became a Christian, he did not forget the strict
monotheism he had learnt as a Jew. “There is no God but one” (1 Corinthians
8:4-6; cf. Romans 3:30; Ephesians 4:6), and “of Him and through Him and unto Him
are all things” (Romans 11:36).

Yet there are phenomena which leave room for the possibility that Paul did
address Christ in prayer. The revelation of God in Him was so complete that, in
spite of the historical and theoretical distinction between them, there is, for
the devotional life, where logical categories are forgotten, a practical
identity. Sometimes, immediately after both have been named, the verb that
follows is in the singular, and of course the function expressed by the verb is
equally ascribed to both. For example: “May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and
God our Father . . . comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work”
(2 Thessalonians 2:16). It is not impossible that the double address at the
be­ginning of the verse has been forgotten under the influence of the
parenthetic clause of twelve Greek words which follows it. But this explanation
of the singular verbs will not hold in 1 Thessalonians 3:11, where the verb
immediately follows its two subjects: “May our God and Father Himself and our
Lord Jesus Christ direct our way unto you.” In these passages, Jesus equally
with God is the comforter, the strengthener, and the guide of life, and the
possibility of prayer to Him must be conceded. The passage which is supposed to
raise this possi­bility into an actuality is 2 Corinthians 12:8. “Con­cerning
this thing”—his thorn in the flesh—“I be­sought the Lord thrice, that it might
depart from me.” But who is the Lord? We have already seen how naturally the
early Church applied this term to Jesus; it is also Paul’s favorite designation
of Jesus. But though there are many cases where the term may equally refer to
God or Christ, and few, if any, where it necessarily refers to God (Perhaps
Romans 14:6 is such a passage; he who eateth eateth to the Lord, for he giveth
God thanks.), it is altogether probable that Paul could also have applied the
word quite naturally to God, especially as it was so familiar a designation of
Him in the Greek version of the Old Testament. Indeed, from this he quotes
passages containing the word Lord (Romans 4:8 = Psalms 32:2; 1 Corinthians 3:20
= Psalms 94:11), which he must have felt referred primarily to God, though it
would be begging the question to say that, in the mind of Paul, the reference to
Christ was absolutely excluded. The prayer then, for the removal of the thorn in
the flesh may, after all, be a prayer to God. But in candor it must be confessed
that the context seems to point the other way. “He”—that is, the Lord— “said
unto me, ‘My grace is sufficient for thee; for (the) power is made perfect in
weakness.’” That is the answer to the prayer. Paul goes on: “Most gladly
therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may
rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9). It is impossible not to hear in these words
an echo of the answer; in that case, the answer must have come, from Christ, and
the prayer been directed to Christ. This would seem to be the only indubitable
instance of prayer to Christ in the epistles of Paul. Such prayer could be
justified by the completeness with which God was revealed in Jesus, and would be
facili­tated by the use of the term Lord for each alike. Nevertheless it is
significant that such prayers should be so very few—elsewhere in the New
Testament only the prayer of Stephen, and the brief cry “Come, Lord Jesus.”
There is no direct word of Jesus enjoining prayer to Himself. Even in the gospel
of John, though Jesus urges His disciples to “ask in His name,” He seems
deliberately to avoid urging them to ask Himself (John 14:13-14. Note the
dogmatic addition of me in certain texts; of. John 14:14.), and explicitly urges
them to ask the Father (John 15:16; John 16:23). At first the impulse to pray to
Jesus would be hindered by the deep-seated monotheistic instincts of His
contemporaries, by His own command to pray to the Father, and not least, by
their recollection of Him as a man. But the farther men receded from the times
of the historical Jesus, the more easy and natural would prayer to Him become.
If the question of the legitimacy of prayer to Him has to be settled on the
basis of His own demands alone, then it would have to be settled in the
negative. He did not claim this honor for Himself. But the greatness of His
per­sonality is not to be measured by His formulated claims, great as these
sometimes were. The stupen­dous impression He made upon the world issued
naturally in the offering to Him not only of praise, but of prayer. History was
so moved by Him that, with­out any express warrant from Himself, she thrust this
homage upon Him. The Difference that Jesus Made

Jesus was at once conservative and revolutionary. In fulfilling, He destroyed;
in destroying, He fulfilled. The prayers that follow His appearance in history
have something, even much, in common with those that precede Him; yet, in the
main, they are different. It will therefore be worth while to gather up here the
scattered impressions that the argument has made, and to look briefly at the
difference that Jesus made. That difference must have been more or less obvious
to all who heard Jesus pray. “As He was praying, when He ceased, one of His
disciples said to Him, ‘ Lord, teach us to pray, even as John also taught his
disciples’” (Luke 11:1). Here is a recognition of the felt import­ance of
prayer, and also of knowing its true method or secret; but it is also an
acknowledgment of the difference that was felt to exist between John and Jesus
in prayer as well as in preaching. The prayer that follows the answer to this
question, while it is primarily intended to serve His disciples as a model, is
also an implicit criticism of existing practice, from which it differed partly
in form, and partly in content.

After this manner pray ye: briefly. That was not the existing manner—the scribes
made long prayers (Mark 12:40)—nor is it the manner of the later prayers of the
Old Testament. It is as if Jesus said: A true prayer must be brief; ye shall not
be heard for your much speaking. The publican’s prayer, which is approved, is
little more than a cry; the Pharisee’s, which is condemned, is relatively much
longer (Luke 18:11-13). The former prayer forms, in particular, a very striking
contrast to the elaborate confessional prayer of Manasseh already quoted.

Again, “when ye pray, say, ‘ Father.’” This is the correct text in Luke 11:2,
and is in itself very probable. That it was the favorite word of Jesus is made
prac­tically certain by the cry Abba, Father (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6; Mark
14:36; cf. Matthew 11:25; John 18:1), uttered by those who possess the spirit of
sonship. The Aramaic word of Jesus—Abba—appears to have been so inte­gral a part
of His prayer that it was perpetuated even among the Greek-speaking Christians.
He no doubt also said, “My Father” (Cf. Matthew 26:39; Matthew 26:42). The word
Father had been used centuries before in prayer (Isaiah 63:16; Isaiah 64:8),
though God had usually been regarded as the Father of the nation. Before the
time of Jesus, however, the word Father appears also to have been addressed to
God by the individual; but, even so, we have the incontrovertible testimony of
Paul that, after the revelation of Jesus, the Fatherhood seemed to be a
different thing. Since Jesus, sonship was realized in another way, or another
degree; the thought of it stirred an emotion which had never been so stirred
before, with the result that the sons cry Abba, Father (Romans 8:15).

Jesus had, for the first time, placed the fatherhood of God in the center of
religious thought. It is characteristic that neither the Pharisee nor the
publican, though the one offers a prayer of gratitude, and the other for mercy,
uses the term Father; they both address God simply as God (Luke 18:11; Luke
18:13). The difference that Jesus made in this connection is very strikingly
seen in the use He made of the words “Into Thy hands I commend My spirit,” on
the cross (Luke 23:46). These words come from Psalms 31:5a; and that they are
ad­dressed to the Lord, or Jehovah, is clear from Psalms 31:5b. But by the
simple change of Lord to Father, the words are transfigured. In this little word
lies the real difference between the Old Testament and the New, and that word we
owe to Jesus. With it, of course, goes a whole wealth of new associations, and a
totally different attitude to God. In the Old Testament, the attitude is rather
that of a servant to his master. Especially in the later period God is felt to
be far away (Cf. Ecclesiastes 5:2). There is an importunity about some of the
Psalms, for example, which suggests that God may be ultimately worn into
granting His grace by the worshipper’s vehemence and persistency (Cf. Luke
18:5). Though New Testament prayer is not less earnest, it is more restful and
confident. It is sure of the divine love, for it has seen Jesus. God is not now
distant, but nigh. His worshippers therefore speak of ap­proaching Him not only
with confidence, but with boldness, for the spirit of bondage has been cast out
and replaced by the spirit of sonship. The reverence due to God is not
forgotten. He is still the invisible (Colossians 1:15), the incorruptible
(Romans 1:23), the only wise God (Romans 16:27), the Father of glory (Ephesians
1:17); but He is also now the God of peace (Romans 15:33; Romans 16:20; Php 4:9;
1 Thessalonians 5:23), of love (2 Corinthians 13:11), of hope (Romans 15:13), of
consolation (Romans 15:5). When ye pray, say Father—simply Father. It had been
the custom for three or four centuries before Jesus’ time to enrich the divine
name with epithets. The tendency is already quite marked in the prayers of Ezra.
In the Apocrypha, a prayer begins thus:—

“O Lord, Thou that dwellest in everlasting­ness, who beholdest from above things
in heaven and in the air, whose throne is inestimable, whose glory may not be
comprehended, before whom the hosts of angels stand with trembling, whose
service is conversant in wind and fire, whose word is true and sayings constant,
whose commandment is strong and ordinance fearful, whose look drieth up the
depths, and indignation maketh the mountains to melt away. . . O hear the prayer
of Thy servant” (2Es 8:20-24). A prayer probably contemporary with Jesus and
certainly in the contemporary manner, begins thus:—

“Blessed art Thou, O Jehovah, our God and the God of our fathers, God of
Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, the great and mighty and terrible God, God
most High, maker of heaven and earth, our shield and the shield of our fathers.”

How profound, simple, original and welcome, would be the simple “Father.” This
word did not indeed imply an absolute condemnation of all titles in prayer—Jesus
Himself also prayed to the “Father, Lord of heaven and earth”; also, according
to John, to the “holy” and “righteous Father”—but they must be chosen with
regard to their relevance and propriety. They will in any case be few, and will
be often, if not usually, absent altogether. Again, in addressing God simply as
Father, Jesus obliterates all the old national associations of prayer. (For the
value and relative justification of the national element in prayer, cf. Part
2:Modern Prayer, The Nature and Content of Prayer.) “All flesh shall come to
Thee.” God is not now the God of Israel, or of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but the
Father of all. Whereas ancient Jewish prayer was fond of enumerating what God
had done for Israel (Cf. Nehemiah 9), Paul dwells rather on what He had done for
men in Christ: He is the God “who reconciled us to Himself through Christ” (2
Corinthians 5:18). The difference which Jesus made is very conspicuous if we
contrast His prayers with those of Jeremiah. The similarity between their
careers is more than re­markable. No Old Testament figure is so prophetic of
Jesus as Jeremiah. Each was rejected by his own townsmen (Jeremiah 11:21; Mark
6:1-30, the life of each was sought by the priests of Jerusalem (Jeremiah
11:19), each was led as a lamb to the slaughter (Jeremiah 26:8), each was a man
of sorrows and acquainted with grief, each sought and found strength in prayer.
But how different was the temper of the prayer! Jeremiah’s passionate readiness
to reason the cause with God, his challenges of the divine ways (Jeremiah 12:1),
which are repeated in the still bolder challenges of Job, and find an echo in
Psalms as late as the second century B.C. (Psalms 44:23) have nothing to match
them in the prayers of Jesus, except the single heart-broken cry, wrung from the
depths of an agony incomparably deeper than Jeremiah’s, “Why hast Thou forsaken
me? (Cf. Jeremiah 15:18).

Again, we have already seen how frequent and terrible are Jeremiah’s prayers for
vengeance. “Bring upon them the day of evil, and destroy them with double
destruction” (Jeremiah 17:18). “Deliver up their children to the famine, and
give them over to the power of the sword, and let their wives become childless
and widows, and let their men be slain of death, and their young men smitten of
the sword in battle. Forgive not their iniquity, neither blot out their sin from
Thy sight, but let them be overthrown before Thee; deal Thou with them in the
time of Thine anger” (Jeremiah 18:21; Jeremiah 18:23). Such prayers are common
in all periods of Hebrew history. Joshua (Joshua 10:13) and Samson (Judges
16:28), at the beginning of Hebrew history, pray for vengeance upon their
enemies. So Nehemiah (Nehemiah 4:5)—“Cover not their iniquity, and let not their
sin be blotted out”—and these terrible petitions ring throughout the whole
history (Psalms 69:22 ff., Psalms 109). What a con­trast they form to Jesus’
command, “Pray for them that persecute you,” and to His dying prayer, “Father,
forgive them.” The Jewish passion for vengeance was hard to slay, and it was not
at once destroyed by the spirit of Jesus; its voice is still heard plainly
enough in early Jewish Christianity (Revelation 6:10; Revelation 16:5-6). But,
in the main, such prayers are offered no more. The dying prayer of Samson ran:
“O Lord Jehovah, remember me, I pray Thee, and strengthen me, I pray Thee, only
this once, O God, that I may be avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes”
(Judges 16:28). The dying words of Stephen were: “Lord, lay not this sin to
their charge” (Acts 7:60). That was the difference that Jesus made.

Another difference lay in the predominant emphasis which He placed on prayer in
spiritual things. Even the Old Testament occasionally touches this height.
“Though the fig-tree flourish not, and there be no herd in the stalls, yet will
I joy in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:17-18). If I have but Thee, I ask
for nothing in heaven or earth (Psalms 73:25). But, as a rule, these heights
were reached only after a struggle, and they were held by very few. Jesus
Himself recognized both in practice and in prayer the place of things material.
Much of His ministry was given to caring for the bodies of men, and He taught
His disciples to pray for bread. Nevertheless, with Him the kingdom of God is
first and everywhere; and in the epistles of Paul, as we have already seen
abundantly, the supreme and almost the exclusive place is occupied by the things
of the spirit. That was another difference that Jesus made. But perhaps the most
remarkable difference of all was the shifting of the emphasis from petition to
thanksgiving. The Old Testament is indeed a glad book. Worshipping a God of
Salvation, a God who had saved and who could save in real and tangible ways, the
people could not but be happy in their worship. This at least was the mood of
pre-exilic times. From the exile on, the religion became much more somber; but
joy was far from being obliterated. The call to “give thanks to Jehovah, for He
is good; for His mercy endureth for ever,” is peculiarly frequent in post-exilic
times. The one hundred and seventh Psalm is an eloquent and grateful testimony
to the goodness of Jehovah. Many of the later Psalms form one continuous shout
of jubilation (Psalms 145-150), and some of the later prayers acknowledge very
fully the goodness of God to Israel in history (Nehemiah 9).

Nevertheless, petition vastly outweighed thanks­giving. With a deepening
recognition of the majesty of God, petition becomes more reverent. The old
complaints, in which man spoke to God as to a friend with whom he was angry,
become fewer and fewer. They are common still in Jeremiah; but, except for the
book of Job, which is practically a dramatic poem, and some stray utterances in
the Psalms, complaints practically disappear. But, with the coming of Jesus, the
absence of complaint merges into positive thanksgiving. “Father, I thank
Thee”—that was the motto of Jesus. The change is very obvious in the prayers of
His greatest disciple. We have already seen how the epistles of Paul are crowded
with prayers of thanksgiving, and this proportion between thanks­giving and
petition is an altogether new thing in prayer.

Further, the thanks is more personal than was cus­tomary in Jewish prayer. A
common introductory formula was, “Blessed be God,” etc.; and this more distant
and impersonal form is occasionally retained by Paul himself, who would
naturally carry into Christianity many of the usages of the Judaism in which he
had been trained (Ephesians 1:3). But the characteris­tically Christian prayer
is, “I thank Thee” (Php 1:3; Revelation 11:17). It is warm with the gratitude of
a human heart. It im­plies a definite personal relationship of reverent
affection. With full heart, the finite man kneels before his infinite Benefactor
and says—not merely “Blessed be God,” but—“I thank Thee” And that personal note
is made more intensely personal by the thought which, even when unex­pressed,
must ever be present to Christian prayer, of the worshipper’s infinite debt to
Christ. The fre­quency of Paul’s references to Christ in prayer to God is very
significant. It was He who taught men their new relation to the Father, and He
who brought them into it. The Christian cannot even call God Father without
acknowledging his debt to Christ. And the Christ who taught him that dear name
is also the Christ who loved him and gave Himself for him (Galatians 2:20). He
knows what he has to be grateful for. He thanks his Father for rain and
sunshine, food and raiment, seedtime and harvest, day and night, sorrow and joy,
defeat and victory, friendship and love, the inspiration of the past and the
opportunities of the present; but, most of all, for His unspeakable gift. The
form and spirit that characterize true Christian prayer ultimately rest upon a
clear recognition of all that is involved in the fatherhood of God. It is this
that makes prayer brief—for the Father knows; and it is this that makes it
grateful and glad—for the Father cares.


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  CHAPTER 10: 09. PART 2: MODERN PRAYER
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Part 2: Modern Prayer


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  CHAPTER 11: 10.     THE NATURE AND CONTENT OF PRAYER
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The Nature and Content of Prayer

It is the simple truth to say that the Hebrews have taught the world how to
pray. Prayer is an instinct of the unsophisticated soul. Whether to gods or
saints or demons or the dead, all nations have prayed. But the prayers differ as
the religions differ; and as the Hebrews are the world’s acknowledged masters in
religion, it is from their prayers that we have by far the most to learn. Ye
shall not pray as the Gentiles do. Hebrew prayer itself, as we have seen,
under­went development, and the difference that Jesus made was very great; but
it is still to the Bible, to the Old Testament and New alike, that we must go
when we would learn to speak with God. Old Testament aspirations were fulfilled
rather than abolished by Christ. The piety of the millennium which preceded Him
has a value of its own, and a value even for us. For more than twenty centuries
men have lifted up their hearts to God on the words of the Hebrew Psalter,
because there they have found their deepest thoughts most finely interpreted and
expressed; and the older the world grows, the more profound and wonderful seems
that prayer which Christ taught His disciples. These things can never be
outgrown or superseded; they are eternal, because they are simple and true. We
know not how to pray as we ought, but the Bible may be our teacher and guide.
For prayer, though in its nature spontaneous, may be directed; though an
instinct, it may, like any other instinct, be trained. “One of His disciples
said unto Him, ‘ Lord, teach us to pray.’” So prayer can be taught, and the
modern Church has much to gain by recalling her prayers to the Biblical
standard. We shall there­fore call attention to a few considerations, suggested
by a study of Biblical prayer, which may help to guide the devotional
usage—whether public or private —of today.

One of the most remarkable phenomena—confined, however, in the nature of the
case, practically to the Old Testament—is the prominence of history in prayer,
alike in prayers of petition, thanksgiving and confession. The worshippers
beseech the Divine help, because it has already been in the past so signally
manifested; or they offer their thanks for the Divine guidance of the nation in
ages long gone by; or they look at the sins which they confess in the light of
the ancient goodness of God of which they have proved themselves so miserably
unworthy. But the striking thing is this: they do not content themselves with
vague assertions of that goodness; they relate it definitely—sometimes briefly,
and sometimes very elaborately—to their national history.

It is done briefly, but characteristically, by Jehosh­aphat when, in his prayer
for help in battle, he says, “Didst not Thou, O our God, drive out the
in­habitants of this land before Thy people Israel, and give it to the seed of
Abraham Thy friend for ever?” etc. (2 Chronicles 20:7-8). Similarly, Judas
Maccabaeus, before a battle, begins his prayer for victory thus: “O Savior of
Israel, who didst quell the violence of the mighty man by the hand of Thy
servant David, and didst give the host of aliens into the hands of Jonathan, the
son of Saul, and his armor bearer” (1Ma 4:30). David, in a prayer of
thanksgiving, is also represented as recalling the goodness of God in the time
of the Exodus: “What one nation in the earth is like Thy people, even like
Israel, whom God went to redeem unto Himself for a people, and to make Him a
name, and to do terrible things for Thy land, before Thy people, whom Thou didst
redeem to Thee out of Egypt, from the nations and their gods?” (2 Samuel 7:23) A
very beautiful and striking illustration of this phenomenon occurs in the prayer
of thanksgiving which is offered for the first fruits (Deuteronomy 26:5-9). The
prayer at first seems curiously out of place in this connection: it is a
tolerably minute summary of the facts of Israel’s early history. “A wandering
Aramean was my father, and he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, few in
number, and he became there a nation, great, mighty and populous. And the
Egyptians dealt ill with us and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage, and
we cried unto Jehovah, the God of our fathers, and Jehovah heard our voice and
saw our affliction, and our toil and our oppression; and Jehovah brought us
forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with
great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders; and He hath brought us
into this place, and hath given us this land, a land flowing with milk and
honey.” Then at the end come the simple words: “And now, behold hold, I have
brought the first of the fruit of the ground, which Thou, O Jehovah, hast given
me.” In many ways, this prayer is most characteristic and instructive. Behind it
lies the thought: We love Him, because He first loved us. It further sug­gests
that gratitude must be expressed, not in word only, but also in deed. It links
the ages each to each: God did that then, therefore we do this now. It keeps
alive the memory of the gracious past. But the point with which we are
immediately concerned is that the goodness of God is vividly brought before the
mind of the worshipper by a historical recital. The great words “goodness and
loving-kindness” were not allowed to degenerate into empty phrases, but they
were filled with radiant and indisputable histori­cal fact. So much is this the
case that some of the longer Psalms (Psalms 78; Psalms 105-106) practically form
a brief history of early Israel. The past was ever with them: it was kept alive
not only in history, but in prayer.

Similarly, in the great prayer—half petition, half confession—of Isaiah 63:7 to
Isaiah 64:12, history holds a prominent place. The speaker begins by saying, “I
will make mention of the loving-kindnesses of Jeho­vah, and the praises of
Jehovah, according to all that Jehovah hath bestowed on us, and the great
goodness toward the house of Israel, which He hath bestowed on them according to
His mercies, and according to the multitude of His loving-kindnesses.” But he
does not leave the matter there. He at once proceeds, through seven verses, to
amplify the Divine mercies and loving-kindnesses, by recalling the days of Moses
and the divided sea.

One would hardly expect a strongly historical element in prayers of confession.
It would be natural to suppose that the sinner would be occupied chiefly with
the thought of his own sin. Not so Hebrew con­fession. In it the sinner thinks
also of that goodness against which he has sinned, and that goodness is writ
large in history. Three-fourths of the very elaborate confession of Ezra in
Nehemiah 9 are occupied with a historical summary (For a similarly lengthy
summary, cf. 2Es 3:24; 2Es 3:27) which passes in review the call of Abraham, the
affliction of the fathers in Egypt and their deliverance, the giving of the law
on Sinai, the ordinance of the Sabbath, the Divine guidance through the
wilderness, the manna and the water from the rock, the obstinacy, disobedience
and idolatry of the people, their victories over foreign kings, their conquest
of Canaan.

These prayers hold vividly before the people the goodness of God as manifested
in the national history, and they keep alive the names of national heroes, like
Abraham and Moses. It must not be forgotten, of course, that these are all
special prayers, and we cannot from them infer with certainty the contents of
average Hebrew prayer. Indeed, more or less is this true of all the Biblical
prayers: the only prayers pre­served are those which, for some reason or other,
were considered to be significant or important. Neverthe­less, a feature so
conspicuous among prayers so different was probably a general feature of the
longer prayers, at least of public prayers. This becomes all the more probable,
when we consider the universal emphasis of the Old Testament on history.
Wherever else God is, He is there. A very large proportion of the book is taken
up with historical narrative, which lovingly follows the sternly gracious
purpose of God throughout the centuries. His mercy was not only in the heavens;
it was the most palpable of the realities that walked the earth. And the people
were never weary re­minding themselves of it: it was a spur alike to grati­tude
and penitence.

We have heard with our ears, Our fathers have told us What work Thou didst in
their days, In the days of old. (Psalms 44:1) Has the Old Testament not
something here to teach the modern Church? Might not that emphasis on history,
which so largely inspired Hebrew prayer, find a more adequate recognition in
modern prayer? It goes without saying that any influence which would tend to
encourage a narrow nationalism would be al­together alien to the religion of
Christ, in which there can be neither Jew nor Greek, French nor German, British
nor American, but man as spirit stands before his God, who is also spirit. But
the religious value of history is no less than ever. God is the same today as
yesterday, and His kingdom is achieved among the kingdoms of this world. Its
subjects are men who do His will, and its history is the story of the march of
His will through time. A prayer must indeed never degenerate into a sermon or
historical narrative; it must always remain an address to God. But why may not
men, out of a full heart, thank God for those of the fathers who, like Abraham
and Moses, nobly did His will, or who were called to conspicuous service in the
older time?

Why, when they are met in the sanctuary to meditate on His goodness, may they
not gratefully, and more frequently than they do, recall what they have read,
and their fathers have told them, the work that He did in their days, in the
days of old? This would not be to encourage a nationalistic or materialistic
reli­gion: it would be to recognize the inevitable contact of religion with
history.

Again, it may be questioned whether—especially ’in the light of the New
Testament—much of the cus­tomary language regarding the power of prayer does not
need to be revised. Prayer is said to move the hand that rules the world, and
the implication fre­quently is that, if it only be persistent enough, the
petition cannot be withheld. But what of Jesus and Paul? Surely never did more
earnest or persistent prayers rise to God than that the cup might pass and the
thorn be removed. For these things each prayed three times; yet in the literal
sense the prayers were not answered. The cup did not pass, it was drunk to the
dregs; and the flesh was still tormented by the thorn.

Prayer is therefore not omnipotent in the sense that, whatever it earnestly
asks, it can secure. It must sincerely subordinate itself to the will of God;
and then, whatever be the issue, it must remain con­tent, believing that the
will is done. The Divine will is the thing that triumphs, and is the only thing
that is sure of its triumph. To that all aspirations and petitions must be
related, and the value of prayer lies partly in this, that it compels a
deliberate reference of earthly life, with its activities and ambitions, to the
heavenly will. In prayer the suppliant is compelled to look at himself, not as
others see him, but as God sees him. And further, from out the innumerable
uncertainties of his own life he looks at God the cer­tain, the eternal, the
unchangeable. Its value is therefore inestimable. It humbles him by revealing to
him the truth about himself. It clears his mind of false ambitions, by letting
him feel the emptiness of all that is not eternal. It cultivates in him a temper
of quietness and confidence; for, in true prayer, his will is in glad and solemn
harmony with the omnipo­tent will of God: the peace and strength of God come
back upon him. Whatever else prayer may do, these things at least it does; and
surely this is much. It might be better then to speak of the influence of prayer
than of its power. Power, properly under­stood, would not be an inappropriate
term; but it too easily deflects attention to external and material effects and
loses sight of that more mysterious trans­formation of the soul within. As He
was praying, the fashion of His countenance was altered. There, in a figure, is
the true effect of prayer. For the transfigured countenance is but the outward
expression of the inward transfiguration of the spirit, which is effected by
prayer; and then any kind of work may be quietly attempted and trium­phantly
done. The soul is sure of itself and its God; and, with immovable confidence it
can go down from the mount to face the devils on the plain. It is literally true
that certain kinds can come out by nothing but by prayer. They yield to the
touch only of the man with the transfigured face, the man who has won his soul
by patient prayer. It is the trans­figured man who transfigures the world. It is
he whom no shouts of demons can appall, he who rids the world of its devils, he
who does the work which the prayerless cannot do. So prayer has its power as
well as its influence. Its effects are visible not only in the man within but in
the world without. This is one of the most indubitable effects of prayer —to
possess the soul with a habitual peace and con­fidence, which are especially
conspicuous in the midst of danger and difficult duty. Let your requests be made
known unto God; and the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall
stand sentry over your hearts and your thoughts (Php 4:6-7). This effect of
prayer is repeatedly illustrated in the Bible. It is quite clear that Nehemiah’s
brief silent prayer heartened him to proffer his bold request to Artaxerxes
(Nehemiah 2:4), just as Jeremiah was heartened when the thought of his youth and
inex­perience tempted him to recoil from the mission to which he felt himself
divinely impelled. The heavenly voice whispered, Be not afraid, for I am with
thee (Jeremiah 1:8); and with that confidence in his heart he quietly faced the
surging crowd in the temple and the fanatical priests and prophets who thirsted
for his blood (Jeremiah 26:15).

So, throughout those dreary days and nights upon the sea and amid the impending
terrors of shipwreck, Paul remains clear and calm. It was the man who had stayed
his soul on God that was able to issue practical orders to his confused
companions, and who succeeded in inspiring them with a calmness like his own. He
gave thanks to God in the presence of all, and then they were all of good cheer
(Acts 27:35-36). And through that other notable prayer, which was not answered,
for the removal of the thorn, he won a deeper peace and a richer experience of
the grace of Christ (2 Corinthians 12:9). Prayer can never be in vain: it calms,
strengthens and purifies the soul of the man who offers it.

Most of all is this power of prayer illustrated by Gethsemane. At first the
prayer of Jesus is: “If it be possible, let this cup pass away from Me;
never­theless not as I will, but as Thou wilt” (Matthew 26:39). The desire that
the cup should pass is terrible in its reality: the prayer is offered with
strong crying and tears. But, as the awful struggle proceeds, this prayer merges
in the other, “If this cup cannot pass away except I drink it, Thy will be done”
(Matthew 26:42). The first cry is, “Save me from this hour” (John 12:27); but
the last is, “Father, glorify Thy name” (John 12:28). From the beginning, the
deepest de­sire of Jesus was that the will of God be done, but the human will
prayed vehemently that the cup should pass. But through the deadly earnestness
of His prayer, He reached the absolute harmony of His will with God’s; and He
came forth from the garden, calm and triumphant, to face the treachery of a
disciple, the fanaticism of the mob, and the jealous cruelty of the priests. And
what may be said of petition may also be said of intercession. It is twice
blessed: it blesses the man who prays, not less than the man for whom he prays.
It is touching to read how often Paul, in spite of his unique experience in the
spiritual life, requests his converts to pray for him. Probably here most modern
congregations grievously fail. Un­questionably a preacher would be enormously
helped if he had reason to believe that he was being sustained by the prayers of
his people. In such an atmosphere he could be his best. He would feel that his
people had met, in a devout spirit, to worship God and to be helped to the
better life, and that criticism was there­fore disarmed; and, other things being
equal, he would have a freedom, joy and power, such as is sel­dom possible where
the people are apathetic, or at best, bring to the service little more than
curiosity.

It is hard to conceive of an influence more likely to preserve in temptation and
to strengthen for duty than the knowledge that prayers are offered in our
behalf, or even the memory of prayers once offered. The voices, some hushed,
that once pled with God for us—voices of father or mother or some faithful
friend—plead with us still, and it is hard to resist such a plea. It can wake
old and blessed memories, stir a long-slumbering conscience, stifle the
incipient passion, quicken the better nature, brace, strengthen and purify.
Jesus interceded for Peter that his faith should not fail, and, in a crucial
moment, it failed: he denied and cursed and swore. Nevertheless the prayer bore
fruit; for afterwards he wept bitterly, and became one of the Master’s mightiest
servants. Verily great is the power of intercession. But its power over the man
who prays is perhaps even greater and more certain. Intercession is love at
prayer. Every true exercise of it deepens our interest in others, and develops
in us a sympathy which must have its ultimate effect upon the happiness and
well­being of the world. As William Law has said, “Intercession is the best
arbitrator of all differences, the best promoter of true friendship, the best
cure and preservative against all unkind tempers, all angry and haughty
passions.” Besides, the interest in men which lies behind intercessory prayer
will, if it be genuine, also be likely to express itself practically. “He who
prays to God to make men happy will do what he can to make them happy himself.”
He will hope, bear, believe and do all for the man for whom he prays; and so its
influence upon himself in restraining im­patient and uncharitable tempers, and
its influence, through him, upon the world, will be very great. Not only
intercession, but all prayer is fitted to expand the heart; for we pray to our
Father, as well as my Father, to our God and my God. The need which a man brings
to God in prayer is his own: but in the deepest sense, it is also every other
man’s; for, in a word, it is the need of God. In prayer all flesh can come,
because between the deepest needs of men there can be no conflict. The house of
prayer is for all nations, because in the things that they crave in prayer,
national distinctions do not count. Moreover, concerning the foreigner . . . (1
Kings 8:41); every prayer must be offered in this large-hearted spirit. There is
a Jewish story of a mother who had two sons, one a potter and one a gardener.
The gardener asked her to pray for rain to water his plants, the potter asked
her to pray for dry weather to dry his vessels. She loved them both: whom was
she to pray for? The moral is that prayer must lie within the realm of common
interests. Where two or three are gathered together, that which is individual
falls away: one could not deliberately pray for that which he knew would injure
some other.

Hence public prayer is less liable to abuse in this direction than private
prayer, but even private prayer cannot go far astray, when it is directed to our
Father. This is only a warning, reached along another line, that prayer should
be predominantly for things spiritual. There can be no conflict of interests so
long as men pray that God’s name be hallowed, His king­dom come, and His will be
done, that their trespasses be forgiven, that they may be delivered from evil
and not led into temptation. The more these prayers of the individual are
answered, the better it will be for every one else. Prayers for things temporal
must also have their relation to the Kingdom and the Will; and even they will be
modest. “Give us this day our daily bread.” That is not much to ask. The range
of the prayer is wide, but the needs that it covers are simple; and my neighbor
will not be injured if God answers so unambitious a prayer of mine.

Further, prayer is one of the best avenues to self­-knowledge. We do not know
how to pray as we ought; but we begin to learn, when we begin to in­terest
ourselves in our spiritual welfare, and to under­stand our needs. It is as if we
heard a divine voice say, What wilt Thou that I should do unto thee? and we were
under the obligation to answer as sincerely, ex­plicitly, and intelligently, as
we can. We pray for the things which we miss, the defects which we deplore.
Lord, that I may receive my sight. Vague words like “Bless us,” which are not
common in Biblical prayer, and which, in any case, had for the Hebrew a more
de­finite signification than for us, often only help to hide from us our real
needs. Definite prayer has therefore the effect of bringing a man face to face
with himself as well as with God. But also with God as well as with himself. It
is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, but it is a more
fearful thing not to fall into His hands; for those are gracious arms that will
uplift the soul that casts itself upon them. The life that in prayer habitually
lets itself be searched by the divine gaze cannot continue in conscious,
deliberate sin. As some one has said, either the sin will kill the prayer or the
prayer the sin. The purifying influence of sincere prayer is undeniable. One
cannot court temptation who has earnestly prayed that he be not led into it: he
cannot pamper his baser nature if he has prayed for deliverance from evil. In
the world into which his prayer introduces him, these desires stand rebuked and
abashed; and, when the prayer is over, and he faces the world again, and meets
there and in his own heart a thousand unsought solicitations to evil, there will
lie upon him the holy obligation to become a co­worker with God in the answering
of his own prayer. The other side of petition is confession. In it, if it be
definite enough, we get to know ourselves best of all. But the necessarily
general language of public prayer is not sufficiently searching. “Forgive us our
debts.” This may mean everything or nothing. It cannot mean much unless we are
at the trouble to recall our debts, as we should recall our blessings, one by
one. We must call upon our soul and all that is within us to forget not any of
His benefits nor any of our own short­comings. True, the real enemy is not our
sins, but our sin: it is out of the heart that these things proceed, and
therefore the heart that must be renewed. But we learn our sin through its
manifestations; and it is by confessing and fighting these that we come to know
ourselves, and, by the grace of God which touches the life at its springs, that
we overcome ourselves. “If the sins of the present day require a new confession,
it must be such a new confession as is proper to itself.” Character has
everything to gain by the self-examina­tion which must accompany petition and
confession.

We have already seen how peculiarly characteristic of Christianity is
thanksgiving. This is one of the last lessons which the individual learns. It is
more or less amply recognized in the formal prayers of the Church, but the
ordinary individual, if we may judge by the proportion of thanksgiving to
petition in his prayers, still stands practically on the level of the Old
Testament. Robert Louis Stevenson’s wife says of him: “When he was happy, he
felt impelled to offer thanks for that undeserved joy; when in sorrow or pain,
to call for strength to bear what must be borne.” It is to be feared that, with
most men, the latter art is very much better understood than the former. The
impulse to pray is usually a sense of need rather than of grateful and abounding
joy. “We beseech Thee to give us that due sense of all Thy mercies that our
hearts may be unfeignedly thankful.” That such a prayer should be necessary
shows our habitual and deep- grained inattention to the goodness of God, so
unlike the spontaneous, open-eyed gratitude of the Bible.

If prayers of thanksgiving were commoner, the whole life would be indefinitely
enriched. The eye would ever be kept awake and clear for the hundred tokens of a
Father’s love that fall unnoticed about our path every day, and the heart would
be more sensitive and responsive to the great salvation. We are far enough yet
from the enthusiasm of the New Testa­ment. Perhaps indeed that can never be
quite re­called. The men who had looked upon the face of Jesus or stood very
near Him in history, and who had literally seen the world turned upside down by
His gospel, must have been moved, as it is hardly possible for us to be moved,
who have been born into an atmo­sphere more than nominally Christian—a world
whose type of civilization has, generally speaking, been created by
Christianity; a world which is, indeed, far enough from being in all its
departments controlled by the Christian spirit, but which nevertheless can show
much genuinely Christian thought, activity and aspiration. It may be that in a
world so different, that ancient enthusiasm can never be altogether repeated.
Nevertheless, the thanksgiving of the New Testament remains an eloquent rebuke
to our more sluggish Christianity, and a standard to which it must be
con­tinually recalled.


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  CHAPTER 12: 11.     THE FORM OF PRAYER
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The Form of Prayer

Many questions affecting the form of prayer receive a suggestive answer in the
prayers of the Bible. In their noble combination of simplicity and solemnity
they stand unsurpassed and almost unapproached. The language is so simple and
unstudied that, but for the context, one could often suppose it was the petition
of a man to his earthly friend. This at least can be said of the Old Testament
prayers, and of the prayers of Jesus, though hardly of the prayers of Paul. It
must not be forgotten, however, that no direct prayers of Paul have been
preserved in their spoken form; they are woven into the course of his epistles,
and are char­acterized by the same rapidity and disregard of the literary
proprieties as characterize his writings gener­ally. But Biblical prayer, as a
whole, is simple. “Heal me, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be
saved; for Thou art my praise” (Jeremiah 17:14). The vivid and passionate
simplicity of such prayers could not be surpassed. They are the outcome of the
Hebrew mind which saw clearly, and, whether in narrative or prayer, said what it
had to say without circumlocution or affectation. Indeed, one test of a good
prayer, from the literary point of view—if we may speak of such a thing—would be
whether it easily lends itself to trans­lation into Hebrew; in other words,
whether it has the directness and simplicity of the Old Testament or the Lord’s
prayer. The Te Deum could stand this test. Assuredly the Lord looketh upon the
heart more than upon the form of a prayer. Yet the form is not alto­gether
unimportant, and least of all in public prayer, which, like every other part of
public worship, ought to be inspired by a sense of “comeliness and order.” Nor
is the form so very separable from the content after all. A clumsy, confused, or
complicated prayer hardly tends to the edifying of the Church (1 Corinthians
14:12). Doubt­less God can take these weak things, and let His Spirit shine
through them. The heavenly treasure may be enclosed in a very earthen vessel;
but the vessel should be as worthy of the treasure as possible. The precious
ointment deserves the alabaster box.

“The best prayers,” says Dr. John Hunter, “are those which express in the
simplest language the sim­plest needs, trusts and fidelities of the Christian
soul.” The language must be such that “the other is edi­fied” (1 Corinthians
14:17); and, considering the differences of age and of education in every
Christian congregation, that means, in other words, that it must be simple and
readily in­telligible. It hardly needs to be said that prayer must not be, as
the Latin Mass of the Roman Catholic Church, in a foreign language; but there
are other kinds of unintelligibility besides that of a foreign tongue. The use
of soaring polysyllables, of exagger­ated expressions, of poetical quotations,
of lengthy sentences, of complicated syntax, of antiquated forms of language or
thought—all this goes to defeat the end for which prayer is offered. Instead of
edifying, they mystify; and “how is he that fills the place of the unlearned to
say the Amen to your thanksgiving, if he does not know what you are saying?” (1
Corinthians 14:16) How the heart warms to the simple words of the Bible!

Thy loving kindness, O Lord, is in the heavens:

Thy faithfulness reacheth unto the skies.

Thy righteousness is like the mountains of God:

Thy judgments are a great deep.

O Lord, Thou preservest man and beast.

How precious is Thy loving kindness, O God. And the children of men take refuge
under the shadow of Thy wings.

They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of Thy house, And Thou wilt
make them drink of the river of Thy pleasures. For with Thee is the fountain of
life: In Thy light shall we see light (Psalms 36:5-9). The language is simple,
but its power of suggestion is inexhaustible. “It is high as heaven; the measure
thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea.” True prayer must be
simple, not only in the sense that it is plain and intelligible, but also in
that it is free from exaggeration. The publican expresses his penitence in half
a dozen words; he calls himself a sinner, but not a miserable sinner. It is the
simplici­ties, alike in form and thought, that touch the heart.

Perhaps the exquisite simplicity of the Bible can never, on the same scale, be
repeated; and yet the Christian era has also been blessed with prayers which
express the needs of men with fidelity, simplicity and beauty. There is a
certain noble austerity, as well as simple comprehensiveness, about the sixth
century prayer:—

O Lord, we beseech Thee mercifully to receive our prayers; and grant that we may
both per­ceive and know what things we ought to do, and also may have grace and
power faithfully to fulfill the same, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

More poetic and almost equally simple is the follow­ing prayer from the
Mozarabic sacramentary:—

Grant us, O Lord, to pass this day in gladness and peace, without stumbling and
without stain; that, reaching the eventide victorious over all temptation, we
may praise Thee, the eternal God, who art blessed, and dost govern all things,
world without end.

Perhaps the simplicity and beauty of the Bible have never been so completely and
continuously sus­tained in subsequent prayer as in the Imitation of Christ.
Take, for example, the following prayer, addressed to the “most merciful
Jesus”:—

Grant to me Thy grace that it may be with me, and work with me, and continue
with me even to the end. Grant that I may always desire and will that which is
to Thee most acceptable and most dear. Let Thy will be mine and let my will ever
follow Thine, and be in most excellent accord therewith. Let my will be all one
with Thy will, and let me not be able to will or forego anything but what Thou
wiliest or dost not will. Grant to me above all things the desire to rest in
Thee and to quiet my heart in Thee. Thou art the true peace of the heart, Thou
its only rest: out of Thee all things are full of trouble. In this peace, that
is, in Thee, the one supreme eternal good, I will lay me down and rest.

Such prayers as these exercise an unconscious influence, apart from their
content, by the singular beauty and musical cadence of the language. The ear is
satisfied as well as the heart. And when, in addition to this, the thought is
fresh and unhackneyed, the prayer is like a breath from the hills of God. Such a
prayer, for example, is that of Robert Louis Steven­son:— The day returns and
brings us the petty round of irritating concerns and duties. Help us to play the
man, help us to perform them with laughter and kind faces, let cheerfulness
abound with industry. Give us to go blithely on our business all this day. Bring
us to our resting beds, weary and content and undishonored, and grant us in the
end the gift of sleep. Or still more this:—

We are here upon this isle, a few handfuls of men, and how many myriads upon
myriads of stalwart trees. Teach us the lesson of the trees. . . . Let us see
ourselves for what we are, one out of the countless number of the clans of Thy
handiwork. When we would despair, let us remember that these also please and
serve Thee. No doubt original prayers of this kind may easily de­generate into
the fantastic; but that tendency may be held in check by an acquaintance with
the less daring language of the Bible and the more formal prayers of the
Christian Church.

Prayer is the outpouring of the heart to God (Psalms 62:8; Lamentations 2:19),
and, if the heart be that of a poet, the language, which normally tends to be
severe and chaste, may well blossom forth into figure. Such figures are found in
some of the most passionate prayers of the Bible. Compare, for example, the
prayer in Isaiah 63:7 to Isaiah 64:12: “As the cattle that go down into the
valley, the Spirit of Jehovah caused them to rest” (Isaiah 63:14). Almost more
striking is the reference, a little later on, to the “fire that kindleth the
brushwood and causeth the waters to boil” (Isaiah 64:2). So Jesus prayed that
the cup might pass from Him. Metaphorical language is quite com­patible with the
most intense sincerity: it is the natural expression of a poetical mind. But it
does not follow that such language should be imitated. When a prosaic mind
expresses itself thus, there is always the suspicion of artificiality; and
better a thousand times that prayer be unadorned, even clumsy, than artificial.
The garnishing of prayer with quotations from the poets and the hymn-writers is,
as a rule, a breach of literary taste, as well as of religious propriety. It is
certainly not incompatible with sin­cerity, but it lacks that simplicity which
one has a right to expect in the speech of a child to his father. When ye pray,
say Father. A child does not quote poetry when he talks confidentially to his
father. On the other hand, where there is a real poetic gift, this may well come
to light in the emotional speech of prayer; and this speech will be as natural
to one soul as bolder and more prosaic speech to another. No one could fail to
be moved by the following beautiful prayer of Christina Rossetti:—

O Lord, with whom is the fountain of life, give us all, we entreat Thee, grace
and goodwill to follow the leadings of Thy Holy Spirit. Let the dew of Thy grace
descend and abide upon us, refreshing that which droops, and reviving that which
is ready to perish, until the day when all Thy faithful people shall drink of
the river of Thy pleasures. The propriety of quoting Scripture extensively in
prayer may also be doubted. Sometimes the quota­tions are ludicrously unnatural
on western lips; as when in public prayer a preacher says, “Thou art our Father,
though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not” (Isaiah 63:16);
or when, on behalf of his people, he assures God that Assyria shall not save
them, and they will not ride upon horses (Hosea 14:3). These touches are
completely unnatural to any but members of the ancient people of Israel; and
quotations of this kind will tend to disappear the more the historical relations
of the Bible are understood. But there are countless passages in the Psalms and
prophets, the gospels and the epistles, which lend themselves very readily to
citation in prayer, and a question may be fairly raised as to the propriety of
this practice. Unquestionably the temptation is very great. Assuming that the
prayer is a real prayer, it is often those very words that have awakened in the
mind of the speaker the thought he desires to express. He may find other words,
but he is not likely to find better. The thing he would say is there to his
hand; why should he not avail himself of it?

Obviously such a question cannot be fully settled by an appeal to the Bible
itself, as, in the nature of the case, such citations could only appear in the
later books. Time had to elapse and many circumstances had to conspire together
before the earlier books could rise to the rank of “Scripture.” In the
post-exilic literature such allusions begin to be found. Nehe­miah, for example,
calls upon Jehovah to remember the word which He commanded His servant Moses
saying, “If ye trespass, I will scatter you abroad among the peoples; but, if ye
return unto me,” etc. (Nehemiah 1:8) This is not an exact quotation, but it is a
close reminis­cence of Leviticus 26:33, Deuteronomy 30:2-3. In a prayer of Ezra
(Ezra 9:11) there is a still more elaborate reminiscence of a law—“which Thou
hast commanded by Thy servants the prophets”—against inter-mar­riage with the
Canaanites, which recalls Deuteronomy 7:3. Similarly the confessional prayer of
Daniel acknowledges that the disasters that have befallen the Jewish people are
in accordance with that which is written in the law of Moses (Daniel 9:11;
Daniel 9:13). By the time the New Testament was written, prac­tically the whole
of the Old Testament was what we may call, for want of a better word, canonical;
but, so far as this question is concerned, the early Christians were drawn in
opposite directions. On the one hand, there was the exuberant sense of the
possession of a new life, which, like all true life, had the desire and the
power to create its own forms of expression. This is very conspicuous in the
prayers of Paul, which do not reproduce even the prayers of Jesus, though there
are naturally a few faint reminiscences (Cf. 1 Corinthians 10:13; 2
Thessalonians 3:3; Galatians 1:4). But, on the other hand, there was a very
powerful Messianic influence at work in the early Church, impelling the
Christians to “show by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ” (Acts 18:28).
This would naturally affect the prayers, which would often take the form of
thanksgiving that the Messiah had come, as had been predicted in ancient Hebrew
Scripture. Therefore the tendency to spontaneous prayer would be balanced by a
tendency to quote. An excellent illustration of this is furnished by the prayer
offered by the friends of Peter and John after their acquittal: “O Lord, Thou
that didst make the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that in them is;
who by the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of our father David, Thy servant, didst
say, Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples imagine vain things? The kings
of the earth set themselves in array, and the rulers were gathered together,
against the Lord and against His Anointed, etc.” (Acts 4:24-26 : the quotation
is from Psalms 2:1-2.) Such a prayer does not make upon us one tithe of the
impression made by the simple appeals of Jesus, nor would it be natural to us;
but— unless we regard it, with some, simply as a later literary prayer—it is the
spontaneous utterance of men filled with the idea that at last had come the
Messiah “by prophet-bards foretold.”

Jesus does not refer to Scripture in this way (but cf. John 17:12, which
probably comes in part from the author.), but He uses it in prayer. On the
cross, He prays in the language of Psalms 22:1, “Why hast Thou forsaken Me?” and
in a sentence of Psalms 31. He commits His spirit into His Father’s hand. These
quotations are not sufficient, however, to justify the extravagant use of
Scripture which is frequently made in modern prayer. The situation must be borne
in mind. Jesus was on the cross, in agony: at such a time, what was more natural
than that the mind should fall back upon old familiar words? The creative
impulse is not at its highest when the body is racked with pain. Then the apt
words of others are doubly welcome, and they seem to be our own. But it has to
be further noted that, in the case of the second prayer, Jesus gave the familiar
words a touch distinctively His own by the addition of the word Father. In
borrowing from the Psalmist, He did not so much adopt as adapt. There is a
sovereign freedom even in His use of the quotation; for the Psalmist commits His
spirit to Jehovah for life, while in His words Jesus commits His spirit to His
Father in death. In Biblical prayer, reminiscences of Scripture are relatively
frequent—consider, for example, the Mag­nificat—but direct quotations are few;
and even these are always justified by special circumstances. Per­haps this
principle might be applied with advantage to modern prayer. Where there is life,
there should be liberty and power: we have perhaps not only the right, but the
duty, to express our own thoughts in our own way. But as the Bible is at once
the inspiration and the finest expression of those thoughts, its language cannot
fail to be a constant stimulus, and it may even be directly appropriated; but,
as we have said, if it be used at all, it should, as a rule, be adapted in the
spirit of free and living men rather than indolently adopted.

Prayer is an address to God, not to man; therefore it must have a very different
ring from the sermon, which is addressed to man, not to God. Yet this very
obvious distinction is occasionally forgotten. Some prayers are so didactic and
rhetorical that a somnolent person is inclined to suspect that he has slept
through the prayer and into the sermon. That ought not to be; nor could it be,
if the prayer were a prayer. Prayer is speech, but it ought not to be a speech.
It is the speech of the heart to God, but it must not be a speech to men in the
form of a prayer. This is one of the dangers of public prayer, where the
presence of other men can hardly be altogether forgotten—an especial danger for
one whose profession is preaching.

It is from the prayers that we pray when “the door is shut,” and especially in
hours of trial, danger, or temptation, that we learn the real nature and meaning
of prayer—such a prayer as was offered, for example, by President Harper, of
Chicago, shortly before his death: “May there be for me a life beyond this life;
and in that life may there be work to do, tasks to accomplish. . . . If in any
way a soul has been injured or a friend hurt, may the harm be overcome, if it is
possible.” That is how men pray, when they are face to face with death and
reality; and that is the spirit also which should control public prayer. No
rhetoric, pyrotechnics, or argument; but reverence, humility, awe, and filial
confidence. A child does not preach to his father; no more should the preacher
when he speaks to the Father in heaven. In some of the later prayers of the Old
Testament there can be detected a slight tendency to preach. The reminiscence of
Deuteronomy 7:3 in Ezra’s con­fession (Ezra 9:11-12), to which we have already
alluded, gives a certain hortatory turn to the prayer: “Now, there­fore, give
not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons,
nor seek their peace or their prosperity for ever; that ye may be strong, and
eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children for
ever.” Of course this may be explained away on the ground that it is a
quotation; but it shows how real and obvious the danger is. The same homiletic
tendency comes out in another prayer of Ezra, which, though a real prayer, both
in form and spirit, might yet also be not unfairly characterized as
half-narrative, half-sermon. “They dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto Thy
commandments, but sinned against Thine ordinances, which, if a man do, he shall
live in them, and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not
hear” (Nehemiah 9:29).

It is obvious that this can only be a feature of long prayers: the danger
becomes less as the prayer grows shorter, and therefore, for this reason among
many others, short prayers are to be recommended. Biblical prayers are usually
short—very much shorter than the average modern prayer. The very earnest prayer
of Hezekiah (2 Kings 19:15-19) for deliverance from Sennacherib could easily be
spoken in less than a minute and a half; and the beautiful thanksgiving of David
in 1 Chronicles 29:10-19 in between three and four minutes. But most of the
prayers are much shorter than this; and the teaching and practice of Jesus, as
we have seen, go to confirm the impression that the ideal prayer is short. Many
public prayers are undoubtedly much too long. The so-called “long prayer” in
Scotland has little Biblical sanction. In essence the long prayer is a heathen
prayer: your Father knoweth what things ye have need of. It is refreshing to
turn from the elaborate prayers of Ezra to the simple ejaculations of Nehemiah.
It is the difference between the practical man of affairs and the professional
clergyman. Allow­ance of course must also be made for the difference in the
situation. Nehemiah’s prayers are private, Ezra’s are public; and the unusual
length of Ezra’s confession in Nehemiah 9—about nine minutes, and it appears to
be unfinished—is explained by the exceptional gravity of the situation. All the
long prayers of the Bible— and they are very few—are similarly connected with
situations of critical importance. The prayer put into the lips of Solomon in 1
Kings 8 occupies about eight minutes, and that of Daniel in Daniel 9 about five;
but the one is connected with the dedication of the temple, an event of
epoch-making importance, and the other with its desolation (Daniel 9:17). But
the ordinary Biblical prayer is short, often astonishingly short; and modern
prayer, public and private alike, would do well to recover this essentially
Biblical quality. A brief prayer will be more likely than a long one to
concentrate itself upon the matter in hand. In the prayer of Hezekiah just
alluded to, after a simple ascription of praise to Jehovah as the only God and
the Creator, the king at once makes his request: “Hear the words of Sennacherib,
wherewith he hath sent him to defy the living God . . . Now save us, I beseech
Thee, out of his hand.” Besides securing concentration, brevity has the further
advantage of keeping the speaker in mind of the elementary fact, which some
speakers appear to forget, that prayer is an address to God. There are some who
habitually speak of God in the third person. The motive might conceivably be one
of reverence, though this was certainly not how

Jesus taught His disciples to pray. In other cases, the habit may be
unconsciously produced by the influence of preaching, in which God is spoken of,
not to. Prayer addressed to God in the third person is, in reality, devout
meditation—an excellent thing in its way, and not far removed from prayer, but
not to be confused with it. The long prayer of Ezra to which we have already
referred, in spite of its narrative and homiletic drift, is a real prayer. Thou
and Thee and Thine are every­where: we are never allowed to forget that we are
in the presence of God. Occasionally, indeed, the third person appears in Hebrew
prayer, but, except in the Psalms, it is seldom sustained for any length of
time; its place is usually at once taken by a second person. Take the prayer of
Jacob for example: “If God will be with me and keep me ... of all that Thou
shalt give me, I will give the tenth unto Thee” (Genesis 28:20-22). Or of
Solomon: “Will God in very deed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the
heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee” (1 Kings 8:27). Or of Daniel: “Jehovah
our God is righteous in all His works which He doeth, and we have not obeyed His
voice. And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought Thy people out of the land of
Egypt” (Daniel 9:14-15). Similarly, a man may refer to himself in the same
sentence in the third person and in the first: “Thy servant doth know that I
have sinned” (2 Samuel 19:20).

Especially interesting are the rapid transitions of the Psalms from the second
person to the third and vice versa. (Cf. Psalms 23:3-4. So the third person in
Isaiah 63:7-14 a glides into the second in Isaiah 63:14 b ff.) It is this that
makes it so difficult to use the Psalms in their entirety as prayers; but it
very powerfully suggests the reality and naturalness of the communion of these
writers with God. God was the background of the Hebrew mind. He was never far
from any one of them; and whether they speak to Him or of Him, they are with
Him. He besets them behind and before, and in a real sense, all their religious
speech is speech to Him. Meditation is on the borderland of prayer: Hebrew
meditation has crossed the border.

Apart from the Psalms, allusions to God in the third person are rare in Hebrew
prayer. As we have seen, they are usually displaced at once by the more direct
address; and where the transitions are frequent, as in the Psalms, it is because
the devout Hebrew had an unusually powerful consciousness of God. Nevertheless I
am con­tinually with Thee. But in modern prayer, the use of the third person in
addressing God is usually a sign of inattention. The suppliant is forgetting
that he is appealing to God, as a man to his heavenly Friend.

God should therefore be directly, not allusively addressed: but how, and how
often? When ye pray, say Father. That ought to settle the first question. This
is not of course an absolute condemnation of all other names and epithets
whatever. Jesus Him­self also said “My God,” and to Father He added “Lord of
heaven and earth.” But it indicates the name by which He should be predominantly
addressed, and any epithets which may be added should express His nature not
only truly but simply. “O God, Light of the hearts that know Thee, and Life of
the souls that love Thee, and Strength of the thoughts that seek Thee; from whom
to turn away is to fall, to whom to turn is to rise, and in whom to abide is to
stand fast for ever.” This introduction is very noble, but per­haps a little
artificial; it is a literary prayer, and lacks the naive simplicity of the
Bible. In the light of the teaching and practice of Jesus, and of the Bible
generally, which never really overloads its titles, even when, as in the later
prayers, it makes liberal use of them, it is interesting to find that Law sets a
high devotional value on these epithets, and deliberately recommends their use.
We may begin our prayers, he tells us, in words like these: “O Being of all
beings, Fountain of all light and glory, gracious Father of men and Angels,
whose universal Spirit is everywhere present, giving life, and light, and joy,
to all Angels in Heaven, and all creatures upon earth,” etc. And again, when we
direct petitions to our blessed Lord, let it be in some expression of this kind:
“O Savior of the world, God of God, Light of Light: Thou art the brightness of
Thy Father’s glory, and the express Image of His Person: Thou art the Alpha and
Omega, the Beginning and End of all things; Thou that hast destroyed the power
of the devil; that hast overcome death; Thou that hast entered into the Holy of
Holies, that sittest at the right hand of the Father, that art high above all
thrones and principalities, that makest intercession for all the world; Thou
that art the Judge of the quick and the dead; Thou that wilt speedily come down
in Thy Father’s glory, to reward all men according to their works: be Thou my
Light and my Peace.”

Law justifies the use of epithets by insisting on their power to raise our
hearts to lively acts of adoration. We are to begin by using such expressions as
may make us most sensible of the greatness and power of the Divine Nature; and
he observes rightly enough that, as words have a certain power of raising
thoughts in the soul, so those words which speak of God in the highest manner
are the most useful and edifying in our prayers. But there is something
artificial, or at least unbiblical, about this attempt to create an atmosphere
in which the nature of God can be more readily appre­hended. When a Hebrew
sought to kindle in his audience a sense of the divine goodness, he pointed them
to history (Hosea 11:1-4; Amos 2:9-10, etc.); or he revived his own wavering
faith by meditating on the mysteries of the moral world, and on the ultimate
destinies of the good and the bad (Psalms 73:16 ff.). The exercise prescribed by
Law may have its uses, but it is not in the spirit of Biblical prayer. The men
of the Bible did not have to whip themselves into a devout mood: they spoke to
God as a man speaks to his father or his friend. Nor is it necessary to repeat
the name of God often in prayer. A man does not name in every sentence the
friend to whom he speaks. There is even a certain unreality about the too
frequent use of the divine name in prayer; if the speaker really felt that God
were as near him as the men about him, he would prob­ably not name Him so often.
It is striking that, in some of the most passionate prayers of the Old
Testa­ment, God is named very seldom, and even then very simply. There can, of
course, be no law on such a point. Elijah, at a critical moment on Carmel,
addresses Jehovah three times within two verses (1 Kings 18:36 ff.) But in the
great prayers the direct addresses are few. For twenty-five verses in the prayer
at the dedication of the temple (1 Kings 8:28-53), there is no direct address at
all. In Ezra 9 the addresses are few, chiefly at the beginning and the end. When
Jeremiah pleads in Jeremiah 12:1-3 with all the energy of perplexity and
disappointment, he only says, “O Jehovah,” and that only twice. Simi­larly, this
is the only address (Isaiah 63:16 f.; Isaiah 64:8) in the very powerful appeal
of Isaiah 43:7 to Isaiah 64:12. Job, in Job 10:2-22, a prayer delivered at white
heat, never mentions the name of God at all. This very curious circumstance,
that the most passionate prayers have the very simplest addresses, and sometimes
none at all, should perhaps be more generally borne in mind in modern prayer.
The custom of multiplying epithets grew up very early in the Christian Church,
and it has more or less influenced all subsequent prayer. On this, too, the word
of Jesus has a bearing, that men will not be heard for their much speaking.

There is a certain solemn stateliness about Biblical prayer. The threefold
invocation of Jacob: The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk,
The God who hath shepherded me all my life long unto this day, The Angel who
hath redeemed me from all evil (Genesis 48:15-16; cf. Daniel 9:19). reminds one
of the threefold priestly blessing:

Jehovah bless thee, and keep thee:

Jehovah make His face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:

Jehovah lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. (Numbers
6:24-26)

What is perhaps less often noticed is the orderliness of prayer in the Bible. In
discussing tragedy, Aris­totle (Poetics, 7:3) defines a whole as that which has
beginning, middle, and end. A good prayer, like a good poem, should be, in this
sense, a whole; it should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Its parts may
not be strung together anyhow: it must move on from point to point, controlled
by a sense of decency and order. It must not be obtrusively logical, for prayer
is not argument; but it ought to have a natural conse­cution. Nothing could be
more orderly, for example, than the Lord’s prayer. It is not a series of
discon­nected petitions; it is the development of a single thought, presented,
with an almost Greek regard for symmetry, from two complementary sides. The same
sense of order characterizes all the longer prayers of the Old Testament. The
prayer of Solomon, for example, begins with an ascription of praise. Its first
real petition (1 Kings 8:31 f.) is for the visible establishment of the moral
order; and then, with much variety, beneath which is a real unity, the prayer
beseeches the mercy of God upon sinners who turn in penitence to Him. So the
prayer in Isaiah 63:7 to Isaiah 64:12 begins by “making mention of the
loving-kindnesses of Jehovah,” and then continues with entreaty and confession.
In Nehemiah 1:5-11 an introduction emphasizing the might and the faithfulness of
Jehovah is followed by an elaborate confession and a short petition. Similarly
the prayer of Ezra in Nehemiah 9:6-37 begins with an ascription of praise to
Jehovah for His might manifested in crea­tion and His love in history, and this
is followed by confession and petition.

Generally speaking, the order of the longer prayers is: ascription of praise or
thanksgiving, confession, petition. Especially secure is the place of praise or
thanksgiving at the beginning of the prayer. Besides the cases mentioned,
Hezekiah’s prayer for deliverance from Sennacherib so begins (2 Kings 19:15),
David’s prayer of thanks for the free-will offering (1 Chronicles 29:11 ff.),
Jehoshaphat’s prayer before the battle (2 Chronicles 20:6), and the probably
post-exilic prayer in Jeremiah 32:17-23 (Cf. Jeremiah 10:6-7). One lesson to be
learned from this is a lesson that the New Testament, as we have seen, teaches
with exceptional power—that praise and thanksgiving are the first duty in
prayer. But another is that prayer should be orderly. God is a God of order, not
of confusion.

Again, prayer must be intelligent, as well as orderly: indeed it cannot be
orderly without being intelligent. The speaker must know what he is praying for,
and what he is thanking God for. For this cause, says Paul more than once: “for
this cause I bow my knees unto the Father” (Ephesians 3:14), and “thank God
without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 2:13). This is the attitude of the man who
said, “I will pray with the spirit and with the understanding also” (1
Corinthians 14:15). But while intelligent, it will not be obtrusively
theo­logical. Doubtless every thinking man will endeavor to concatenate his
religious thought; and he will not be intellectually satisfied till he sees it
in its relations. But prayer is not the place for theological opinion or
doctrine, as such. “Though I walk through the valley of the deep shadow, I will
fear no evil, for Thou art with me.” How He will be with me I cannot tell, and
on that I may speculate; but that He will be with me I know, and with these and
similar words I may grate­fully approach Him in prayer. I have heard a man pray,
“We thank Thee, O God, for the doctrine of the Trinity.” There is no Biblical
warrant for a prayer like that. We thank God for facts, not for doctrines.
Doctrines have their day and cease to be, but the facts abide for ever.

Occasionally, though seldom, in the longer prayers, simple statements occur,
which, strictly speaking, do not belong to the essence of prayer, and which have
perhaps a remotely theological flavor. For example: “Thou knowest the hearts of
all the children of men” (1 Kings 8:39); “there is no man that sinneth not” (1
Kings 8:46) Here again we may say, “Your heavenly Father knows,” and such
statements should not be frequent. But they are not in themselves objectionable;
for they are statements, not of doctrine, but of fact. Every one who believes in
God and who knows the human heart must admit their truth. Prayer gathers about
the fundamental needs, confessions, and gratitudes, and expresses these in
language that is simple and free from the technicalities of theology. We pray as
children, not as scholars. When ye pray, say Father; and let the thought of this
simple human relationship control all our speech to God. The religion of Jesus
Christ is a religion of freedom; and the New Testament is true to itself in
making no prescriptions as to the time and place of prayer. It does not even
prescribe family worship any more than it enjoins the abolition of slavery. But
it is supremely practical, just because it prescribes so little. It creates a
spirit, and the spirit must express itself: how and when and where will depend
upon circumstances. But where the circumstances are normal and regular, the
expression is likely also to be regular. Regularity, however, so easily
degenerates into routine that, by the very regularity, the real object of prayer
may be defeated, and its seriousness forgotten. In every possible way,
therefore, it is necessary for those who lead the devotions of others, whether
in church or home, to preserve the vitality of prayer, without which it is of no
more value than the sounding of brass or the tinkling of cymbals.

Every day we must allow ourselves to be impressed anew, and as if for the first
time, by the wonder of God’s goodness, and by the mystery, the pathos and the
frailty of our little lives. “Morning by morning He brings His justice to the
light: He faileth not” (Zephaniah 3:5). That prayer will be hearty and
spontaneous which rises from the lips of one who, with ever new delight and
wonder, meets that goodness which un­failingly greets him in the morning, and
unslumberingly watches over him in the night. Every day is a fresh reminder of
the need of God—for bread to eat and for deliverance from evil. If He fails not,
but comes to us more bright and sure than the shining of tomorrow’s sun, why
should we fail? Why should we not gladly come with regular, fresh, unwearied
gratitude to Him who renews His loving kindness in the morning, and His
faithfulness every night?

Among these regular prayers may be included grace before meat. This is not
prescribed any more than they are, though, as we have seen, it must have been
practiced (Cf. Romans 14:6). A question might fairly be raised, how­ever,
whether it is reasonable to connect so deliberately the taking of food with
religion, while few would so readily think of formally beseeching the blessing
of God upon a lecture or a concert they were about to attend. The nurture of the
spirit should surely stand as high in the estimation of a Christian man as the
sustenance of the body; and we should be at least as grateful for the one as the
other. Give thanks, says Paul, always for all things (Ephesians 5:20); and in
consistency it might be said that one was bound either to give thanks aloud for
these things as well, or to allow his gratitude for food to remain unspoken, or
to express itself prac­tically in a deeper sense of brotherly fellowship with
his companions at table, who are all sons of a common Father.

Charles Lamb says, “I own that I am disposed to say grace upon twenty other
occasions in the course of the day besides my dinner.” Though “theoreti­cally no
enemy to graces, practically they seem to me to involve something awkward and
unreasonable”— at any rate “at the heaped-up tables of the pampered and
luxurious,” though he admits that they are proper enough at a poor man’s table
or at the “simple and unprovocative repast of children.” There is a good deal of
truth in this distinction; and many another besides Lamb has “felt in his mind
the incompati­bility of the scene of the viands before him with the exercise of
a calm and rational gratitude.” Such were certainly not the dinners contemplated
by Jesus, when He encouraged His disciples to pray for their daily bread. But
for the simple meal, a prayer which raises a natural act into a sacrament,
though it cannot be said to be necessary, is peculiarly appropriate. There is no
reason why we should not also express our gratitude to God for the anticipated
blessings of music or litera­ture. Better level up than down. Better thank Him
for all things at all times, than never formally thank Him at all. But grace
before meat, as Law says, is a proof that religion is to be the rule and measure
of all the actions of ordinary life. With regard to the length of such prayers,
it is in­teresting to see how he characterizes the custom of his times. “To such
a pass are we now come that, though the custom is yet preserved, yet we can
hardly bear with him that seems to perform it with any degree of seriousness,
and look upon it as a sign of a fanatical temper, if a man has not done, as soon
as he begins.’’ Certainly, if prayer is to be offered at such times, it must be
offered reverently; but even a very brief prayer may be reverent. The prayer
Jesus offered, may have simply been, “Blessed be the Creator of the fruits of
the earth”; but the effect was indescribable.


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  CHAPTER 13: 12.     FREE AND LITURGICAL PRAYER
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Free and Liturgical Prayer

One question which can never lose its interest or im­portance, is that of the
legitimacy and use of fixed forms of prayer; and we shall now consider what
contribution the teaching and the practice of the Bible make towards its
solution. There can be no doubt that free prayer is, on the whole, more
consonant with the idea of prayer than fixed. If prayer be a real intercourse of
the human heart with God, prescribed or studied words would seem to be no more
natural than in intercourse with men; and, as Dr. Rainsford has said, “If all
men prayed always as some men pray sometimes, there would be no need of a
liturgy.” In particular, it might be argued that the true Protestant not only
feels the impulse, but is under the obligation, to pray in his own words. Just
as he claims the right and the duty to think for himself, so it might be said
that he has a similar right and duty to express his thoughts, to God no less
than to man, in his own way. But the retort would be easy. The Protestant, if he
be an educated man, does not, in his thinking, ignore the thoughts of other men.
He is not, and could not be if he would, an absolutely inde­pendent worker. He
builds upon the labors of others, welcomes the help of all who have done or are
doing work similar to his own. His independence is not absolute, but relative;
it is the independence of a man who stands in human society, a debtor to the
present, and a very heavy debtor to the past. Even his independence, though in a
sense his birthright, was historically won for him. He can never rid himself of
the obligation to learn from others, and his life would be infinitely the poorer
if he could. This indeed would not be an argument for the use of fixed forms,
but it would be an argument for the study of the best devo­tional literature
that the world has produced; and even those who insist most vehemently on the
duty of free prayer confess, by their frequent use of the Lord’s prayer,
sometimes also by the abundance of Scripture quotations with which they
embellish their own prayers, their enormous debt to the Bible.

Naturally the question we are discussing is not directly raised in the Bible.
The only prescribed prayer in the Old Testament is that to be offered at the
presentation of the first fruits (Deuteronomy 26); and, with the excep­tion of
the Lord’s prayer, the New Testament pre­scribes no prayer at all. Nor is it
possible to believe that Jesus, who was the uncompromising foe of the mechanical
in religion, prescribed that prayer. It is simply given that men may learn how
to pray: in the spirit of sons and free men they are to pray that prayer or any
other like it they please. But it must be borne in mind that even the Lord’s
prayer is a consecration of the past. It is original in the noblest sense of the
word; but most of its individual petitions can be paralleled more or less
closely from the Old Testament and other Jewish prayers. It is fresh and
spontane­ous—nothing could be more so—but it does not sweep haughtily aside the
prayers of the past. It recognizes their abiding value by the way in which it
uses them. It at once legitimates and transforms them.

We have further seen that, on the cross, Jesus made use of the ancient prayers
of His people, when His own need was very sore, and thus established the
prin­ciple, in itself so natural, that our thoughts may be sent to God upon
words composed by others. This meets the objection so commonly made to
liturgical prayer, that, as it is not the immediate and spontane­ous expression
of the speaker’s own feeling, it is very apt to be thoughtless or even
insincere. But there is no reason why another, who has been in a situation
essentially like my own, should not completely succeed in expressing my feeling
within that situation; and there is no reason why I should not adopt that
ex­pression and utter it with the same sincerity, as if it were my own. In the
deepest sense it is my own. Like lyric poetry, it belongs to all whose mood it
adequately expresses. No one who, in public worship, sings psalms or hymns which
partake of the nature of prayer, can consistently object to the use of fixed
forms of prayer. If he can lift his thoughts to God on the words of another in
song, why should it be less possible in a spoken prayer? In private and family
devotions, the help of others will be, in certain cases, almost indispensable.
Native timidity, lack of experience or initiative, and many other reasons may
practically compel those who are anxious to maintain such prayers, to resort to
devo­tional helps. Just as Jesus laid the religious literature of His own people
under contribution, so may we. Besides finding expression for those who cannot
ex­press their thoughts and feelings for themselves, such helps, if wisely
chosen, may do much to enlarge the range of their religious interests. But the
helps must be used in the spirit of free men. Here again, the words of Law,
whether we agree with them entirely or not, are apposite: “Though I think a form
of prayer very necessary and expedient for public worship, yet if any one can
find a better way of raising his heart unto God in private than by prepared
forms of prayer, I have nothing to object against it. It seems right for every
one to begin with a form of prayer; and if, in the midst of his devotions, he
finds his heart ready to break forth into new and higher strains of devotion, he
should leave his form for a while, and follow those fervors of his heart, till
it again wants the assistance of his usual petitions.” The advantages of fixed
prayer at public worship are obvious. Most of all perhaps is the sense which it
brings—if the prayers be ancient—of continuity with the past, and with the
present Church of Christ through­out the world. We pray to our Father; and the
feel­ing of continuity and solidarity would undoubtedly be strengthened, if, at
least in certain parts of public worship, the same prayers persisted throughout
the ages and across the world. Religion has a past as well as a present, and no
reverent man would wish to cut himself from that. Rather would he wish to do
every­thing that was not inimical to his spiritual welfare, to encourage his
sense of fellowship with his ancient and distant brethren in Christ. The Holy
Catholic Church would be even more impressive to the imagination, if she raised
her prayers and petitions to God, not only with united heart, but with united
voice. Besides, religion, though it is creative, is also, in the deepest sense
conservative. It has to do with the things that abide, the needs and the hopes
of men, which are ever the same; and if a worthy expression has been found for
these things—simple, true and beautiful—why may it, too, not be suffered to
abide, especially as it comes to us fragrant with the memory of myriads of
faithful souls? But the prayer must be a real prayer, not a recita­tion. The
conduct of public worship must, it is to be feared, often create the impression
that the liturgy is a performance rather than a prayer. Where a speaker is not
under the obligation to create expressions for his own thoughts, but finds them
ready made in the book before him, he is apt to go too fast. His own devotional
mood is very seriously imperiled, while that of the people may be completely
destroyed. When to this it is added that the Lord’s prayer may be repeated twice
and even three times in the course of a single service, one is compelled in
candor to ask whether it is ever really prayed at all. Do not use vain
repeti­tions, as the heathen do. Saying a prayer is not pray­ing; and a prayer
which is galloped instead of being uttered with reverent and befitting
solemnity, is not likely to do much for the edifying of the Church.

It must, of course, be presupposed that, if liturgical forms are used, the
worshippers must pray with the speaker. Public prayer is necessarily expressed
in general terms; it cannot deal, like private prayer, with specific situations.
It is offered for the forgiveness of sins, for the consolation of the suffering,
etc.; but such a prayer can leave the worshipper completely untouched unless he
pours into it his own experience, asking for­giveness for the sins which he has
committed, and con­solation for the sick whom he personally knows. Free prayer
easily introduces the personal element which, in the more guarded language of
liturgical prayer, the worshipper has to supply by an effort of his own
ima­gination; and, if the prayer is not eccentric or too specific, the
worshipper may be touched and helped. The atmosphere of personal experience lies
about spontaneous prayer. This is its advantage over litur­gical prayer; but it
constitutes also a weakness and a danger. For behind liturgical prayer lies the
wisdom, the piety, the dignity of the whole Church: the congrega­tion can depend
upon “comeliness and order.” This is by no means so certain where prayer is
free. It is interesting to note that Paul was led to lay down this great
principle, Let all things be done with seemliness and order, by observing the
dangers of an unbridled individualism (1 Corinthians 14:40). The ecstasy created
by the spirit of the new religion had thrown the Corinthian Church into
disorder. Sometimes two even seem to have spoken at once; and under such
conditions, especially where some of the members were so powerfully moved as to
express themselves in ways completely unin­telligible to others, edification was
an impossibility.

Similar dangers will always be possible where indivi­dualism is not under some
more or less official control. In a church in which free prayer holds, the
congrega­tion is absolutely at the mercy of the leader. If he be a man of piety
and culture, he can speak and pray to the edifying of the church (1 Corinthians
14:3-5); and in his prayer there may be a warmth of personal feeling and a ring
of per­sonal conviction which are apt to be lacking in the more impersonal
prayers of a liturgy. But what if he be a man of bad taste or little culture, a
man with no sense of the serious dignity which ought to mark the worship of the
Most High God? Far be it from us to over-estimate the value of culture and
taste; nor must we forget that those who are in a position to know have assured
us that, during the recent marvelous move­ment in Wales, simple uneducated
people, who had never before opened their lips in public, could pour out their
hearts to God in language of astonishing beauty. But the fact remains that many
a service has been spoiled by the slovenliness, vulgarity, and even irre­verence
of the public prayer. In a liturgical service this is all but impossible. The
preacher has the Church behind him; and, if he does her justice, she will do him
justice. If he brings to the liturgy feeling and conviction, she will give him
words which will move by their beauty and edify by their truth. In free prayer,
not only the speaker’s education, but even his temperament and the condition of
his health will affect the nature of the prayers he offers. He will not always
be able to say the thing he would. He may be dull or depressed, and this mood
may be reflected in his prayers; or—especially in his earlier efforts—he may
suffer from nervousness or temporary loss of memory, and this may easily disturb
the devo­tional temper of the congregation. Public prayer is attended by all the
difficulties that beset public speech generally. Only men of great natural gift,
wide read­ing, and much experience, can address their fellows extempore in
language that is really noble and graceful; and though, in the moment of prayer,
feeling may be more exalted, and a man may express a better and deeper self than
he can in the more critical atmo­sphere of a public meeting, it does not follow
that his exaltation will exempt him from idiosyncrasies and errors due to
inexperience, temperament or the state of his health. A liturgy affords an
absolute safeguard in cases of this kind. The speaker may be depressed, but the
prayer will not suffer; for it is not so much he that prays as the Church that
prays in him, and her noble words may cheer and strengthen not only the
congre­gation, but himself. He may be nervous when he faces the people, and his
thoughts may swim away from him; but the prayer is not impoverished, for he says
the thing that needs to be said. As a protection against the eccentricity, the
frailty and the inexperi­ence of the individual, the service of the liturgy is
inestimable. But what does the Bible say thereto? At first sight, it cannot be
said to give much direct encourage­ment to, or supply much direct material for,
liturgical prayer, The prayers of the Bible are relatively very few; and any one
who has ever taken the trouble to go carefully through them will be surprised to
find how comparatively little there is in them that can be used today in its
Biblical form; and most of that little comes from the Psalms. The reasons for
this are many. Ancient Hebrew prayer is often rendered impossible by the spirit
of Jesus. Jeremiah and Nehe­miah could pray for vengeance upon their enemies,
but with you it shall not be so. Even the prayers of Jesus cannot all be used by
us. We may learn much from the great prayer in John 17, but it can never be our
prayer. It is the Lord’s prayer, and His only. The principal reason, however,
why only a few frag­ments of Biblical prayer are available for modern use is
that those prayers are rooted in history. Prayer like prophecy, has a historical
context. In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah (Isaiah 26:1).
Only on that day and on days like it would such a song have been appropriate.
The Biblical prayers are prompted by particular situations; and as history never
quite repeats itself, a prayer composed for one situation— if it be at all
specific, as Old Testament prayers at least usually are—would not be strictly
appropriate to any subsequent situation. It is these specific allusions that
help us to feel the reality of Biblical prayer and how truly it is the child of
the moment. Ezra prays, for example: “O our God, let not all the travail seem
little before Thee, that hath come upon us . . . since the time of the kings of
Assyria unto this day” (Nehemiah 9:32) And again: “Our God hath not forsaken us
in our bon­dage, but hath extended loving kindness unto us in the sight of the
kings of Persia” (Ezra 9:9). The prayer is cre­ated by the immediate, specific,
historical need, and can therefore, in that particular form, never be offered
again.

Yet how does it come that so many of the Psalms which are most, if not all, born
in a definite historical situation, can be sung, at least in part, at the public
worship of a people so remote in historical experience and mental outlook as we
are from the Hebrews? Is it not because their writers instinctively grasped the
universal element in the situation? By dropping that which is adventitious and
by expressing, with superb simplicity, only that which is essential to the
situation, they touch the universal heart and earn an unchallengeable
immortality. In other words, where ultimate religious needs and emotions have
found perfect expression, that expression may be gratefully acknowledged and
conscientiously retained. Where the needs are the same, the words may be the
same. In Gethsemane, Jesus “prayed a third time, saying again the same words”
(Matthew 26:44). Here is an argument for a fixed form in prayer. If the
situation is the same, we may pray three times, or a thousand times, “saying
again the same words.”

Now is not this directly applicable to the situation created by public worship?
The ultimate needs of any Christian congregation, formally assembled for
worship, are ever the same. There are always the young and the old, the happy
and the sad, the earnest and the indifferent, the tempted and the defeated; and
it is only their common needs that can form the subject of public petition.
Those, for example, for whom intercession is offered will, speaking generally,
be always the same: for those in authority over us, for those in danger, doubt
and difficulty, for the sick and the suffering, the bereaved and the dying, for
all sorts and conditions of men, for ourselves, for the Church of Christ
throughout the world. This point need not be further amplified. In every
congregation these elements are constant; and if fitting expression has once
been found for needs that are ever the same, why should it be abandoned in favor
of an expression that is, in most cases, pretty sure to be less noble and
beautiful, without necessarily being any more sincere?

Besides, the prayer which we call extempore is sel­dom really extempore. It is
like many a so-called extempore speech—carefully prepared beforehand, and
probably in the case of most conscientious ministers the thought to be expressed
has at least been con­sidered. In this respect the man who prays is like the
true orator who, in the words of a French writer, “knows what he will say, but
does not know how he will say it”; and this is perhaps the ideal of free prayer.
So that the contrast between what is com­monly called free and liturgical prayer
is nothing like so absolute as is usually supposed. There would be a real
contrast between liturgical prayer and a prayer which the speaker, without the
least premeditation, uttered in immediate dependence upon the inspiration of the
Spirit. But it may be very seriously doubted whether such public prayer would be
fruitful or edifying. Volu­bility is one thing; worshipful prayer is another.
God is a God of order, and the Church meets to be edi­fied. In point of fact,
however, this is not, as a rule, the sort of prayer that is offered in the
formal worship of the non-liturgical churches, but a prayer whose contents have
at least been considered, if not pre­pared. Besides, almost every one, who has
to engage regularly in public prayer, falls into ruts of his own, and creates a
liturgy for himself—only, as a rule, infinitely less beautiful, dignified, and
comprehensive than that of the liturgical churches. So that it is not so much a
question whether there shall be a liturgy or not, as whether the liturgy which,
in a sense, is inevi­table, shall be worthy or unworthy.

It is sometimes argued that a liturgical service is more likely to produce
listlessness and inattention among worshippers than free prayer. No one will
deny the great dangers associated with the frequent repetition of familiar
words. But it is not by any means certain that the average congregation will
follow a free prayer much more attentively than a fixed. The feeling of
expectancy, with which it may be supposed a new prayer is listened to, is
greatly blunted by the congregation’s familiarity with the minister’s particular
turns of thought and expression. The “degraded liturgy”—as it has been called—of
the individual, can produce an effect just as narcotic as the noble liturgy of
the church. And even when the prayer is unhackneyed, the thoughts of many will
wander, especially if the prayer be long. All public prayer, whether free or
fixed, demands an effort of appropriation on the part of the congregation. They
must say the Amen:(1 Corinthians 14:16) they must pray with the leader, must
make his prayer their own by a mental and spiritual effort; and those who do
this in any church are perhaps not so numerous as we imagine.

Both free and liturgical prayers are beset by serious dangers. Much more than
liturgical prayer does free prayer bring the temptation to make an impression.
It is speech before men, and is therefore very apt to become speech to men. This
is the most hideous cari­cature of prayer. No disposition is so inimical to the
spirit of prayer as ostentation, and one does not won­der at Jesus’ scathing
rebuke of the prayers at the street comers. The same spirit can too easily
animate the public prayer in the congregation. The ancient “hypocrites” prayed,
“that they might be seen of men”; and the modern, that they may be heard of
them. Of course, the religion of Christ is a social religion, and public prayer
is therefore a necessity, but its dangers are many and subtle. It is difficult,
almost impossible to secure that detachment of spirit which is essential to
prayer. The leader must both remember, the people, and forget them. He must
remember them, for it is their united needs he has to voice. Yet he must forget
them: he must hold direct and unimpeded speech with God, he must speak as if he
were alone. And that is difficult: it is not easy to remain entirely
uninfluenced by the presence of others. But if extempore prayer has its
difficulties and dangers, no less has liturgical prayer. It was insti­tuted
partly in the interests of form; and form very easily becomes formality. Where
there is little variety in the service, and the same words are re­peated week
after week, the spirit may easily grow insensible to their meaning. Here, more
than any­where else, the letter can kill. Custom can make fools of us all. The
noble prayers may be babbled instead of being prayed, and their spiritual effect
upon leader and people may be no more than would be secured by a Thibetan
praying machine, moved by wind or water. This danger may be partly obviated by
variety in the liturgy, and by giving the congregation a greater part in the
service; but it comes back to this, that a prayer, whether free or fixed, as it
is a deliberate appeal to God, must always be regarded as one of the most solemn
and responsible acts of the religious life, and has therefore ever to be entered
upon with a sin­cerity which custom must not be allowed to dull. Probably the
spiritual effort necessary to interpret feelingly a familiar liturgical prayer
is greater than that needed to offer an extempore prayer.

Both kinds of prayer have their advantages. In liturgical prayer there can be no
unpleasant surprises. It prevents liberty from degenerating into license: it
offers the same safeguard against irresponsible indivi­dualism as a creed offers
against heresy. If two of you be agreed ... a liturgy secures this agreement.
Again, in prayer a man speaks to God as to his friend, that is, not formally;
but the conditions of public worship demand form, and liturgy secures this. The
“comeliness and order” which ought to characterize public worship may certainly
be present when much is left to the initiative of the individual, but in a
litur­gical service they are guaranteed. On the other hand, if religion is a
real and living thing, the individual can hardly help feeling at times the
impulse to express his emotion in words of his own, and he ought not to be
deprived of this liberty which is his birthright as a son of the Heavenly
Father. In the prayers of the Bible, pious men speak as they are moved by
circumstance; out of the depths each man cries in his own way. And this great
lesson of the Bible must never be forgotten or repudiated. We are often told
that Jesus prayed, but seldom what He prayed. He does not bind a yoke upon the
neck of His disciples: He wishes us to be ourselves. The free churches have
something to learn from the dignity, beauty, and order of the liturgical
churches; while these, in their turn, have to learn from the free­dom, the
initiative, the versatility of the others. The ideal church would combine the
excellences of both, the dignity of the one with the fervor of the other. Some
of her prayers would be fixed, and some would be free. The leader of a
congregation which believes in free prayer should not be deprived of the right
to ex­press his thoughts in a way more beautiful and digni­fied than any
expression of his own is ever likely to be; the leader in a liturgical church
should not be deprived of the right to speak to God as a man to his friend. The
past may be an inspiration, but it must not be allowed to become an incubus. We
shall cherish and perpetuate all that is best in it, but we too will create
something which posterity would not willingly let die; and so the religious
instinct, as ancient as humanity, and as fresh as the morning, will continue to
enrich the world for ever.


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  CHAPTER 14: 13. PART 3: THE PRAYERS OF THE BIBLE COLLECTED
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Part 3: The Prayers Of The Bible Collected


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  CHAPTER 15: 14.     THE PRAYERS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
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The Prayers Of The Old Testament


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  CHAPTER 16: 15.         PETITION
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Petition The prayer of Noah:Genesis 9:25-27 Cursed be Canaan; A servant of
servants may he be to his brethren, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Shem; And let
Canaan be his servant.

God enlarge Japheth, And let him dwell in the tents of Shem; And let Canaan be
his servant.

Abraham’s prayer for Ishmael:Genesis 17:18 Oh, that Ishmael might live before
Thee.

Lot’s prayer during his escape from Sodom.[1] : Genesis 19:19-20

[1] This prayer is addressed, probably not to Jehovah, but to one of the two
angels, from whom, inGenesis 19:19-20, Jehovah is expressly dis­tinguished.

Behold now, Thy servant hath found favor in Thy sight, and Thou hast magnified
Thy loving kindness which Thou hast showed unto me in saving my life; and I
cannot escape to the mountain, lest evil overtake me and I die. Behold now, this
city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one. Oh, let me escape thither,
and my soul shall live.

Prayer of Abraham’s servant,that he might be guided to the right wife for
Isaac:Genesis 24:12-14;Genesis 24:42-44

O Jehovah, God of my master Abraham, I pray Thee, send me good speed this day,
and show kind­ness unto my master Abraham. Behold, I am standing by the well of
water and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water;
and, let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, “Let down thy
pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink”; and she shall say, “Drink, and I will
give thy camels drink also”: let the same be she that Thou hast ap­pointed for
Thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that Thou hast showed kindness unto
my master.

Jacob’s prayer,on his return,for deliverance from Esau:Genesis 32:9-12.

O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, O Jehovah, who didst say
unto me, “Return to thy country and to thy kindred, and I will do thee good.” I
am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the faithfulness which
Thou hast showed unto Thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan,
and now I am become two bands. De­liver me, I pray Thee, from the hand of my
brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and smite me, the
mother with the children. And Thou didst say, “I will surely do thee good, and
make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.”

Jacob’s prayer for a blessing:Genesis 32:26 I will not let Thee go, except Thou
bless me.

Moses’prayer for the presence of God with himself and the people:Exodus 33:13-16

If I have found favor in Thy sight, show me now Thy ways, that I may know Thee,
so that I may indeed find favor in Thy sight; and consider that this nation is
Thy people. ... If Thy presence go not with us, carry us not up hence. For
wherein now shall it be known that I have found favor in Thy sight, I and Thy
people? Is it not in that Thou goest with us?

Moses’prayer for a vision of the Divine glory:Exodus 33:18 I pray Thee, show me
Thy glory. The priestly blessing:Numbers 6:24-26 Jehovah bless thee, and keep
thee.

Jehovah make His face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee.

Jehovah lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

Prayer when the ark set forward:Numbers 10:35 Rise up, O Jehovah, And let Thine
enemies be scattered; And let them that hate Thee flee before Thee.

Prayer when the ark rested:Numbers 10:36 Return, O Jehovah, Unto the ten
thousands of the thousands of Israel.

Moses’prayer regarding the rebels:Numbers 16:15 Respect not Thou their offering:
I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them.

Moses’ prayer for a successor:Numbers 27:16-17

Let Jehovah, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the
congregation, who may go out before them, and who may come in before them, and
who may lead them out, and who may bring them in; that the congregation of
Jehovah be not as sheep which have no shepherd.

Prayer offered by the elders of the nearest city in the case of an untraced
murder:Deuteronomy 21:7-8 Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our
eyes seen it. Forgive, O Jehovah, thy people Israel, whom Thou hast redeemed,
and suffer not innocent blood to remain in the midst of Thy people Israel.

Moses’prayer that he might be permitted to set foot upon the promised
land:Deuteronomy 3:24-25

O Lord Jehovah, Thou hast begun to show Thy servant Thy greatness, and Thy
strong hand; for what God is there in heaven or in earth that can do according
to Thy works, and according to Thy mighty acts? I pray Thee, let me go over and
see the good land that is beyond the Jordan, that goodly hill- country, and
Lebanon.

Prayer to be offered,after the triennial tithe has been given to the Levite,the
sojourner,the father­less and the widow:Deuteronomy 26:13-15

I have put away the hallowed things out of my house, and also have given them to
the Levite, to the sojourner, to the fatherless and to the widow, according to
all Thy commandment which Thou hast com­manded me. I have not transgressed any
of Thy commandments, neither have I forgotten them. I have not eaten thereof in
my mourning, neither have I put away thereof, whilst unclean, nor given thereof
for the dead. I have hearkened to the voice of Jeho­vah my God: I have done
according to all that Thou hast commanded me.

Look down from Thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Thy people Israel,
and the ground which Thou hast given us, as Thou sparest unto our fathers —a
land flowing with milk and honey.

Joshua’s prayer at the battle of Gibeon:Joshua 10:12 Sun, stand thou still upon
Gibeon; And thou, Moon, in the valley of Aijalon.

Manoah’s prayer for guidance regarding the child to be born to him:Judges 13:8

Oh Lord, I pray Thee, let the man of God whom Thou didst send, come again unto
us and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born.

Samson’s dying prayer:Judges 16:28

O Lord Jehovah, remember me, I pray Thee, and strengthen me, I pray Thee, only
this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two
eyes.

Saul’s prayer that the guilty man be discovered by the lot.[1]:1 Samuel 14:41

[1] This prayer is preserved in the Greek version, but not in the Hebrew, which,
with a necessary change in the text, simply reads, “Give Thummim.”

O Lord, God of Israel, wherefore is it that Thou hast not answered Thy servant
this day? Is the sin in me, or in Jonathan my son? O Lord, God of Israel, give
Urim. But if thus Thou say, “It is in my people Israel”; give, I pray Thee,
Thummim.[2] [2] The Urim and the Thummim were a mode of casting lots.

David’s prayer,when Saul is in pursuit of him:1 Samuel 23:10-12

O Jehovah, God of Israel, Thy servant hath surely heard that Saul seeketh to
come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake. Will Saul come down, as Thy
servant hath heard? O Jehovah, God of Israel, I beseech Thee, tell Thy servant.
. . . Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?

David’s prayer,when he learns of Ahithophel’s share in the conspiracy against
him:2 Samuel 15:31 O Jehovah, I pray Thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into
foolishness.

Solomon’s prayer for wisdom:1 Kings 3:7-9

O Jehovah, my God, Thou hast made Thy servant king instead of David my father;
and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in. And Thy
servant is in the midst of Thy people which

Thou hast chosen, a great people that cannot be num­bered nor counted for
multitude. Give therefore Thy servant an understanding heart to judge Thy
people, that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to judge this
great people of Thine?

Prayer composed for the dedication of the temple of Solomon:1 Kings 8:23-53;2
Chronicles 6:14-40

O Jehovah, God of Israel, there is no God like Thee in heaven above, or on earth
beneath; who keepest covenant and loving kindness with Thy servants that walk
before Thee with all their heart; who hast kept with Thy servant David my father
that which Thou didst promise him. Yea, Thou speakest with Thy mouth, and hast
fulfilled it with Thine hand, as it is this day. Now therefore, O Jehovah, God
of Israel, keep with Thy servant David my father that which Thou hast promised
him, saying, “There shall not fail thee a man in My sight to sit on the throne
of Israel, if only thy children take heed to their way to walk before Me as thou
hast walked before Me.” Now therefore, O God of Israel, let Thy word, I pray
Thee, be verified, which Thou spakest unto Thy servant David my father. But will
God in very deed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens
cannot contain Thee; how much less this house that I have built! Yet have Thou
respect unto the prayer of Thy servant, and to his supplication, O Jehovah my
God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer which Thy servant prayeth before
Thee this day, that Thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even
toward the place of which Thou hast said, “My name shall be there”—to hearken
unto the prayer which Thy servant shall pray toward this place. And hearken Thou
to the supplication of Thy servant, and of Thy people Israel, when they shall
pray toward this place; yea, hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling-place; and, when
Thou hearest, forgive.

If a man sin against his neighbor, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to
swear, and he come and swear before Thine altar in this house; then hear Thou in
heaven, and do, and judge Thy servants, condemning the wicked, to bring his way
upon his own head, and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his
righteousness. When Thy people Israel are smitten down before the enemy, because
they have sinned against Thee if they turn again to Thee, and confess Thy name
and pray, and make supplication unto Thee in this house: then hear Thou in
heaven, and forgive the sin of Thy people Israel and bring them again unto the
land which Thou gavest unto their fathers. When heaven is shut up, and there is
no rain, be­cause they have sinned against Thee; if they pray to­ward this
place, and confess Thy name, and turn from their sin, when Thou dost afflict
them: then hear Thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of Thy servants, and of Thy
people Israel, when Thou teachest them the good way wherein they should walk,
and send rain upon Thy land which Thou hast given to Thy people for an
inheritance.

If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, if there be blasting or
mildew, locust or caterpillar; if their enemy besiege them in the land of their
cities; whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness there be: what prayer and
supplication so ever be made by any man, or by all Thy people Israel, who shall
know every man the plague of his own heart and spread forth his hands toward
this house: then hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling-place, and forgive, and do,
and render unto every man according to all his ways, whose heart Thou
knowest—for Thou, even Thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of
men—that they may fear Thee all the days that they live in the land which Thou
gavest unto their fathers.

Moreover, concerning the alien that is not of Thy people Israel, but comes from
a far country for Thy name’s sake—for they shall hear of Thy great name, and of
Thy mighty hand, and of Thine outstretched arm—when he shall come and pray
toward this house, hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling-place, and do according to
all that the alien calleth to Thee for: that all the peoples of the earth may
know Thy name to fear Thee, as doth Thy people Israel, and that they may know
that this house which I have built is called by Thy name.

If Thy people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatsoever way Thou shalt
send them, and they pray unto Jehovah toward the city which Thou hast chosen,
and toward the house which I have built for Thy name: then hear Thou in heaven
their prayer and their supplication and maintain their cause.

If they sin against Thee—for there is no man that sinneth not—and Thou be angry
with them and de­liver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captive
unto the land of the enemy, far or near; yet if they shall bethink themselves in
the land whither they are carried captive, and turn again, and make supplication
unto Thee in the land of them that carried them captive, saying, “We have
sinned, we have done perversely, we have dealt wickedly”; if they return to Thee
with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies, who
carried them captive, and pray unto Thee toward their land, which Thou gavest
unto their fathers, the city which Thou hast chosen, and the house which I have
built for Thy name: then hear Thou their prayer and their suppli­cation in
heaven Thy dwelling-place, and maintain their cause, and forgive Thy people who
have sinned against Thee, and all their transgressions wherein they have
transgressed against Thee, and give them com­passion before those who carried
them captive, that they may have compassion on them—for they are Thy people and
Thine inheritance, which Thou broughtest forth out of Egypt, from the midst of
the furnace of iron—that Thine eyes may be open unto the supplication of Thy
servant, and unto the suppli­cation of Thy people Israel, to hearken unto them
whensoever they cry unto Thee. For Thou didst separate them from among all the
peoples of the earth, to be Thine inheritance, as thou spakest by Moses Thy
servant, when Thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord Jehovah.

Benediction at the consecration of the temple:1 Kings 8:56-60

Blessed be Jehovah, that hath given rest unto His people Israel according to all
that He promised: there hath not failed one word of all His good promise which
He promised by Moses His servant. Jehovah our God be with us, as He was with our
fathers; let Him not leave us, nor forsake us, that He may incline our hearts
unto Himself, to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments, and His
statutes and His judgments which He commanded our fathers. And let these my
words, wherewith I have made supplication before Jehovah, be nigh unto Jehovah
our God day and night, that He maintain the cause of His servant, and the cause
of His people Israel, as each day shall require; that all the peoples of the
earth may know that Jehovah is God, and none else.

Prayer of the Baal priests on Mount Carmel:1 Kings 18:26 O Baal, hear us.

Elijah’s prayer on Mount Carmel:1 Kings 18:36-37

O Jehovah, the God of Abraham, and of Isaac and of Israel, let it be known this
day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am Thy servant, and that I have done
all these things at Thy word. Hear me, O Jehovah, hear me, that this people may
know that Thou, Jehovah, art God, and that Thou hast turned their heart back
again.

Elijah’s prayer for death:1 Kings 19:4 It is enough. Now, O Jehovah, take away
my life; for I am not better than my fathers.

Elisha’s prayer regarding the Aramean army which invaded Israel:2 Kings 6:18
Smite this people, I pray Thee, with blindness.

Hezekiah’s prayer,terrified by the taunts of the Assyrians,and their threatened
assault upon Jerusalem:2 Kings 19:15-19;Isaiah 37:16-20

O Jehovah, God of Israel, that sittest above the cherubim, Thou art the God,
even Thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: Thou hast made heaven and
earth. Incline Thine ear, O Jehovah, and hear; open Thine eyes, O Jehovah, and
see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, wherewith he hath sent him to defy the
living God. Of a truth, Jehovah, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the
nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were
no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone— therefore they have
destroyed them. Now therefore, O Jehovah, our God, save Thou us, I beseech Thee,
out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know, that Thou,
Jehovah, art God alone.

Hezekiah’s prayer,when he receives the announce­ment of his impending death:2
Kings 20:3;Isaiah 38:3

Remember now, O Jehovah, I beseech Thee, how I have walked before Thee in truth
and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in Thy sight.

Prayer of Jabez:1 Chronicles 4:10

Oh, that Thou wouldest bless me indeed, and en­large my border, and that Thy
hand might be with me, and that Thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it be not
to my sorrow.

Prayer of Asa before the battle with Zerah:2 Chronicles 14:11

O Jehovah, there is none besides Thee to help, between the mighty and him that
hath no strength. Help us, O Jehovah our God, for we rely on Thee, and in Thy
name are we come against this multitude. O Jehovah, Thou art our God; let not
man prevail against Thee.

Jehoshaphat’s prayer before battle with the com­bined forces of Moab, Ammon and
the Meunim:2 Chronicles 20:6-12

O Jehovah, God of our fathers, are not Thou God in heaven? and art not Thou
ruler over all the king­doms of the nations? and in Thy hand is power and might,
so that none is able to withstand Thee. Didst not Thou, O our God, drive out the
inhabitants of this land before Thy people Israel, and give it to the seed of
Abraham Thy friend for ever? And they dwelt therein, and have built Thee a
sanctuary therein for Thy name, saying, “If evil come upon us, the sword,
judgment, or pestilence or famine, we will stand before this house and before
Thee—for Thy name is in this house—and cry unto Thee in our affliction, and Thou
wilt hear and serve.” And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and Mount
Seir, whom Thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land
of Egypt, but they turned aside from them and destroyed them not: behold how
they reward us, in that they come to cast us out of Thy possession, which Thou
hast given us to inherit. O our God, will not thou judge them? for we have no
might against this great company that cometh against us, neither know we what to
do; but our eyes are upon Thee. The dying prayer of Zechariah,son of
Jehoiada,slain by the command of king Joash:2 Chronicles 24:22 Jehovah look upon
it, and require it.

Nehemiah’s prayer,when he learns of the evil plight of his countrymen,and of
Jerusalem:Nehemiah 1:5-11

I beseech Thee, O Jehovah, God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that
keepeth covenant and loving kindness with them that love Him, and keep His
commandments; let Thine ear now be attentive, and Thine eyes open, that Thou
mayest hearken unto the prayer of Thy servant, which I pray before Thee at this
time day and night, for the children of Israel Thy servants, while I confess the
sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against Thee. Yea, I and my
father’s house have sinned: we have dealt very corruptly against Thee, and have
not kept the commandments, nor the statutes nor the ordinances, which Thou didst
command Thy servant Moses. Remember, I beseech Thee, the word that Thou didst
command Thy servant Moses, saying, “If ye trespass, I will scatter you abroad
among the peoples: but if ye return unto me, and keep my commandments and do
them, though your outcasts were in the uttermost part of the heavens, yet will I
gather them from thence and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen,
to cause my name to dwell there.”

Now these are Thy servants and Thy people whom Thou hast redeemed by Thy great
power, and by Thy strong hand. O Lord, I beseech Thee, let now Thine ear be
attentive to the prayer of Thy servant, and to the prayer of Thy servants, who
delight to fear Thy name; and prosper, I pray Thee, Thy servant, this day, and
grant him mercy in the sight of this man. (Artaxerxes I, King of Persia, whose
cup-bearer he was.)

Nehemiah’s prayer,on hearing how Sanballat and Tobiah derided the efforts of the
Jews to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem:Nehemiah 4:4-5

Hear, O our God, for we are despised; and turn back their reproach upon their
own head, and give them up for a spoil in a land of captivity; and cover not
their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before Thee; for they
have provoked Thee to anger before the builders.

Nehemiah’s prayer, after describing his generous conduct as governor of
Judah:Nehemiah 5:19 Remember unto me, O my God, for good, all that I have done
for this people.

Nehemiah’s prayer when he learns of the intrigues against him:Nehemiah 6:9 Now
(O God) strengthen Thou my hands.

Nehemiah’s prayer concerning the intriguers:Nehemiah 6:14

Remember, O my God, Tobiah and Sanballat ac­cording to these their works, and
also the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets that would have put me
in fear.

Nehemiah’s prayer,after describing his zeal for religious reform:Nehemiah 13:14

Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and wipe not out my good deeds that I
have done for the house of my God, and for the observances thereof.

Nehemiah’s prayer,after describing his zeal for the observance of the Sabbath
day:Nehemiah 13:22 Remember unto me, O my God, this also, and spare me according
to the greatness of Thy loving kindness.

Nehemiah’s prayer concerning those who have defiled the priesthood by
intermarriage with foreign women:Nehemiah 13:29

Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood, and the
covenant of the priest­hood, and of the Levites.

Nehemiah’s prayer, after his reorganization of the clergy:Nehemiah 13:31
Remember me, O my God, for good.

Job’s prayer for a speedy death:Job 6:8-9 Oh, that I might have my request, And
that God would grant me the thing that I long for!

Even that it would please God to crush me, That He would let loose his hand, and
cut me off.

Job’s prayer for a respite from his sufferings,before he dies:Job 7:16-21 Let me
alone; for my days are vanity.

What is man, that Thou shouldest magnify him, And that Thou shouldest set Thine
heart upon him,[1] And that Thou shouldest visit him every morning, And try him
every moment?

How long wilt Thou refuse to look away from me, And to let me alone, till I
swallow down my spittle? [2] If I have sinned, what do I unto Thee, O Thou
watcher of men?

Why hast Thou set me as a mark for Thee, So that I am become a burden unto Thee?
And why dost Thou not pardon my transgression, And take away mine iniquity? For
now shall I lie down in the dust; And Thou shalt seek me diligently, but I shall
not be.

[1]These questions, suggested byPsalms 8:5, are asked by Job in bitter irony.

[2] That is, for a moment.

Job’s prayer to be hidden in Sheol:Job 14:13 Oh, that Thou wouldest hide me in
Sheol. That Thou wouldest keep me in secret till Thy wrath be past. That Thou
wouldest appoint me a set time and re­member me. The prayer of Agur:Proverbs
30:7-9 Two things have I asked of Thee:

Deny me then not before I die.

Remove far from me falsehood and lies, Give me neither poverty nor riches.

Feed me with the food that is needful for me;

Lest I be full, and deny Thee, and say, “Who is Jeho­vah?” Or lest I be poor and
steal, And use profanely the name of God.

Isaiah’s response to the Divine call:Isaiah 6:8 Here am I; send me.

Prayer for the confirmation of peace:Isaiah 26:8-9;Isaiah 26:12-13 In the path
of Thy judgments, O Jehovah, have we waited for Thee: to Thy name, even to Thy
memorial name, is the desire of our soul. With my soul have I desired Thee in
the night; yea, with my spirit within me do I seek Thee earnestly. Jehovah, Thou
wilt ordain peace for us; for Thou hast also wrought all our works for us. O
Jehovah our God, other lords besides Thee have had dominion over us; but by Thee
only will we celebrate Thy name.

Prayer for help,perhaps shortly before Sennach­-erib’s invasion:Isaiah 33:2 O
Jehovah, be gracious unto us;

We have waited for Thee. Be Thou our arm every morning, Our salvation also in
the time of trouble.

Prayer for the interposition of God in national affairs:Isaiah 63:15-19;Isaiah
63:12 Look down from heaven, and behold, From Thy holy and glorious habitation.
Where is Thy zeal and Thy strength, And the yearning of Thy heart?

Restrain not Thy pity, For Thou art our Father.

Though Abraham knoweth us not, And Israel acknowledge us not, Thou, O Jehovah,
art our Father; Our Redeemer is Thy name from of old.

O Jehovah, why dost Thou make us to err from Thy ways, And hardenest our heart
from Thy fear?

Turn again for the sake of Thy servants, For the sake of the tribes of Thine
inheritance. Our adversaries have trodden down Thy sanctuary.[1] We are become
as they over whom Thou never barest rule, As they that were not called by Thy
name.

[1] The first clause ofIsaiah 63:18, the meaning of which is very uncer­tain,
has been omitted.

Oh that Thou wouldst rend the heavens, and come down, That the mountains might
quake at Thy presence, As fire kindleth the brushwood, As water, which fire
makes to boil, To make Thy name known to Thine adversaries, That the nations
might tremble before Thee, Whilst Thou didst terrible things, which we looked
not for, And which from of old men have not heard. No ear hath perceived, Nor
eye hath seen, A God besides Thee, Who worketh for him that waiteth for Him.

Thou meetest those that work righteousness, And remember Thy ways.

Behold, Thou wast wroth, and we sinned.[2] And we are all become as one that is
unclean, And all our righteousnesses are as a polluted garment; And we all fade
as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, carry us away. And there is none
that calleth upon Thy name, That stirreth up himself to take hold of Thee; For
Thou hast hid Thy face from us, And consumed us by means of our iniquities.

[2] The last clause ofIsaiah 63:5is obscure and has been omitted. But now, O
Jehovah, Thou art our Father, We are the clay, and Thou our potter. And we all
are the work of Thy hand. Be not wroth very sore, O Jehovah, Nor remember
iniquity for ever.

Behold, look, we beseech Thee, We are all Thy people.

Thy holy cities are become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation. Our holy and
our beautiful house Where our fathers praised Thee, Is burned up with fire; And
all our pleasant places are laid waste.

Wilt Thou refrain Thyself for these things, O Jehovah?

Wilt Thou hold Thy peace, and afflict us very sore?

Prayer of Judah“in the time of their trouble.”:Jeremiah 2:27 Arise, and save us.

Prayer that Jehovah would punish the heathen,for their treatment of His
people:Jeremiah 10:23-25

O Jehovah, I know that the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man that
walketh to direct his steps. O Jehovah, correct me, but in measure; not in Thine
anger, lest Thou bring me to nothing. Pour out Thy fury upon the nations that
know Thee not, and upon the families that call not upon Thy name: for they have
devoured Jacob, yea, they have de­voured him, and consumed him, and laid waste
his habitation.

Jeremiah,persecuted,commits his cause to God:Jeremiah 11:20;Jeremiah
20:12:Jeremiah 12:1-3

O Jehovah of hosts, who judgest righteously, who triest the heart and the mind,
I shall see Thy vengeance upon them; for unto Thee have I committed my cause.

Jeremiah,in his perplexity,prays for vengeance upon his persecutors:Jeremiah
12:1-3

Righteous art Thou, O Jehovah; how could I con­tend with Thee? Yet there are
questions of justice that I would speak of with Thee. Why doth the way of the
wicked prosper? Why are all they at ease that deal very treacherously? Thou hast
planted them, yea, they have taken root; they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit;
Thou art near in their mouth and far from their heart. But Thou, O Jehovah,
knowest me, Thou seest me and triest my heart toward Thee. Pull them out like
sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter.

Prayer of Jeremiah for the people,perhaps in time of drought:Jeremiah 14:7-9

Though our iniquities testify against us, act Thou, O Jehovah, for Thy name’s
sake; for our backslidings are many, we have sinned against Thee.

O Thou hope of Israel, the Savior thereof in the time of trouble, why shouldest
Thou be as a sojourner in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to
tarry for a night? Why shouldest Thou be as a man affrighted, as a mighty man
that cannot save?

Yet Thou, O Jehovah, art in the midst of us, and we are called by Thy name;
leave us not.

Prayer for forgiveness and mercy upon sinful Judah:Jeremiah 14:19-22

Hast Thou utterly rejected Judah? hath Thy soul loathed Zion? Why hast Thou
smitten us, and there is no healing for us? We looked for peace, but no good
came; and for a time of healing, and behold! dismay.

We acknowledge, O Jehovah, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers; for
we have sinned against Thee. Do not abhor us, for Thy name’s sake; do not
disgrace the throne of Thy glory: remember, break not Thy covenant with us. Are
there any among the vanities of the nations that can cause rain? or can the
heavens give showers? Art not Thou He, O Jehovah our God? Therefore we will wait
for Thee; for Thou hast made all these things.

Jeremiah’s prayer for his own deliverance and for the punishment of his
persecutors:Jeremiah 17:14-18 Heal me, O Jehovah, and I shall be healed; save
me, and I shall be saved: for Thou art my praise.

Behold! they say unto me, “Where is the word of Jehovah? let it come now.” As
for me, I have not desired the woeful day—Thou knowest: that which came out of
my lips was before Thy face. Be not a terror unto me: Thou art my refuge in the
day of evil. Let them be put to shame that persecute me, but let not me be put
to shame: let them be dismayed, but let not me be dismayed. Bring upon them the
day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction.

Jeremiah’s prayer for the punishment of his persecutors:Jeremiah 18:19-23

Give heed to me, O Jehovah, and hearken to the voice of them that contend with
me. Shall evil be recompensed for good? for they have digged a pit for my soul.
Remember how I stood before Thee to speak good for them, to turn away Thy wrath
from them. Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, and give them over
to the power of the sword. Let their wives become childless and widows; let
their men be slain of death, and their young men smitten of the sword in battle.
Let a cry be heard from their houses, when Thou shalt bring a troop suddenly
upon them; for they have digged a pit to take me, and hid snares for my feet.
Yet, Jehovah, Thou knowest all their counsel against me to slay me; forgive not
their iniquity, neither blot out their sin from Thy sight, but let them be
overthrown before Thee. Deal Thou thus with them in the time of Thine anger.

Prayer from the siege of Jerusalem:Lamentations 1:20-22 Behold, O Jehovah; for I
am in distress, My heart is troubled. My heart is turned within me, For I have
grievously rebelled, Without, the sword bereaveth,

Within, death.

Hear how I sigh:

There is none to comfort me.

All mine enemies have heard of my trouble, They are glad at what Thou hast done.

Thou hast brought on the day that Thou didst pro­claim, Because of my sins.

Let all their wickedness come before Thee, May they be like unto me. As Thou
hast done unto me, Do also unto them. For my sighs are many, And my heart is
faint. The prayer of Jerusalem, oppressed and enslaved.

Remember, O Jehovah, what is come upon us;

Behold, and see our reproach.

* * * * * Thou, O Jehovah, abidest for ever, Thy throne is from generation to
generation, Why dost Thou forget us for ever, And forsake us so long time?

Turn us unto Thee, O Jehovah, and we shall be turned;

Renew our days as of old. Or hast Thou rejected us utterly? Is Thine anger
against us so very sore?

Another prayer of sorrowful Jerusalem:Lamentations 3:59-66 O Jehovah, Thou hast
seen my wrong;

Judge Thou my cause.

Thou hast seen all their vengeance, And all their devices against me.

Thou hast heard their reproach, O Jehovah, And all their devices against me, The
lips of those that rose up against me, And their devices against me all the day.

Behold Thou their sitting down, and their rising up:

I am their taunt-song.

Thou wilt render unto them a recompense, O Jehovah, According to the work of
their hands.

Thou wilt give them hardness of heart, Thy curse upon them.

Thou wilt pursue them in anger and destroy them From under Thy heavens.

Hosea’s prayer for the infertility of his sinful people:Hosea 9:14 Give them, O
Jehovah—what wilt Thou give? give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts.

Prayer of the priests who expect the speedy coming of the great day of
Jehovah:Joel 1:19-20

O Jehovah, to Thee do I cry: for the fire hath de­voured the pastures of the
wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field. Yea, the
beasts of the field pant unto Thee; for the water-brooks are dried up, and the
fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.

Another prayer of the priests,for mercy:Joel 2:17

Spare Thy people, O Jehovah, and give not Thy heritage to reproach, that the
heathen mock them not. Why should they say among the peoples, “Where is their
God?”

Prayer of the foreign sailors,before they throw Jonah overboard:Jonah 1:14

We beseech Thee, O Jehovah, we beseech Thee, let us not perish for this man’s
life, and lay not upon us innocent blood; for Thou, O Jehovah, hast done as it
pleased Thee.

Jonah’s prayer for death, when the Ninevites repent and are saved:Jonah 4:2-3

I pray Thee, O Jehovah, was not this what I said, when I was yet in mine own
country? That was why I hasted to flee unto Tarshish; for I knew that Thou art a
gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in love, and repentest Thee
of the evil. There­fore now, O Jehovah, take, I beseech Thee, my life from me;
for it is better for me to die than to live.


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  CHAPTER 17: 16.         INTERCESSION
========================================================================

Intercession Abraham’s intercession for Sodom:Genesis 18:23-31

Wilt Thou consume the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there be fifty
righteous within the city; wilt Thou consume and not spare the place for the
fifty righteous that are therein? That be far from Thee to do after this manner,
to slay the righteous with the wicked, that so the righteous should be as the
wicked; that be far from Thee. Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

Behold now. I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, who am but dust and
ashes: peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt Thou
destroy all the city for lack of five?

Peradventure there shall be forty found there.

Oh, let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: peradventure there shall thirty
be found there.

Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord; peradventure there
shall be twenty found there.

Oh, let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: peradventure
ten shall be found there.

Jacob’s prayer for Ephraim and Manasseh:Genesis 48:15-16 The God before whom my
fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God who hath shepherded me all my life
long unto this day, the angel who hath re­deemed me from all evil, bless the
lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and
Isaac; and let them grow into a multi­tude in the midst of the earth.

Moses’prayer for mercy upon the people:Exodus 32:11-13; cf.Deuteronomy 9:26-29

O Jehovah, why doth Thy wrath wax hot against Thy people, which Thou hast
brought forth out of the land of Egypt, with great power and with a mighty hand?
Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, saying, “For evil did He bring them out to
slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth?”
Turn from Thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against Thy people. Remember
Abraham, Isaac and Israel, Thy servants, to whom Thou sparest by Thine own self,
and saidst unto them, “I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all
this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall
inherit it for ever.”

Moses’prayer that the guilty people be forgiven:Exodus 32:31-32

Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet
now, if Thou wilt forgive their sin—; and if not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of
Thy book which Thou hast written.

Another prayer of Moses that the people be forgiven:Exodus 34:9

If now I have found favor in Thy sight, O my Lord, let my Lord, I pray Thee, go
in the midst of us, for it is a stiff-necked people; and pardon our iniquity and
our sin, and take us for Thine inheritance.

Moses’prayer for the leprous Miriam:Numbers 12:13 Heal her, O God, I beseech
Thee.

Moses’prayer that the murmuring people be spared:Numbers 14:17-19

Now, I pray thee, let the power of the Lord be great, according as Thou hast
spoken, saying, “Jehovah is slow to anger and rich in love, forgiving iniquity
and transgression, although He does not leave the guilty unpunished, visiting
the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, upon the third and upon the
fourth generation.” Pardon, I beseech Thee, the iniquity of this people,
according to Thy great loving kindness, and according as Thou hast forgiven this
people, from Egypt until now.

Prayer for the reunion of Judah with Israel:Deuteronomy 33:7 Hear, O Jehovah,
the voice of Judah, And bring him unto his people. With his hands he hath
contended for it, And be Thou a help from his adversaries.

David’s prayer for the people who were smitten by the pestilence:2 Samuel
24:17;1 Chronicles 21:17

Lo, it is I that have sinned, and it is I that have done perversely; but these
sheep, what have they done? let Thine hand, I pray Thee, be against me and
against my father’s house.

Hezekiatis prayer for those who were ceremonially unclean at the celebration of
the Passover:2 Chronicles 30:18-19 May Jehovah the good pardon every one that
setteth his heart to seek God, Jehovah, the God of his fathers, though he be not
cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary.

Elijah’s prayer for the dead child of the widow of Zarephath:1 Kings 17:21 O
Jehovah, my God, I pray Thee, let this child’s soul come into him again.

Elisha’s prayer for his servant,who is terrified by the sight of the hosts that
beleaguer the city:2 Kings 6:17 O Jehovah, I pray Thee, open his eyes that he
may See.

Ezekiel’s prayer,when, in his vision,he sees the sinners in Jerusalem slain by
supernatural executioners:Ezekiel 9:8 Oh, Lord Jehovah! wilt Thou destroy all
the residue of Israel, in Thy pouring out of Thy wrath upon Jerusalem?

Ezekiel’s prayer,on the death of Pelatiah:Ezekiel 11:13 Oh, Lord Jehovah! wilt
Thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel?

Amos’s prayer that the impending judgment may be stayed:Amos 7:2;Amos 7:5 O Lord
Jehovah, forgive, I beseech Thee; how shall Jacob stand? for he is small.


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 18: 17.         THANKSGIVING
========================================================================

Thanksgiving Melchizedek’s prayer after the victory of Abraham:Genesis 14:19-20

Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be
God Most High who hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand.

Prayer of Abraham’s servant after he has been successfully guided to a wife for
Isaac:Genesis 24:27

Blessed be Jehovah the God of my master Abraham, who hath not forsaken His
loving-kindness and His faithfulness towards my master: as for me, Jehovah hath
led me in the way to the house of my master’s brethren.

Prayer of thanksgiving on the occasion of the annual presentation of the first
fruits at the sanctuary:Deuteronomy 26:5-10 A wandering Aramean was my father;
and he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, few in number; and he became
there a nation, great, mighty, and popu­lous. And the Egyptians dealt ill with
us and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage; and we cried unto Jehovah,
the God of our fathers, and Jehovah heard our voice, and saw our affliction and
our toil and our oppression, and]Jehovah brought us forth out of Egypt with a
mighty hand and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with
signs and with won­ders, and He hath brought us into this place and hath given
us this land, a land that floweth with milk and honey. And now, behold, I have
brought the first of the fruit of the ground, which Thou, O Jehovah, hast given
me.

David’s prayer,on hearing Nathan’s prophecy that his kingdom would be
everlasting:2 Samuel 7:18-29;1 Chronicles 17:16-27 Who am I, O Lord Jehovah, and
what is my house, that Thou hast brought me thus far? And this was yet a small
thing in Thine eyes, O Lord Jehovah; but Thou hast spoken also of Thy servant’s
house for a great while to come (The last clause of 2 Samuel 7:19 is obscure,
and has been omitted.). And what can David say more unto Thee? for Thou knowest
Thy servant, O Lord Jehovah. For Thy word’s sake, and according to Thine own
heart, hast Thou wrought all this greatness, to make Thy servant know it.

Wherefore Thou art great, O Jehovah God; for there is none like Thee, neither is
there any God besides Thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
And what one nation in the earth is like Thy people, even like Israel, whom God
went to redeem unto Himself for a people, and to make Him a name and to do for
them great and terrible things, in driving another people and its god before His
people. (This is a plausible reconstruction of 2 Samuel 7:23, which can hardly
be correct as it stands (cf. 1 Chronicles 17:21). And Thou didst establish to
Thyself Thy people Israel to be a people unto Thee for ever; and Thou, Jehovah,
didst become their God. And now, O Jehovah God, the word that Thou hast spoken
concerning Thy servant and concerning his house, confirm Thou it for ever, and
do as Thou hast spoken. And let Thy name be magnified for ever, saying, “Jehovah
of hosts is God over Israel,” and the house of Thy servant David shall be
established before Thee. For Thou, O Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, hast
revealed to Thy servant, saying, “I will build thee a house;” therefore hath Thy
servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto Thee. And now, O Lord
Jehovah, Thou art God, and Thy words are truth, and Thou hast promised this good
thing unto Thy servant. Now therefore let it please Thee to bless the house of
Thy servant, that it may continue for ever before Thee; for Thou, O Lord
Jehovah, hast spoken it; and with Thy blessing let the house of Thy servant be
blessed for ever.

David’s prayer,after the presentation of the free­ will offerings of the people
towards the building of the temple:1 Chronicles 29:10-19 Blessed be Thou, O
Jehovah, the God of Israel our father, for ever and ever.

Thine, O Jehovah, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the
victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is
Thine. Thine is the kingdom, O Jehovah, and Thou art exalted as head above all.
Both riches and honor come of Thee, and Thou reignest over all; and in Thy hand
is power and might, and in Thy hand it is to make great, and to give strength
unto all. Now, therefore, our God, we thank Thee and praise Thy glorious name.
But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so
willingly after this sort? for all things come of Thee, and of Thine own have we
given Thee. For we are strangers before Thee, and sojourners, as all our fathers
were; our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is no abiding. O Jehovah,
our God, all this store that we have prepared to build Thee a house for Thy holy
name, cometh of Thy hand, and is all Thine own.

I know also, my God, that Thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in
uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered
all these things; and now have I seen with joy Thy people, that are present
here, offer willingly unto Thee.

O Jehovah, God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for
ever as the purpose in the thoughts of the hearts of Thy people, and direct
their hearts towards Thee; and give unto Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep
Thy commandments, Thy testimonies, and Thy statutes, and to do all these things,
and to build the palace, for which I have made pro­vision.

Ezra’s prayer, which immediately follows his account of Artaxerxes’very generous
decree:Ezra 7:27-28

Blessed be Jehovah, the God of our fathers, who hath put such a thing as this in
the king’s heart, to beautify the house of Jehovah which is in Jerusalem; and
hath extended loving kindness unto me before the king, and his counselors, and
before all the king’s mighty princes. A song of salvation:Job 33:27-28 I have
sinned and perverted that which was right, And He hath not requited it unto me,
He hath redeemed my soul from going into the pit, And my life shall behold the
light. A prayer of gratitude:Isaiah 12:1-2 I will give thanks unto Thee, O
Jehovah, For, though Thou wast angry with me, Thine anger is turned away, And
Thou didst comfort me.

Behold, God is my salvation;

I will trust and not be afraid. For Jehovah is my strength and song, And He is
become my salvation.

Prayer of gratitude,possibly on the news of the victories of Alexander the
Great:Isaiah 25:1-5 O Jehovah, Thou art my God;

I will exalt Thee, I will praise Thy name. For Thou hast done wonderful things,
Which were truly and surely purposed of old. Thou hast made of a city a heap, Of
a fortified city a ruin, The palace of the proud to be no city, It shall never
more be built.

Therefore shall a strong people glorify Thee, And tyrants shall fear Thee. For
Thou hast been a stronghold to the poor, A stronghold to the needy in distress,
A refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat. But the insolence of the proud
Thou layest low. A prayer of gratitude for some deliverance:Lamentations 3:55-58
I called upon Thy name, O Jehovah, Out of the lowest dungeon Thou didst hear my
voice;: hide not Thine ear at my cry for help.

Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon Thee;

Thou saidst, “Fear not.”

Thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul, Thou hast redeemed my life.

Daniel’s prayer for gratitude,after Nebuchadnezzar’sdream has been divinely
revealed to him:Daniel 2:20-23

Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever, for wisdom and might are His. He
changeth the times and the seasons, He removeth kings and setteth up kings; He
giveth wisdom unto the wise, and know­ledge to them that have understanding. He
revealeth the deep and secret things; He knoweth what is in the darkness, and
the light dwelleth with Him.

I thank Thee and praise Thee, O Thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom
and might and hast now made known unto me what we desired of Thee; for Thou hast
made known unto us the king’s matter. A prayer of thanksgiving for
deliverance:Jonah 2:2-9 Out of my affliction I called to Jehovah, And He
answered me.

Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, And Thou heardest my voice, Thou didst cast
me into the depth, in the heart of the seas, And the flood was round about me.

All Thy waves and Thy billows passed over me.

I said, “I am cast out from before Thine eyes, How shall I look again to Thy
holy temple?” The waters compassed me about, even to the soul; The deep was
round about me, The weeds were wrapped about my head.

Down I went to the bottoms of the mountains, The earth with her bars closed upon
me for ever.

Yet Thou hast brought up my life from the pit, O Jehovah my God. When my soul
fainted within me, I remembered Jehovah. And my prayer came in unto Thee, into
Thy holy temple.

They that regard lying vanities Forsake their own good. But I will sacrifice
unto Thee with the voice of thanks­giving:

I will pay that which I have vowed, Salvation is of Jehovah.


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 19: 18.         CONFESSION
========================================================================

Confession Confession of Israel,when assailed by the Ammon­ites:Judges 10:10 We
have sinned against Thee, because we have for­saken our God and served the
Baalim.

Another confession and prayer:Judges 10:15 We have sinned. Do Thou unto us
whatsoever seemeth good unto Thee; only deliver us, we pray Thee, this day.

Confession of Israel at Mizpah:1 Samuel 7:6 We have sinned against Jehovah.

David’s confession after numbering the people:2 Samuel 24:10

I have sinned greatly in that which I have done. But now, O Jehovah, put away, I
beseech Thee, the iniquity of Thy servant, for I have done very foolishly.

Ezra’s prayer,on hearing that the Jews had inter­married with their heathen
neighbors:Ezra 9:6-15

O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to Thee, my God; for our
iniquities are increased over our head, and our guiltiness is grown up unto the
heavens. Since the days of our fathers we have been exceeding guilty unto this
day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered
into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to
plunder, and to confusion of face, as it is this day. And now, for a little
moment, grace hath been shown from Jehovah our God, to leave us a remnant to
escape, and to give us a nail in His holy place, that our God may lighten our
eyes, and give us a little re­viving in our bondage. For we are bondmen; yet our
God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended loving kindness unto
us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the
house of our God, and to repair the ruins thereof, and to give us a wall in
Judah and in Jerusalem. And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we
have forsaken Thy commandments, which Thou hast commanded by Thy servants the
prophets, say­ing, “The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean
land, through the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands, through their
abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their
filthiness. Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take
their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their prosperity for
ever; that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an
inheritance to your children for ever.” And after all that is come upon us for
our evil deeds, and for our great guilt, seeing that Thou, our God, hast
punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such a remnant
as this, shall we again break Thy commandments, and join in affinity with the
peoples that do these abominations? Wouldest not Thou be angry with us till Thou
hadst consumed us, so that there should be no remnant, nor any to escape?

O Jehovah, God of Israel, Thou art righteous; for we are left a remnant that is
escaped, as it is this day. Behold, we are before Thee in our guiltiness, for
none can stand before Thee because of this.

Ezra’s prayer,[1]after the people had confessed their sins:Nehemiah 9:6-37 [1]
This prayer is introduced in the Greek version by the words, “And Ezra said.”

Thou art Jehovah, even Thou alone. Thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens,
with all their host, the earth and all things that are thereon, the seas and all
that is therein, and Thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven
worshippeth Thee.

Thou art Jehovah, the God who didst choose Abram and bring him forth out of Ur
of the Chaldees, and didst give him the name of Abraham, and Thou didst find his
heart faithful before Thee, and didst make a covenant with him to give the land
of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Jebusite,
and the Girgashite, to give it unto his seed; and Thou hast performed Thy words,
for Thou art righteous.

Thou didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and didst hear their cry
by the Red Sea, and show signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and on all his
ser­vants, and on all the people of his land; for Thou knewest that they dealt
proudly against them, and didst get Thee a name, as it is this day. And Thou
didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea
on the dry land; and their pursuers Thou didst cast into the depths, as a stone
into the mighty waters.

Moreover, by a pillar of cloud Thou didst lead them by day, and by a pillar of
fire by night, to give them light in the way wherein they should go. Thou didst
come down also upon Mount Sinai, and speak with them from heaven, and Thou didst
give them right ordinances and true laws, good statutes and com­mandments, and
make known unto them Thy holy Sabbath, and give them commandments, and statutes,
and a law, by Moses Thy servant. Thou didst give them bread from heaven, for
their hunger, and didst bring forth water for them out of the rock for their
thirst, and didst command them that they should go in to possess the land which
Thou hadst sworn to give them. But they and our fathers dealt proudly and
hardened their neck, and hearkened not to Thy commandments, and refused to obey,
neither were they mindful of Thy wonders that Thou didst among them, but
hardened their neck, and set their head to return to their bon­dage in Egypt.
But Thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and
rich in love, and Thou didst not forsake them. Yea, when they had made them a
molten calf and said, “This is thy God that brought thee up out of Egypt,” and
had wrought great provocations, yet Thou, in Thy manifold mercy, didst not
forsake them in the wilderness: the pillar of cloud departed not from them by
day, to lead them in the way, neither the pillar of fire by night, to show them
light and the way wherein they should go. Thou didst also give Thy good spirit
to instruct them, and didst not withhold Thy manna from their mouth, and didst
give them water for their thirst. Yea, forty years didst Thou sustain them in
the wilderness, and they lacked nothing; their clothes did not wax old, nor did
their feet swell.

Moreover, Thou didst give them kingdoms and peoples, which Thou didst allot; so
they possessed the land of Sihon, King of Heshbon, and the land of Og, King of
Bashan. Their children also didst Thou mul­tiply as the stars of heaven, and
Thou didst bring them into the land concerning which Thou didst say to their
fathers that they should go in to possess it. So the children went in and
possessed the land, and Thou didst subdue before them the inhabitants of the
land, the Canaanites, and didst give them into their hands, with their kings,
and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they would. And
they took fortified cities, and a fat land, and took possession of houses full
of all good things, cisterns hewn out, vine­yards, and olive yards, and fruit
trees in abundance; so they ate and were filled, and became fat and de­lighted
themselves in Thy great goodness.

Nevertheless, they were disobedient, and rebelled against Thee, and cast Thy law
behind their backs, and slew Thy prophets that testified against them to turn
them again unto Thee, and they wrought great provocations. Therefore Thou didst
deliver them into the hand of their adversaries, who distressed them; and in the
time of their trouble, when they cried unto Thee, Thou didst hear from heaven,
and, according to Thy manifold mercies, Thou didst give them saviors who saved
them out of the hand of their adversaries. But after they had rest, they did
evil again before Thee; therefore Thou didst leave them in the hand of their
enemies, so that they had the dominion over them; yet, when they returned, and
cried unto Thee, Thou didst hear from heaven, and many times didst Thou deliver
them according to Thy mercies, and testify against them, that Thou mightest
bring them again unto Thy law. Yet they dealt proudly and hearkened not unto Thy
commandments, but sinned against Thine ordinances—which, if a man do, he shall
live—and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear. Yet
many years didst Thou bear with them, and testify against them by Thy spirit
through Thy prophets, yet they would not give ear; therefore Thou didst give
them into the hand of the peoples of the lands. Nevertheless in Thy manifold
mercies Thou didst not make a full end of them, nor forsake them; for Thou art a
gracious and merciful God.

Now therefore, O our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who
keepest covenant and loving kindness, let not all the travail seem little
be­fore Thee that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our
priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all Thy people, since
the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day. Howbeit Thou art just in all
that is come upon us, for Thou hast dealt truly, but we have done wickedly;
neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept Thy law,
nor hearkened unto Thy commandments and Thy testimonies wherewith Thou didst
testify against them. For they have not served Thee in the time of their kingly
rule, and despite Thy great good­ness which Thou didst show them, and the large
and fat land which Thou gavest them, they have not turned from their wicked
deeds.

Behold, we are servants this day, and as for the land that Thou didst give unto
our fathers, to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are
servants in it; and it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom Thou hast set
over us because of our sins. Also they have power over our bodies, and over our
cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress.[1]

[1] The conclusion of this prayer seems to have been lost. It is natural to
expect at this point a petition for the restoration of Israel.

Confession of Job,after hearing the speech of the Almighty:Job 40:4-5 Behold, I
am of small account; what shall I answer Thee?

I lay my hand upon my mouth.

Once have I spoken, but I will not repeat it;

Yea, twice; but I will do so no more.

Another confession of Job:Job 42:2;Job 42:5-6 I know that Thou canst do all
things, And that no purpose of Thine can be restrained.

I had heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear, But now mine eye hath seen Thee;

Wherefore I retract and repent In dust and ashes.

Jeremiah’s confession,at his call:Jeremiah 1:6 Oh, Lord Jevovah! behold, I know
not how to speak; for I am a child.

Ideal confession of penitent Israel:Jeremiah 3:22-25

Behold, we are come unto Thee, for Thou art Je­hovah our God. Truly the hills,
the noise upon the mountains,[] is deceitful; truly in Jehovah our God is the
salvation of Israel. But the shameful thing [] hath devoured the labor of our
fathers from our youth, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their
daughters. Let us lie down in our shame, and let our confusion cover us; for we
have sinned against Jeho­vah our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even
unto this day, and we have not obeyed the voice of Jehovah our God.

[3] The text is somewhat uncertain, but the reference is apparently to the
worship in the sanctuaries on the high places.

[4] That is, idolatry.

Confession of the heathen that idolatry is vain:Jeremiah 16:19 Our fathers have
inherited nothing but lies, vanities among which there is none that can help.

Praise of Jehovah and confession of national dis­obedience:Jeremiah 32:17-23

Oh, Lord Jehovah! behold, Thou hast made the heavens and the earth by Thy great
power and by Thine outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for Thee. Thou
showest loving kindness unto thou­sands and dost recompense the iniquity of the
fathers into the bosom of their children after them—the great, the mighty God,
Jehovah of hosts is His name; great in counsel, and mighty in work, whose eyes
are open upon all the ways of the sons of men, to give every one according to
his ways and according to the fruit of his doings; who didst set signs and
wonders in the land of Egypt even unto this day, both in Israel and among other
men, and didst make Thee a name, as at this day, and didst bring forth Thy
people out of the land of Egypt with signs, and with wonders, and with a strong
hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terror, and didst give them
this land which Thou didst swear to their fathers to give them, a land flowing
with milk and honey; and they came in, and possessed it, but they obeyed not Thy
voice, neither walked in Thy law. They have done nothing of all that Thou didst
command them to do; therefore Thou hast caused all this evil to come upon them.

Daniel’s prayer after reading Jeremiah’s prophecy of the seventy
years’desolation of Jerusalem:Daniel 9:4-19

Oh, Lord, the great and dreadful God, who keepeth covenant and loving kindness
with them that love Him and keep His commandments, we have sinned, and have
dealt perversely, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even turning aside
from Thy precepts and from Thine ordinances. Neither have we heark­ened unto Thy
servants the prophets, that spake in Thy name to our kings, our princes, and our
fathers, and to all the people of the land.

O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto Thee, but unto us confusion of face, as it
is this day—to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto
all Israel that are near and that are far off, through all the countries whither
Thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed
against Thee. O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our
princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against Thee. To the Lord
our God belong mercies and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him,
neither have we obeyed the voice of Jehovah our God, to walk in His laws, which
He set before us by His servants the prophets.

Yea, all Israel have transgressed Thy law, even turning aside that they should
not obey Thy voice; therefore hath the curse been poured out upon us, and the
oath that is written in the law of Moses, the servant of God; for we have sinned
against Him. And He hath confirmed His words which He spake against us, and
against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil; for under
the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem. As it is
written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us, yet have we not
entreated the favor of Jeho­vah our God, that we should turn from our
iniquities, and have discernment in Thy truth. Therefore hath Jehovah watched
over the evil, and brought it upon us; for Jehovah our God is righteous in all
His works which He doeth, and we have not obeyed His voice. And now, O Lord our
God, that hast brought Thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty
hand, and hast gotten Thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done
wickedly. O Lord, accord­ing to all Thy righteousness, let Thine anger and Thy
wrath, I pray Thee, be turned away from Thy city Jerusalem, Thy holy mountain;
because for our sins and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Thy
people are become a reproach to all that are round about us.

Now therefore, O our God, hearken unto the prayer of Thy servant, and to his
supplications, and cause Thy face to shine upon Thy sanctuary that is desolate,
for the Lord’s sake. O my God, incline Thine ear, and hear; open Thine eyes, and
behold our desola­tions, and the city which is called by Thy name. For we do not
present our supplications before Thee for our righteousness, but for Thy great
mercies’ sake.

O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do. Defer not, for Thine own
sake, O my God, because Thy city and Thy people are called by Thy name.

Ideal confession of penitent Israel:Hosea 14:2-3

Take away (our) iniquity altogether, and let us receive good [] (at Thy hands);
so will we render Thee the fruit of our lips.

[1] The text here is somewhat uncertain.

Assyria shall not save us, we will not ride upon horses,[] neither will we say
any more to the work of our hands, “Ye are our gods”; for in Thee the
father­less findeth mercy.

[2] That is, we will make no league with Egypt (any more than with Assyria).
They forswear foreign help and idolatry.


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 20: 19.         VOWS
========================================================================

Vows Jacob’s vow at Bethel:Genesis 28:20-22

If God will be with me, and will keep me in the way that I go, and will give me
bread to eat and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father’s house in
peace, and Jehovah will be my God, then this stone, which I have set up for a
pillar, shall be God’s house; and of all that Thou shalt give me I will surely
give the tenth unto Thee.

Israel’s vow on approaching Canaan:Numbers 21:2 If Thou wilt indeed deliver this
people into my hand, then I will devote their cities to utter destruction.

Jephthah’s vow,before his assault upon the Ammonites:Judges 11:30-31

If Thou wilt indeed deliver the children of Ammon into my hand, then it shall be
that, whatsoever cometh forth from the doors of my house to meet me, when I
return in peace from the children of Ammon, it shall be Jeho­vah’s, and I will
offer it up for a burnt-offering.

Hannah’s vow as she prayed for a child:1 Samuel 1:11

O Jehovah of hosts, if Thou wilt indeed look upon the affliction of Thine
handmaid, and remember me, and not forget Thine handmaid, but wilt give unto
Thine handmaid a man-child, then I will give him unto Jehovah all the days of
his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.

Absalom’s vow in Geshur:2 Samuel 15:8 If Jehovah shall indeed bring me again to
Jerusalem, then I will serve Jehovah.


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 21: 20.         COMPLAINTS
========================================================================

Complaints Moses’complaint, when a still harder service is imposed upon Israel
by Pharaoh:Exodus 5:22-23

Lord, wherefore hast Thou dealt ill with this people? Why is it that Thou hast
sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Thy name, he hath dealt ill
with this people: neither hast Thou delivered Thy people at all.

Moses complaint,when the people,weary of the manna,long for flesh:Numbers
11:11-15

Wherefore hast Thou dealt ill with Thy servant? and wherefore have I not found
favor in Thy sight, that Thou layest the burden of all this people upon me? Have
I conceived all this people, have I brought them forth, that Thou shouldest say
unto me, “Carry them in thy bosom as a nursing-father carrieth the sucking
child,” unto the land which Thou sparest unto their fathers? Whence should I
have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, “Give us
flesh, that we may eat.” I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it
is too heavy for me. And if Thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray Thee, out of
hand, if I have found favor in Thy sight, and let me not see my wretchedness.

Prayer of Moses and Aaron at the rebellion of Korah:Numbers 16:22[1]

O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt Thou be
wroth with all the congre­gation?

[1] This passage, though its documentary source is late, may not inappropriately
be placed here.

Joshua’s prayer after the defeat of Israel at Ai:Joshua 7:7-9

Alas, O Lord Jehovah, wherefore hast Thou at all brought this people over the
Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to cause us to perish?
Would that we had been content and stayed beyond the Jordan! Oh, Lord, what
shall I say, after that Israel hath turned their backs before their enemies? For
the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it, and will
compass us round, and cut off our name from the earth; and what wilt Thou do for
Thy great name?

Samson,at Ramath-lehi, after the slaughter of the Philistines:Judges 15:18

Thou hast given this great deliverance by the hand of Thy servant; and now shall
I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?

Elijah’s prayer, after the death of the widow’s son:1 Kings 17:20 O Jehovah, my
God, hast Thou also brought evil upon the widow, whose guest I am, by slaying
her son?

Job’s lament over the injustice of his lot:Job 10:2-21 Do not condemn me.

Show me why Thou contendest with me. Is it good unto Thee that Thou shouldest
oppress, That Thou shouldest despise the work of Thy hands?

Hast Thou eyes of flesh? Or seest Thou as man seeth? Are Thy days as the days of
man? Or Thy years as man’s days? For Thou inquirest after mine iniquity, And
searchest after my sin, Though Thou knowest that I am not guilty, And that there
is no falseness in my hand.

Thy hands have framed me and fashioned me, And now wilt Thou turn and destroy
me?

Remember, I beseech Thee, that Thou hast fashioned me as clay, And wilt Thou
bring me into dust again?

Hast Thou not poured me out as milk, And curdled me like cheese?

Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, And knit me together with bones and
sinews.

Thou hast granted me life and loving kindness, And Thy visitation hath preserved
my spirit.

Yet this is what Thou didst hide in Thy heart, Now I know that this was Thy
purpose.[1] If I sinned, then Thou wouldest mark me, And wouldest not acquit me
of mine iniquity.

If I were wicked, woe unto me; And were I righteous, yet must I not lift up mine
head.

I am filled with shame, and drunk with sorrow. And if my head be lifted up, Thou
dost hunt me as a lion. And again Thou shewest Thyself marvelous against me.

Thou renewest Thy witnesses against me. And dost increase Thine indignation upon
me. An ever-changing host (of foes) is with me.

Why then didst Thou bring me forth out of the womb?

I should have given up the ghost, and no eye had seen me.

I should have been as though I had not been.

I should have been carried from the womb to the grave. Are not the days of my
life few?

Leave me alone, that I may brighten a little, Before I go whence I shall not
return, Even to the land of darkness and of the deep shadow.

[1] That is, to torment and destroy him.

Job’s lament over the pathos of his fate:Job 13:24toJob 14:6 Why dost Thou hide
Thy face, And hold me for Thine enemy?

Wilt Thou harass a driven leaf? And wilt Thou pursue the dry stubble? For Thou
writest bitter things against me, And makest me to inherit the iniquities of my
youth.

Thou puttest my feet in the stocks, And markest all my paths.

Thou drawest a line around the soles of my feet.

Man that is born of a woman, Is of few days, and full of trouble.

He cometh forth like a flower, and withereth.

He fleeth also as a shadow, and abideth not. And dost Thou open Thine eyes upon
such a one, And bringest me into judgment with Thee? Who can bring a clean thing
out of an unclean? not one.

Seeing his days are determined, And the number of his months is with Thee, Look
away from him that he may have peace, That he may enjoy, as a hireling, his day.

Jeremiah’s lament:Jeremiah 15:15-18

O Jehovah, Thou knowest. Remember me and visit me, and avenge me of my
persecutors. Take me not away in Thy long-suffering, know that for Thy sake I
have suffered reproach.

Thy words were found, and I did eat them, and Thy words were unto me a joy and
the rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by Thy name, O Jehovah, God of hosts.

I sat not in the assembly of them that make merry, nor did I rejoice. I sat
alone because of Thy hand upon me, for Thou hast filled me with (Thine own)
indignation.

Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound incur­able, refusing to be healed? Hast
Thou indeed become unto me as a deceitful brook, and as waters that fail?

Jeremiah’s lament,as he thinks of his ill success:Jeremiah 20:7

O Jehovah, Thou hast beguiled me, and I was be­guiled. Thou art stronger than I,
and hast prevailed. I am become a laughingstock all the day; every one mocketh
me.

Prayer from the siege of Jerusalem:Lamentations 2:20-21 See, O Jehovah, and
behold To whom Thou hast done thus. Shall the women eat their fruit, The
children that they fondled? Shall priest and prophet be slain In the sanctuary
of the Lord? On the ground in the streets there lie Youths and old men. My
virgins and my young men Are fallen by the sword.

Thou hast slain them in the day of Thine anger, Thou hast slaughtered without
pity.

Prayer of sorrowful Jerusalem:Lamentations 3:42-47 We have transgressed and
rebelled, Thou hast not pardoned.

Thou hast wrapped Thyself in anger, and pursued us, Thou hast slain without
pity.

Thou hast wrapped Thyself in a cloud, So that prayer passed not through.

Thou hast made us an offscouring and refuse In the midst of the peoples.

All our enemies have opened Their mouth wide against us.

Fear and the pit are come upon us, Devastation and destruction.

Another lament:Habakkuk 1:12-13

Art Thou not from everlasting, O Jehovah my God, my Holy One? O Thou that art of
purer eyes than to behold evil, and that canst not look upon iniquity, wherefore
dost Thou look (silently) on, while traitors deal treacherously, and holdest Thy
peace, when the wicked swalloweth up the man that is more righteous than he?

Habakkuk’s lament:Habakkuk 1:2

O Jehovah, how long shall I cry, and Thou wilt not hear?—cry unto Thee of wrong,
and Thou wilt not save? and why dost Thou cause me to look upon wrong?


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  CHAPTER 22: 21.     THE PRAYERS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
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The Prayers Of The New Testament


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 23: 22.         THE PRAYERS OF JESUS
========================================================================

The Prayers of Jesus The Lord’s Prayer.

(a)Matthew 6:9-13 : Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy
kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth.

Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have
forgiven our debtors. And bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from
evil.[1]

[1]In the original, this is probably to be regarded personally— the evil one.
But to a modern and western ear, the familiar trans­lation better represents the
essential idea, and may even be correct: it finds considerable support inRomans
12:9,“abhorringthat which is evil” where the word is unambiguously neuter.
(Cf.John 17:15).

(b)Luke 11:2-4 : Father, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come.

Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we ourselves
also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And bring us not into
tempta­tion.

Thanksgiving.

Matthew 11:25-26; Luke 10:21. I praise Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
that Thou didst hide these things from the wise and understanding, and didst
reveal them unto babes; yea, Father, for so it was well-pleasing in Thy sight.

Prayer in Gethsemane.

(а)Matthew 26:39. My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass away from me:
nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt.

(b)Matthew 26:42. My Father, if this cannot pass away, except I drink it, Thy
will be done.

(c)Mark 14:36. Abba, Father, all things are possible unto Thee; take away this
cup from me. Nevertheless not what I will, but what Thou wilt.

(d)Luke 22:42. Father, if Thou be willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless
not my will, but Thine be done.

Another prayer upon the Cross:Matthew 27:46;Mark 15:34 My God, my God, why hast
Thou forsaken me?

Prayer upon the Cross:Luke 23:34 Father, forgive them; for they know hot what
they do. The last prayer upon the Cross:Luke 23:46 Father, into Thy hands I
commend my spirit. At the grave of Lazarus:John 11:41-42

Father, I thank Thee that Thou heardest me. And I know that Thou hearest me
always; but because of the multitude that standeth around, I said it, that they
may believe that Thou hast sent me.

Now is my soul trouble:John 12:27 Father, save me from this hour. [1] But for
this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify Thy name.

[1]Or this clause may be read interrogatively; “Shall I say, ‘ Father save me
from this hour ’?” In that case, this is a prayer which Jesus refuses to pray.

Intercessory Prayer: John 17

Father, the hour is come; glorify Thy Son, that the Son may glorify Thee; even
as Thou gavest Him authority over all flesh, that, to as many as Thou hast given
Him, He should give eternal life. I glori­fied Thee on the earth, having
accomplished the work which Thou hast given me to do; and now, Father, glorify
Thou me with Thine own self with the glory which I had with Thee before the
world was.

I manifested Thy name unto the men whom Thou gavest me out of the world. Thine
they were, and Thou gavest them to me; and they have kept Thy word. Now they
know that all things whatsoever Thou hast given me are from Thee; for the words
which Thou gavest me I have given unto them, and they received them, and knew of
a truth that I came forth from Thee, and they believed that Thou didst send me.
I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for those whom Thou hast given
me, for they are Thine; and all things that are mine are Thine, and Thine are
mine, and I am glorified in them. And I am no more in the world, and these are
in the world, and I come to Thee. Holy Father, keep them in Thy name which Thou
hast given me, that they may be one, even as we.

While I was with them, I kept them in Thy name which Thou hast given me; and I
guarded them, and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, that the
scripture might be fulfilled. But now I come to Thee; and these things I speak
in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given
them Thy word; and the world hated them, because they are not of the world, even
as I am not of the world. I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of the
world, but that Thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the
world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is
truth. As Thou didst send me into the world, even so send I them into the world.
And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they them­selves also may be
sanctified in truth.

Neither for these only do I pray, but for them also that believe on me through
their word; that they all may be one—even as Thou, Father, art in me, and I in
Thee, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that Thou didst
send me. And the glory which Thou hast given me I have given unto them, that
they may be one, even as we are one; I in them and Thou in me—that they may be
perfected into one: that the world may know that Thou didst send me, and didst
love them as even Thou didst love me.

Father, I desire that they also, whom Thou hast given me, be with me where I am,
that they may behold my glory which Thou hast given me; for Thou didst love me
before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world knew Thee not,
but I knew Thee, and these knew that Thou didst send me, and I made known unto
them Thy name, and will make it known, that the love wherewith Thou didst love
me may be in them, and I in them.


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  CHAPTER 24: 23.     THE OTHER PRAYERS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
========================================================================

The Other Prayers of the New Testament


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 25: 24.         PETITION
========================================================================

Petition The publican’s prayer:Luke 18:13 God, be Thou merciful to me, the
sinner.

Prayer of the dying thief:Luke 23:42 Jesus, remember me, when Thou comest in [1]
Thy kingdom.

[1] Orinto.

Prayer for a successor to Judas:Acts 1:24-25

Thou, Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men, show which of these two Thou hast
chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas fell
away, that he might go to his own place.

Prayer of the friends of Peter and John,after the latter,on their release,had
told all that the chief priests and elders had said to them:Acts 4:24-30

O Master, Thou that didst make the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all
that in them is, Thou who, by the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of our father David
Thy servant, didst say, Why did the Gentiles rage, And the peoples imagine vain
things? The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers were gathered
together Against the Lord, and against his Anointed:— for of a truth in this
city against Thy holy servant Jesus whom Thou didst anoint, both Herod and
Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, were gathered
together, to do whatsoever Thy hand and Thy counsel foreordained to come to
pass. And now, Lord, look upon their threatenings, and grant unto Thy servants
to speak Thy word with all boldness, while Thou stretchest forth Thy hand to
heal; and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Thy holy
servant Jesus.

Stephen’s dying prayer:Acts 7:59 Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

Stephen’s last words::Acts 7:60 Lord, lay not this sin to their charge Paul’s
prayer for the Ephesian Church:Ephesians 3:15-19

O Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named! Grant,
according to the riches of Thy glory, that they may be strengthened with power
through Thy spirit in the inward man: that Christ may dwell in their hearts
through faith—to the end that, being rooted and grounded in love, they may be
strong to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and
height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that
they may be filled unto all the fullness of God.

Prayer of the martyred souls from underneath the altar:Revelation 6:10 How long,
O Master, the holy and true, dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them
that dwell on the earth?

Prayer for the coming of Jesus:Revelation 22:20 Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.


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  CHAPTER 26: 25.         THANKSGIVING
========================================================================

Thanksgiving Prayer of the aged Simeon,after taking the infant Jesus in his
arms:Luke 2:29-32 Now lettest Thou Thy servant depart, Master, According to Thy
word, in peace: For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, Which Thou hast prepared
before the face of all peoples— A light for revelation to the Gentiles, And the
glory of Thy people Israel. The Pharisee’s prayer:Luke 18:11-12

God, I thank Thee that I am not as the rest of men, extortioners, unjust,
adulterers, or even as this publi­can. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes
of all that I get.


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 27: 26.         PRAISE
========================================================================

Praise Praise of the heavenly host:Luke 2:14 Glory to God in the highest, And on
earth peace among men in whom He is well pleased.

Praise of the four living creatures:Revelation 4:8 Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord
God, the Almighty, who was and is and is to come.

Praise of the four and twenty elders:Revelation 4:11

Worthy art Thou, our Lord and our God, to receive the glory and the honor and
the power; for Thou didst create all things, and because of Thy will they were,
and were created. The voice of many angels round about the throne:Revelation
5:12

Worthy is the Lamb that hath been slain to receive the power, and riches, and
wisdom, and might, and honor, and glory, and blessing. The praise of all
creation:Revelation 5:13

Unto Him that sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb, be the blessing, and the
honor, and the glory, and the dominion, for ever and ever. The voice of an
innumerable multitude:Revelation 7:10 Salvation unto our God who sitteth on the
throne, and unto the Lamb.

Praise of the angels round about the throne:Revelation 7:12

Amen. Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power,
and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. The sound of great voices in
heaven:Revelation 11:15 The kingdom of the world is become the kingdom of our
Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever.

Praise of the four and twenty elders:Revelation 11:17-18

We give Thee thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who art and who wast; because
Thou hast taken Thy great power, and didst reign. And the nations were wroth,
and Thy wrath came, and the time of the dead to be judged, and the time to give
their reward to Thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and to them that
fear Thy name, the small and the great; and to destroy them that destroy the
earth. The song of Moses and the Lamb:Revelation 15:3-4

Great and marvelous are Thy works; O Lord God, the Almighty. Righteous and true
are Thy ways, Thou King of the ages. Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and
glorify Thy name? for Thou only art holy; for all the nations shall come and
worship before Thee, for Thy righteous acts have been made manifest. The voice
of the angel of the waters:Revelation 16:5-6

Righteous art Thou, who art and who wast, Thou Holy One, because Thou didst thus
judge: for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and blood hast Thou
given them to drink: they deserve it.

Voice of the altar:Revelation 16:7 Yea, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and
righteous are Thy judgments.

Voice of the four and twenty elders and of the four living creatures,when the
blood of the martyrs has been avenged:Revelation 19:4 Amen. Hallelujah.

Voice of a great multitude:Revelation 19:6 Hallelujah; for the Lord God, the
Almighty, reigneth.


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  CHAPTER 28: 27.         BENEDICTIONS AND DOXOLOGIES
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Benedictions and Doxologies Romans 15:33. The God of peace be with you all.

Romans 16:20; 1 Corinthians 16:23; 1 Thessalonians 5:28; 2 Thessalonians 3:18.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you (all).

Romans 16:25-27. Now to Him that is able to establish you ac­cording to my
gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the
mystery which hath been kept in silence through times eternal, but now is
manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the com­mandment
of the eternal God, is made known unto all the nations unto obedience of faith,
to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory for ever. Amen.

1 Corinthians 1:3; 2 Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 1:2; Php 1:2; 2 Thessalonians
1:2; Philemon 1:3. Grace be to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 13:14. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.

Galatians 1:3-5. Grace to you and peace from God the Father, and our Lord Jesus
Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us out of the
present evil world, according to the will of our God and Father; to whom be the
glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Galatians 6:18; Philemon 1:25. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your
spirit.

Ephesians 3:20-21. Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above
all that we ask or think, ac­cording to the power that worketh in us, unto Him
be the glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus unto all generations for ever and
ever. Amen.

Colossians 1:2. Grace be to you and peace from God our Father.

1 Thessalonians 1:1. Grace be to you and peace.

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17. Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God our Father
who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort
your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

2 Thessalonians 3:5. The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into
the patience of Christ.

2 Thessalonians 3:16. The Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times in
all ways. The Lord be with you all.

1 Timothy 1:2; 2 Timothy 1:2. Grace, mercy, peace, from God the Father and
Christ Jesus our Lord.

1 Timothy 1:17. Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be
honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

1 Timothy 6:21; Titus 3:15; Hebrews 13:25. Grace be with you (all).

2 Timothy 4:22. The Lord be with thy spirit.

Titus 1:4. Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

Hebrews 13:20-21. Now the God of peace, who brought again from the dead the
great Shepherd of the sheep with the blood of an eternal covenant, even our Lord
Jesus, make you perfect in every good thing to do His will, working in you that
which is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be the glory
for ever and ever. Amen.

1 Peter 5:14. Peace be unto you all that are in Christ.

1 Peter 1:2. Grace to you and peace be multiplied.

2 Peter 1:2. Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of God and of
Jesus our Lord.

Jude 1:2. Mercy unto you and peace and love be multi­plied.

Jude 1:24-25. Now unto Him that is able to keep you from stumbling, and to set
you before the presence of His glory without blemish in exceeding joy, to the
only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion,
and power, before all time, and now, and for ever­more. Amen.

Revelation 1:4-6. Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is
to come, and from the seven spirits that are before His throne, and from Jesus
Christ, who is the faithful witness, the first­born of the dead, and the ruler
of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loveth us, and loosed us from our sins
by His blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests unto His God and Father; to
Him be the glory and the dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Revelation 22:21. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with the saints.


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  CHAPTER 29: 28. PART 4: BIBLICAL PRAYERS FOR MODERN USE
========================================================================

Part 4: Biblical Prayers For Modern Use


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 30: 29.     PETITION
========================================================================

Petition Exodus 33:13. I pray Thee, if I have found favor in Thy sight, show me
now Thy ways, that I may know Thee.

Exodus 33:15. If Thy presence go not with us, carry us not up hence.

Exodus 33:18. I pray Thee, show me Thy glory.

Exodus 34:9. O Lord, pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for Thine
inheritance.

Numbers 27:16-17. Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man
over the congregation, who may go out before them and who may come in before
them, that the congregation of the Lord be not as sheep which have no shepherd.

Judges 13:8. O Lord, I pray Thee, teach us what we shall do unto the child that
shall be born.

Judges 16:28. O Lord God, remember me, I pray Thee, and strengthen me, I pray
Thee.

Nehemiah 1:11. O Lord, I beseech Thee, let now Thine ear be attentive to the
prayer of Thy servant, who de­lights to fear Thy name; and prosper, I pray Thee,
Thy servant this day, and grant him mercy.

Nehemiah 6:9. Strengthen Thou my hands.

Nehemiah 13:31. Remember me, O my God, for good.

Nehemiah 13:29. Remember me, O my God, and spare me ac­cording to the greatness
of Thy loving kindness.

1 Kings 8:7-9. O Lord my God, I am but a little child. I know not how to go out
or come in. And Thy servant is in the midst of this people which Thou hast
chosen. Give therefore Thy servant an under­standing heart to judge Thy people,
that I may discern between good and evil.

1 Kings 8:27-30. Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee;
how much less this house! Yet have Thou respect unto the prayer of Thy servant,
and to his supplication, to hearken unto the cry and the prayer which Thy
servant prayeth before Thee this day, that Thine eyes may be open to this house
night and day, even toward the place of which Thou hast said, “My name shall be
there.” Hearken Thou to the supplica­tion of Thy servant and of Thy people; yea,
hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling-place and, when Thou hearest, forgive.

1 Kings 8:30. Hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling-place; and when Thou hearest,
forgive.

1 Kings 8:33-34. When the people are smitten down before the enemy, because they
have sinned against Thee; if they turn again to Thee and confess Thy name and
pray and make supplication unto Thee, then hear Thou in heaven, and forgive the
sin of Thy people and bring them again unto the land which Thou gavest to their
fathers.

1 Kings 8:35-36. When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because the
people have sinned against Thee; if they pray, and confess Thy name, and turn
from their sin, when Thou dost afflict them; then hear Thou in heaven, and
forgive the sin of Thy ser­vants, when Thou teachest them the good way wherein
they should walk, and send rain upon the land which Thou hast given to the
people for an inheritance.

2 Chronicles 14:11. O Lord, there is none besides Thee to help, be­tween the
mighty and him that hath no strength. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on
Thee. O Lord, Thou art our God; let not man prevail against Thee.

2 Chronicles 20:6; 2 Chronicles 20:12. O Lord God of our fathers, art not Thou
God in heaven? and art not Thou ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? and
in Thy hand is power and might, so that none is able to with­stand Thee. We have
no might, neither know we what to do; but our eyes are upon Thee.

2 Chronicles 30:18-19. May the good Lord pardon every one that setteth his heart
to seek the Lord God of his fathers.

Psalms 5:1-3; Psalms 5:7-8. Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my
meditation. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King and my God; for unto Thee
do I pray. My voice shalt Thou hear in the morning, O Lord, in the morning will
I direct my prayer unto Thee, and keep watch. As for me, I will come into Thy
house in the multitude of Thy mercy; in Thy fear will I worship toward Thy holy
temple. Lead me, O Lord, in Thy righteousness: make Thy way straight before my
face.

Psalms 6:1-4. O Lord, rebuke me not in Thine anger, neither chasten me in Thy
hot displeasure. Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am withered away. O Lord,
heal me, for my bones are troubled. My soul also is sore vexed: but Thou, O
Lord, how long? Return, O Lord, deliver my soul. O save me for Thy mercies’
sake.

Psalms 12:1. Help, Lord, for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from
among the children of men.

Psalms 13:2-3; Psalms 13:5. How long shall I have trouble in my soul, and sorrow
in my heart all the day? Consider and hear me, O Lord my God; lighten mine eyes,
lest I sleep the sleep of death. I have trusted in Thy mercy, my heart shall
rejoice in Thy salvation.

Psalms 17:1; Psalms 17:3; Psalms 17:6-8. Hear the right, O Lord, attend unto my
cry; give ear unto my prayer that goeth not out of feigned lips. Thou hast
proved my heart, Thou hast visited me in the night; Thou hast tried me, and
findest no evil purpose in me. Incline Thine ear unto me, and hear my speech.
Show Thy marvelous loving kindness, O Thou that savest by Thy right hand them
that put their trust in Thee. Keep me as the apple of the eye; hide me under the
shadow of Thy wings.

Psalms 22:3-5; Psalms 22:11; Psalms 22:19. Thou art holy, O Thou that inhabitest
the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in Thee: they trusted and Thou didst
deliver them. They cried unto Thee, and were delivered: they trusted in Thee,
and were not put to shame. Be not far from me; for trouble is near, and there is
none to help. Be not Thou far off, O Lord; O my strength, haste Thee to help me.

Psalms 25:1-2;Psalms 25:4-7;Psalms 25:11;Psalms 25:16-18;Psalms 25:20. Unto
Thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. O my God, in Thee have I trusted, let me not
be put to shame. Show me Thy ways, O Lord, teach me Thy paths. Guide me in Thy
truth, and teach me, for Thou art the God of my salva­tion; for Thee do I wait
all the day. Remem­ber, O Lord, Thy tender mercies and Thy loving­ kindnesses,
for they have been ever of old. Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my
transgressions; according to Thy loving kindness remember Thou me, for Thy
goodness’ sake, O Lord. For Thy name’s sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity, for
it is great. Turn Thee unto me, and have mercy upon me, for I am desolate and
afflicted. O bring me out of my distresses. Look upon mine affliction and my
travail, and forgive all my sins. O keep my soul and deliver me, let me not be
put to shame, for in Thee do I take refuge.

Psalms 26:2-3; Psalms 26:6; Psalms 26:8-9; Psalms 26:11. Examine me, O Lord, and
prove me; try my heart and my mind. For Thy loving kindness is before mine eyes,
and I have walked in Thy truth. I will wash my hands in innocency; so will I
compass Thine altar, O Lord. Lord, I love the habitation of Thy house, and the
place where Thy glory dwelleth. Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life
with men of blood. As for me, I will walk in mine integrity. Redeem me and be
merciful unto me.

Psalms 27:7-9; Psalms 27:11. Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice; have mercy
also upon me, and answer me. When Thou saidst, “Seek ye my face,” my heart made
answer, “Thy face, Lord, will I seek.” Hide not Thy face from me, put not Thy
servant away in anger. Thou hast been my help. Leave me not, nor forsake me, O
God of my salvation. Teach me Thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path.

Psalms 28:1-3. Unto Thee will I cry, O Lord, my rock. Be not silent unto me;
lest, if Thou be silent unto me, I become like them that go down into the pit.
Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto Thee, when I lift up my
hands towards Thy holy oracle. Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the
workers of iniquity, that speak peace with their neighbors, but mischief is in
their hearts.

Psalms 31:1-4. In Thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be put to shame:
deliver me in Thy right­eousness. Bow down Thine ear unto me, deliver me
speedily. Be Thou my strong rock, a house of defense to save me. For Thou art my
rock and my fortress, therefore for Thy name’s sake lead me and guide me. Pull
me out of the net that they have laid privily for me, for Thou art my
stronghold.

Psalms 31:9-10; Psalms 31:12-17. Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in
trouble; mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my body. My life is
spent with grief and my years with sighing, my strength faileth. I am forgotten
as a dead man out of mind, I am like a broken vessel. For I hear the backbiting
of many, cause for terror is on every side. But I have trusted in Thee, O Lord:
I have said, “Thou art my God.” My times are in Thy hand. Make Thy face to shine
upon Thy servant; save me for Thy mercies’ sake. Let me not be put to shame, O
Lord, for I have called upon Thee.

Psalms 33:22. Let Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in Thee.

Psalms 38:1; Psalms 38:6; Psalms 38:9; Psalms 38:11; Psalms 38:15; Psalms
38:17-18; Psalms 38:21-22. O Lord, rebuke me not in Thy wrath, neither chasten
me in Thy hot displeasure. I am bent, I am bowed down greatly, I go mourning all
the day long. Lord, all my desire is before Thee, and my groaning is not hid
from Thee. My heart throbbeth, my strength faileth me; as for the light of mine
eyes, it also is gone from me. My lovers and my friends stand aloof, and my
kinsmen stand afar off. In Thee, O Lord, do I hope; Thou wilt answer, O Lord my
God. I am ready to fall, and my sorrow is continually before me. I have to
confess my guilt, I am sorry because of my sin. Forsake me not, O Lord; O my
God, be not far from me. Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation.

Psalms 39:4-5; Psalms 39:7-8; Psalms 39:10; Psalms 39:12-13. Lord, make me to
know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; let me know how frail I
am. Behold, Thou hast made my days as an handbreadth, and my lifetime is as
nothing before Thee. And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in Thee. Deliver
me from all my transgressions. Remove Thy stroke away from me, I am consumed by
the blow of Thine hand. Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear unto my cry. Hold
not Thy peace at my tears; for I am a stranger with Thee and a sojourner, as all
my fathers were. Oh, spare me that I may smile again, before I go hence, and be
no more.

Psalms 40:13; Psalms 40:17; Psalms 70:1; Psalms 70:5. Be graciously pleased, O
God, to deliver me; make haste to help me, O Lord. I am poor and needy, make
haste unto me, O God. Thou art my help and my deliverer. O Lord, make no
tarrying.

Psalms 54:1-3. Save me, O God, by Thy name, and judge me by Thy strength. Hear
my prayer, O God, give ear to the words of my mouth. For strangers are risen up
against me, and violent men have sought after my soul.

Psalms 55:1-2; Psalms 55:4-5; Psalms 55:16-17; Psalms 55:19. Give ear to my
prayer, O God, and hide not Thyself from my supplication. Attend unto me and
hear me; I am restless in my com­plaint and moan. My heart is sore pained within
me, and the terrors of death are fallen upon me. Fearfulness and trembling are
come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me. As for me, I will call upon God,
and the Lord will save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon will I com­plain
and moan; and He will hear my voice. God will hear, even He that abideth of old.

Psalms 56:1-3. Be merciful unto me, O God; for man would swallow me up, all the
day long he fighting oppresseth me. Mine enemies would swallow me up all the day
long, for they be many that fight proudly against me. What time I am afraid, I
will trust in Thee.

Psalms 57:1. Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me. For my soul
trusteth in Thee. Yea, in the shadow of Thy wings I take refuge, until these
calamities be overpast.

Psalms 59:1-3. Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God; de­fend me from them that
rise up against me. Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from
blood-thirsty men. For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul: the mighty are
gathered against me—not for my transgression, nor for my sin, O Lord.

Psalms 60:11;Psalms 108:12. Give us help against the adversary, for vain is the
help of man.

Psalms 61:1-4. Hear my cry, O God, attend unto my prayer. From the end of the
earth will I cry unto Thee, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock
that is higher than I. For Thou hast been a shelter to me, and a strong tower
from the enemy. I will abide in Thy tabernacle for ever, I will take refuge in
the covert of Thy wings.

Psalms 64:1-2. Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint: pre­serve my life from
fear of the enemy. Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked, from the
tumult of the workers of iniquity.

Psalms 67:1-2. God be merciful unto us, and bless us, and cause His face to
shine upon us: that Thy way may be known upon earth, Thy saving health among all
nations.

Psalms 69:1-3; Psalms 69:5; Psalms 69:14; Psalms 69:16-18. Save me, O my God,
for the waters are come in unto my soul. I sink in deep mire, where there is no
standing; I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. I am weary
with my crying, my throat is dried; mine eyes fail while I wait for my God. O
God, Thou knowest my foolishness, and my sins are not hid from Thee. Deliver me
out of the mire, and let me not sink, let me be delivered out of the deep
waters. Answer me, O Lord, for Thy loving kindness is good; turn unto me
according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies. And hide not Thy face from Thy
servant, for I am in trouble; hear me speedily. Draw nigh unto my soul, and
redeem it.

Psalms 71:1-3; Psalms 71:5; Psalms 71:9; Psalms 71:12; Psalms 71:14; Psalms
71:17-18. In Thee, O Lord, do I put my trust, let me never be put to shame.
Deliver me in Thy righteousness, and rescue me; bow down Thine ear unto me and
save me. Be Thou to me a strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort.
Thou art my rock and my fortress. Thou art my hope, O Lord God; Thou art my
trust from my youth. Cast me not off in the time of old age, forsake me not when
my strength faileth. O God, be not far from me; O my God, make haste for my
help. I will hope continually and will praise Thee yet more and more. O God,
Thou hast taught me from my youth. Yea, even when I am old and gray-headed, O
God, forsake me not.

Psalms 79:8-9; Psalms 79:11. Remember not against us the iniquities of our
forefathers; let Thy tender mercies meet us speed­ily, for we are brought very
low. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Thy name, and deliver us,
and forgive our sins, for Thy name’s sake. Let the sighing of the prisoner come
be­fore Thee; according to the greatness of Thy power, preserve Thou those that
are appointed to death.

Psalms 80:7. Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause Thy face to shine, and we
shall be saved.

Psalms 85:4-7. Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause Thine anger towards us
to cease. Wilt Thou be angry with us for ever? Wilt Thou not revive us again,
that Thy people may rejoice in Thee? Show us Thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us Thy
salvation.

Psalms 86:15-16. Thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion and gracious, slow
to anger, and abundant in mercy and truth. O turn unto me, and have mercy upon
me. Give Thy strength unto Thy servant, and save the son of Thine handmaid.

Psalms 86:1-7. Bow down Thine ear, O Lord, and answer me; for I am poor and
needy. Preserve my soul; O Thou my God, save Thy servant that trusteth in Thee.
Be merciful unto me, O Lord, for unto Thee do I cry all the day long. Rejoice
the soul of Thy servant, for unto Thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. For Thou,
Lord, art good and ready to forgive, and plenteous in mercy unto all them that
call upon Thee. Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer, and attend to the voice of my
supplications. In the day of my trouble I will call upon Thee, for Thou wilt
answer me.

Psalms 88:1-3; Psalms 88:6; Psalms 88:8-9; Psalms 88:13. O Lord, God of my
salvation, I have cried day and night before Thee. Let my prayer enter into Thy
presence, incline Thine ear unto my cry. For my soul is full of troubles, and my
life draweth nigh to the grave. I am become as a man that hath no strength. Thou
hast laid me in the lowest pit, in dark places, in the deeps. Thou hast put mine
acquaintance far from me. I have called daily upon Thee, I have spread forth my
hands unto Thee. Unto Thee, O Lord, do I cry, and in the morning my prayer comes
before Thee.

Psalms 90:14-17. O satisfy us early with Thy mercy, that we may rejoice and be
glad all our days. Make us glad ac­cording to the days wherein Thou hast
afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil. Let Thy work appear unto
Thy servants, and Thy glory upon their children. And let the beauty of the Lord
our God be upon us; and establish Thou the work of our hands, yea, the work of
our hands establish Thou it.

Psalms 102:1-2; Psalms 102:11-13; Psalms 102:24-27. Hear my prayer, O Lord, and
let my cry come unto Thee. Hide not Thy face from me in the day when I am in
trouble. Incline thine ear unto me; in the day when I call answer me speedily.
My days are like a shadow that declineth, and I am withered like grass. But
Thou, O Lord, dost abide for ever, and Thy memorial name unto all generations.
Thou wilt arise and have mercy upon Zion; for it is time to have pity upon her,
yea, the set time is come. O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days;
Thy years are throughout all generations. Of old hast Thou laid the foundations
of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Thy hands. They shall perish, but
Thou shalt endure; yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture
shalt Thou change them, and they shall be changed. But Thou art the same, and
Thy years shall have no end.

Psalms 106:4-5. Remember me, O Lord, with the favor that Thou bearest unto Thy
people. O visit me with Thy salvation, that I may see the good of Thy chosen,
that I may rejoice in the gladness of Thy nation, that I may glory with Thine
inheritance.

Psalms 109:21-23; Psalms 109:26. Deal Thou with me, O Lord, for Thy name’s sake;
because Thy loving kindness is good, de­liver Thou me. For I am poor and needy,
and my heart is wounded within me. I am gone, like the shadow, when it
declineth. Help me, O Lord my God. O save me according to Thy loving kindness.

Psalms 123:1-3. Unto Thee do I lift up mine eyes, O Thou that dwellest in the
heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters,
and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look unto
the Lord our God, until that He have mercy upon us. O Lord, have mercy upon us.

Psalms 130:1-4. Out of the depths have I cried unto Thee, O Lord. Lord, hear my
voice; let Thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. If Thou,
Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is
forgiveness with Thee, that Thou mayest be feared.

Psalms 131:1-2. Lord, my heart is not naughty nor mine eyes lofty, neither do I
exercise myself in great matters, or in things too wonderful for me. Surely I
have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with his mother, like a
weaned child is my soul within me.

Psalms 139:23-24. Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my
thoughts. And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way
everlasting.

Psalms 141:1-4; Psalms 141:8. Lord, I have called upon Thee, make haste unto me;
give ear unto my voice, when I call unto Thee. Let my prayer be set forth as
in­cense before Thee, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. Incline not my
heart to any evil thing, to practice deeds of wickedness with them that work
ini­quity. Mine eyes are unto Thee, O God the Lord. In Thee do I take refuge,
leave not my soul destitute.

Psalms 142:5-7. Thou art my refuge, my portion in the land of the living. Attend
unto my cry, for I am brought very low. Deliver me from my perse­cutors, for
they are stronger than I. Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise Thy
name.

Psalms 143:1-2; Psalms 143:4-11. Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my
supplications; in Thy faithfulness answer me and in Thy righteousness. And enter
not into judgment with Thy servant, for in Thy sight no man living is righteous.
My spirit is overwhelmed within me, my heart within me is desolate. I remember
the days of old, I meditate on all Thy doings, I muse on the work of Thy hands.
I spread forth my hands unto Thee, my soul thirsteth after Thee. Cause me to
hear Thy loving-kindness in the morning, for in Thee do I trust. Cause me to
know the way wherein I should walk, for I lift up my soul to Thee. I flee unto
Thee to hide me. Teach me to do Thy will, for Thou art my God. Let Thy good
spirit lead me in an even path. Quicken me, O God, for Thy name’s sake. In Thy
righteousness, O bring my soul out of trouble.

Isaiah 33:2. O Lord, be gracious unto us; we have waited for Thee. Be Thou our
arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.

Isaiah 63:15-16; Isaiah 64:8-9. Look down from heaven, and behold from Thy holy
and glorious habitation. Restrain not Thy pity; for Thou art our Father. Thou, O
Lord, art our Father; our Redeemer is Thy name from of old. Thou, O Lord, art
our Father. We are the clay, and Thou our potter, and we all are the work of Thy
hand. Be not wroth very sore, O Lord, neither remember iniquity for ever.

Jeremiah 10:23-24. O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is
not in man that walketh to direct his steps. O Lord, correct me, but in measure;
not in Thine anger, lest Thou bring me to nothing.

Jeremiah 14:9. Thou, O Lord, art in the midst of us, and we are called by Thy
name. Leave us not.

Jeremiah 17:14; Jeremiah 17:17. Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me,
and I shall be saved; for Thou art my praise. Thou art my refuge in the day of
evil.

Lamentations 5:19-21. Thou, O Lord, abidest for ever, Thy throne is from
generation to generation. Turn us unto Thee, O Lord, and we shall be turned.
Renew our days as of old.

Habakkuk 3:2. O Lord, revive Thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of
the years make Thyself known: in wrath remember mercy.

Matthew 6:9-13. Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom
come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily
bread; and forgive us our debts, as we for­give our debtors. And lead us not
into tempta­tion, but deliver us from evil.

Matthew 26:39. My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass away from me;
nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt.

Matthew 26:42. My Father, if this cup cannot pass away ex­cept I drink it, Thy
will be done.

Mark 14:36. Abba, Father, all things are possible unto Thee; take away this cup
from me. Nevertheless not what I will, but what Thou wilt.

Luke 22:42. Father, if Thou be willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless
not my will, but Thine be done.

Luke 23:46. Father, into Thy hands I commend my Spirit.

Acts 4:29. O Lord, grant unto Thy servants to speak Thy word with all boldness.

Acts 7:59. Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 31: 30.     INTERCESSION
========================================================================

Intercession

Deuteronomy 26:15. Look down from Thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless
Thy people and the land which Thou hast given us.

1 Kings 8:46-50. If the people sin against Thee—for there is no man that sinneth
not—and Thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they
carry them away captive unto the land of the enemy, far or near; yet, if they
shall bethink themselves in the land whither they are carried captive, and turn
again, and make supplication unto Thee in the land of them that carried them
captive, and say, “We have sinned, we have done perversely and wickedly”; if
they return to Thee with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of
their enemies who carried them captive, and pray unto Thee, then hear Thou their
prayer and their suppli­cation in heaven Thy dwelling-place, and forgive the
people who have sinned against Thee, and all their transgressions wherein they
have trans­gressed against Thee, and give them compassion before those who
carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them.

2 Chronicles 30:18-19. May the good Lord pardon every one that setteth his heart
to seek the Lord God of his fathers.

Psalms 28:9. Save Thy people, and bless Thine inheri­tance. Shepherd them also,
and bear them up for ever.

Psalms 51:18. Do good in Thy good pleasure unto Zion.

Luke 23:34. Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

Acts 7:60. Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.

John 17:16-17. I pray, not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world, but
that Thou shouldest keep them from the evil. Sanctify them in the truth; Thy
word is truth.

Ephesians 3:15-19. O Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is
named! Grant, according to the riches of Thy glory, that they may be
strength­ened with might through Thy spirit in the inward man: that Christ may
dwell in their hearts by faith—to the end that, being rooted and grounded in
love, they may be strong to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth
and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ, which passeth
knowledge, that they may be filled unto all the fullness of God.


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 32: 31.     THANKSGIVING
========================================================================

Thanksgiving

Genesis 19:19. Behold, now, Thy servant hath found favor in Thy sight, and Thou
hast magnified Thy loving kindness which Thou hast showed unto me in saving my
life.

2 Samuel 7:18; 2 Samuel 7:22; 2 Samuel 7:25-26. Who am I, O Lord, and what is my
house, that Thou hast brought me thus far? Thou art great, O Lord; there is none
like Thee, neither is there any God besides Thee, according to all that we have
heard with our ears. And now, O Lord, the word that Thou hast spoken concerning
Thy servant and concerning his house, confirm Thou it for ever, and do as Thou
hast spoken; and let Thy name be magnified for ever.

Job 33:27-28. I have sinned and perverted that which was right, and He hath not
requited it unto me. He hath redeemed my soul from going into the pit, and my
life shall behold the light.

Psalms 3:3-5. Thou, O Lord, art a shield about me; my glory, and the lifter up
of my head. I cry unto the Lord with my voice, and He answers me out of His holy
hill. I laid me down, and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustaineth me.

Psalms 4:1; Psalms 4:6-8. Thou hast set me at large when I was in distress. Many
there be that say, “Who will show us any good?” Lord, lift Thou up the light of
Thy countenance upon us. Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than is theirs
when their com and wine are increased. In peace will I both lay me down and
sleep; for Thou, Lord, makest me to dwell alone in safety.

Psalms 9:1-2; Psalms 9:4. I will praise Thee, O Lord, with my whole heart: I
will show forth all Thy marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in Thee, I
will sing praise to Thy name, O Thou Most High. For Thou hast maintained my
right and my cause: Thou art seated on the throne Judging righteously.

Psalms 16:2; Psalms 16:5-11. The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of
my cup—my lot continually. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea,
I have a goodly heritage. I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel; yea,
my heart instructeth me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before
me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. There­fore my heart is
glad. For Thou wilt not leave my soul to the grave. Thou wilt show me the path
of life, in Thy presence is fullness of joy. In Thy right hand there are
pleasures for evermore.

Psalms 23:4-5. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will
fear no evil, for Thou art with me: Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me. Thou
preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Thou hast anointed
my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Psalms 30:2-3; Psalms 30:8; Psalms 30:10-12. O Lord my God, I cried unto Thee,
and Thou hast healed me. O Lord, Thou hast brought up my soul from the grave,
Thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. I cried unto
Thee, O Lord, and unto the Lord I made supplication: “Hear, O Lord, and have
mercy upon me. Lord, be Thou my helper.” Thou hast turned for me my mourning
into dancing, Thou hast girded me with gladness; to the end that I may sing
praise to Thee and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto Thee
for ever.

Psalms 31:5; Psalms 31:7-8. Into thy hand I commend my spirit; Thou hast
redeemed me, O Lord God of truth. I will be glad and rejoice in Thy loving
kindness; for Thou hast seen my affliction, Thou hast known my soul in
adversities. Thou hast set my feet in a large place.

Psalms 31:19-22. Oh, how great is Thy goodness which Thou hast laid up for them
that fear Thee, which Thou hast wrought for them that take refuge in Thee before
the sons of men. In the covert of Thy presence Thou wilt hide them. Thou wilt
keep them secretly. Blessed be the Lord, for He hath showed me His marvelous
loving kindness. Thou didst hear the voice of my supplications when I cried unto
Thee.

Psalms 40:5. Many, O Lord my God, are Thy wonderful works which Thou hast done,
and Thy thoughts which are to us-ward. There is none to be compared to Thee.
Were I to declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

Psalms 56:11-13. In God have I put my trust, I will not be afraid. What can man
do unto me? Thy vows are upon me, O God; I will render thank- offerings unto
Thee. For Thou hast delivered my soul from death, and my feet from falling, that
I may walk before God in the light of the living.

Psalms 59:16-17. I will sing of Thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of Thy loving
kindness in the morning. For Thou hast been my high tower, and a refuge in the
day of my distress. Unto Thee, O my strength, will I sing praises; for God is my
high tower, the God of my mercy.

Psalms 63:1; Psalms 63:3-8. O God, Thou art my God; I will seek Thee earnestly.
My soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longeth for Thee, in a dry and weary land
where no water is. Because Thy loving kindness is better than life, my lips
shall praise Thee. So will I bless Thee while I live, I will lift up my hands in
Thy name. My soul shall be satisfied and my mouth shall praise Thee with joyful
lips, when I remember Thee upon my bed, and meditate on Thee in the night
watches. For Thou hast been my help, and in the shadow of Thy wings will I
rejoice. My soul followeth hard after Thee: Thy right hand upholdeth me.

Psalms 65:11-13. Thou visitest the earth and waterest it, Thou greatly enrichest
it. Thou providest them corn, when Thou hast so prepared it, Thou waterest its
furrows abundantly, Thou dost settle the ridges thereof, Thou makest it soft
with showers, Thou blessest the springing thereof. Thou crownest the year with
thy goodness.

Psalms 66:10-14. Thou, O God, hast proved us; Thou hast tried us as silver is
tried. Thou didst bring us into the net, Thou didst lay a sore burden upon us.
Thou didst cause men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through
water; but Thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place; I will go into Thy house
and pay Thee my vows, which my lips have uttered and my mouth spake, when I was
in trouble.

Psalms 73:23-26. I am continually with Thee, Thou hast holden my right hand.
Thou wilt guide me with Thy counsel and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have
I in heaven but Thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee. My
flesh and my heart faileth, but God is my portion for ever.

Psalms 86:10-13. Thou art great, and doest wonders, Thou art God alone. Teach me
Thy way, O Lord; I will walk in Thy truth: unite my heart to fear Thy name. I
will praise Thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Thy name
for evermore. For great is Thy mercy toward me, and Thou hast delivered my soul
from the lowest depths.

Isaiah 12:1-2. O Lord, I will give thanks unto Thee; for, though Thou wast angry
with me, Thine anger is turned away, and Thou didst comfort me. Behold, God is
my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid. For Jehovah is my strength and
song, and He is become my salvation.

Isaiah 25:1; Isaiah 25:4. O Lord, Thou art my God, I will exalt Thee, I will
praise Thy name; for Thou hast done wonderful things which were truly and surely
purposed of old. Thou hast been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the
needy in distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat.

Isaiah 38:17. Thou hast preserved my soul from the pit of destruction; Thou hast
cast all my sins behind Thy back.

Lamentations 3:55-58. I called upon Thy name, O Lord, out of the lowest dungeon.
Thou didst hear my voice. Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon Thee;
Thou saidst, “Fear not.” Thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul. Thou hast
redeemed my life.

Jonah 2:1; Jonah 2:5-7. Out of my affliction, I called to the Lord and He
answered me. The waters compassed me about even to the soul, the deep was round
about me. Yet hast Thou brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God. When my
soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came in unto Thee.

Luke 2:29-32. Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to
Thy word; for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before
the face of all peoples—a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy
people Israel.


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 33: 32.     CONFESSION
========================================================================

Confession

Genesis 32:10. I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the
faithfulness, which Thou hast showed unto Thy servant.

2 Samuel 24:10. I have sinned greatly in that which I have done. But now, I
beseech Thee, O Lord, take away the iniquity of Thy servant; for I have done
very foolishly.

Ezra 9:6-7; Ezra 9:10; Ezra 9:13; Ezra 9:15. O my God, I am ashamed and blush to
lift up my face to Thee, my God; for our iniquities are increased over our head,
and our guiltiness is grown up unto the heavens. Since the days of our fathers,
we have been exceeding guilty unto this day, and for our iniquities have we been
delivered to confusion of face. And now, O our God, what shall we say after
this? for we have forsaken Thy commandments. And after all that is come upon us
for our evil deeds, and for our great guilt, seeing that Thou, our God, hast
punished us less than our iniquities deserve, shall we again break Thy
commandments? Wouldest not Thou be angry with us till Thou hadst consumed us?
Behold, we are before Thee in our guiltiness, for none can stand before Thee
because of this.

Nehemiah 1:5-7. I beseech Thee, O Lord, God of heaven, the great and terrible
God, that keepeth covenant and loving kindness with them that love Him, and keep
His commandments; let Thine ear now be attentive and Thine eyes open, that Thou
mayest hearken unto the prayer of Thy servant, which I offer before Thee at this
time for Thy servants, while I confess the sins which we have committed against
Thee. We have dealt very corruptly against Thee, and have not kept the
commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances which Thou didst command.

Psalms 32:5. I acknowledged my sin unto Thee, and mine iniquity did I not hide.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord”; and Thou forgavest the
iniquity of my sin.

Psalms 51:1-4;Psalms 51:7-12;Psalms 51:15. Have mercy upon me, O God, according
to Thy loving kindness; according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies blot
out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from
my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
Against Thee have I sinned, and done that which is evil in Thy sight. Wash me,
and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness, that the
bones which Thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide Thy face from my sins, and blot
out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right
spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy presence, and take not Thy holy
spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation. O Lord, open Thou my
lips; and my mouth shall show forth Thy praise.

Psalms 65:2-4. O Thou that hearest prayer, unto Thee shall all flesh come.
Iniquities prevail against me; as for our transgressions, Thou wilt purge them
away. Blessed is the man whom Thou choosest and causest to approach unto Thee.

Isaiah 64:6-7. We are all become as one that is unclean, and all our
righteousnesses are as a polluted garment, and we all do fade as a leaf, and our
iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away, and there is none that calleth
upon Thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of Thee.

Jeremiah 14:7. Our backslidings are many; we have sinned against Thee.

Jeremiah 14:19-20. We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of
healing; and behold! dismay. We acknowledge, O Lord, our wickedness, and the
iniquity of our fathers; for we have sinned against Thee.

Daniel 9:4-10; Daniel 9:15-19. O Lord, the great and dreadful God, who keepeth
covenant and loving kindness with them that love Him and keep His commandments,
we have sinned and have dealt perversely and have done wickedly, and have
rebelled, even turning aside from Thy precepts and from Thine ordinances. O
Lord, righteousness belongeth unto Thee, but unto us confusion of face. To the
Lord our God belong mercies and forgive­ness, for we have rebelled against Him,
neither have we obeyed His voice, to walk in His laws. Therefore hath the curse
been poured out upon us, for we have sinned against Him. The Lord our God is
righteous in all His works which He doeth, and we have not obeyed His voice. And
now, O Lord our God, we have sinned we have done wickedly. O Lord, according to
all Thy righteousness, let Thine anger, I pray Thee, be turned away. Hearken, O
our God, unto the prayer of Thy. servant, and to his suppli­cations, and cause
Thy face to shine upon us. For we do not present our supplications before Thee
for our righteousness, but for Thy great mercies’ sake. O Lord, hear; O Lord,
forgive O Lord, hearken and do.

Luke 15:18-19. Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in Thy sight: I am no
more worthy to be called Thy son.


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  CHAPTER 34: 33.     PRAISE
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Praise

Nehemiah 9:6. Thou art Lord, even Thou alone. Thou hast made heaven the heaven
of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are there­on,
the seas, and all that is therein, and Thou preservest them all; and the host of
heaven worshippeth Thee.

1 Chronicles 29:10-13; 1 Chronicles 29:15. Blessed be Thou, O Lord God, for ever
and ever. Thine, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the
victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and the earth is Thine.
Thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and Thou art exalted as head above all. Both
riches and honor come from Thee, and Thou reignest over all; and in Thy hand is
power and might and in Thy hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto
all. Now therefore, O our God, we thank Thee and praise Thy glorious name. We
are strangers before Thee and sojourners, as all our fathers were; our days on
the earth are as a shadow, and there is no abiding.

Psalms 36:5-10. Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens, and Thy faithfulness
reacheth unto the clouds. Thy righteousness is like the mountains of God, Thy
judgments are a great deep. O Lord, Thou preservest man and beast. How excellent
is Thy loving kindness, O God, and the children of men put their trust under the
shadow of Thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fat­ness of Thy
house, and Thou shalt make them drink of the river of Thy pleasures. For with
Thee is the fountain of life, in Thy light shall we see light. O continue Thy
loving kindness unto them that know Thee, and Thy righteousness to the upright
in heart.

Jeremiah 32:17-19. Ah, Lord God! behold, Thou hast made the heavens and the
earth by Thy great power and by Thine outstretched arm, and there is nothing too
hard for Thee. Thou shewest loving kindness unto thousands—the great, the mighty
God, the Lord of hosts is His name, great in counsel and mighty in work.

Daniel 2:20; Daniel 2:22. Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever, for
wisdom and might are His. He giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them
that have understanding. He revealeth the deep and secret things; He knoweth
what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with Him.

Revelation 4:11. Worthy art Thou, our Lord and our God, to receive the glory and
the honor and the power; for Thou didst create all things, and because of Thy
will they were and were created.

Revelation 7:12. Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanks­giving, and honor,
and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever.

Revelation 15:3-4. Great and marvelous are Thy works, Lord God Almighty. Just
and true are Thy ways, Thou everlasting King. Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord,
and glorify Thy name? for Thou only art holy.


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  CHAPTER 35: 34.     BENEDICTIONS AND DOXOLOGIES
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Benedictions and Doxologies

Numbers 6:24-26. The Lord bless thee and keep thee, the Lord make His face shine
upon thee, and be gracious unto thee, the Lord lift up His countenance upon
thee, and give thee peace.

2 Corinthians 13:14. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.

Ephesians 3:20-21. Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above
all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be
the glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus, throughout all ages, world without
end. Amen.

1 Timothy 1:17. Now unto the King, eternal, immortal, in­visible, the only God,
be honor and glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

Hebrews 13:20-21. Now the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord
Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of an everlasting
covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you
that which is well-pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory
for ever and ever. Amen.

Jude 1:24-25. Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling and to present
you faultless before the presence of His glory, with exceeding joy, to the only
God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever.
Amen.


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  CHAPTER 36: 35.     SENTENCES INTRODUCTORY TO PUBLIC WORSHIP
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Sentences Introductory to Public Worship Deuteronomy 33:27. The eternal God is
our refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.

Psalms 5:7. As for me, in the abundance of Thy loving kindness will I come into
Thy house: in Thy fear will I worship toward Thy holy temple.

Psalms 15:1-2. Lord, who shall abide in Thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in Thy
holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh
truth in his heart.

Psalms 19:14. Let the words of our mouth and the meditations of our heart be
acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer.

Psalms 24:3-5. Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? and who shall stand
in His holy place? He that hath clean hands and a pure heart; who hath not
lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive a
blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

Psalms 33:18; Psalms 33:20. Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear
Him, upon them that hope in His mercy. Our soul waiteth for the Lord: He is our
help and our shield.

Psalms 34:3. Oh magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.

Psalms 34:8. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man that
trusteth in Him.

Psalms 34:15; Psalms 34:18. The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and
His ears are open unto their cry. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a
broken heart, and saveth such as are of a contrite spirit.

Psalms 36:5-6. Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens, and Thy faith­fulness
reacheth unto the skies. Thy righteousness is like the mountains of God, Thy
judgments are a great deep. O Lord, Thou preservest man and beast.

Psalms 36:7-9. How excellent is Thy loving kindness, O God. Therefore the
children of men take refuge under the shadow of Thy wings. Thou wilt make them
to drink of the river of Thy pleasures. For with Thee is the fountain of life:
in Thy light shall we see light.

Psalms 37:3; Psalms 37:7. Trust in the Lord, and do good; rest in the Lord, and
wait patiently for Him.

Psalms 42:1. As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth our soul
after Thee, O God.

Psalms 43:3. Oh, send out Thy light and Thy truth. Let them lead us, let them
bring us unto Thy holy hill.

Psalms 46:1-2. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be moved, and though the mountains
be shaken into the heart of the seas.

Psalms 51:15-17. O Lord, open Thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Thy
praise. For Thou delightest not in sacrifice, else would I give it Thee: Thou
hast no pleasure in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a
broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.

Psalms 63:1; Psalms 63:3. O God, Thou art my God, early will I seek Thee: my
soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longeth for Thee. Because Thy loving kindness
is better than life, my lips shall praise Thee.

Psalms 65:1-2. Praise waiteth for Thee, O God, in Zion, and unto Thee shall the
vow be performed. O Thou that hearest prayer, unto Thee shall all flesh come.

Psalms 65:4. Blessed is the man whom Thou choosest, and causest to approach unto
Thee, that he may dwell in Thy courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness
of Thy house, even of Thy holy temple.

Psalms 84:1-2; Psalms 84:4. How amiable are Thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My
soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my
flesh cry out unto the living God. Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house,
they will praise Thee evermore.

Psalms 86:1;Psalms 86:4. Bow down Thine ear, O Lord, and answer us; for we are
poor and needy. Rejoice the soul of Thy ser­vants; for unto Thee, O Lord, do we
lift up our soul.

Psalms 89:16. Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk,
O Lord, in the light of Thy counte­nance. In Thy name shall they rejoice all the
day.

Psalms 92:1; Psalms 92:3. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and
to sing praises unto Thy name, O most High: to show forth Thy loving kindness in
the morning, and Thy faithfulness every night.

Psalms 95:6-7. Oh come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the
Lord our maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the
sheep of His hand.

Psalms 96:4; Psalms 96:6. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised. Honor
and majesty are before Him: strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.

Psalms 100:2; Psalms 100:4-5. Serve the Lord with gladness, come before His
pres­ence with singing. Enter into his gates with thanks­giving, and into His
courts with praise: give thanks unto Him and bless His name. For the Lord is
good, His loving kindness endureth for ever, and His faith­fulness unto all
generations.

Psalms 113:1; Psalms 113:3. O ye servants of the Lord, praise the name of the
Lord. From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord’s name
is to be praised.

Psalms 118:24. This is the day which the Lord hath made: we will rejoice and be
glad in it.

Psalms 121:1-2. I will lift up mine eyes to the hills: from whence cometh my
help? My help cometh from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Psalms 122:1-2. I was glad when they said unto me, “Let us go unto the house of
the Lord.” Our feet are standing within Thy gates, O Jerusalem.

Psalms 125:1-2. They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot
be moved, but abideth for ever. As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so
the Lord is round about His people from this time forth and for evermore.

Psalms 130:6-7. My soul waiteth for the Lord, more than they that watch for the
morning. Hope ye in the Lord; for with the Lord there is mercy and plenteous
redemp­tion.

Psalms 134:1. Behold, bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord, that stand
by night in the courts of the Lord.

Psalms 135:1-3. Praise ye the name of the Lord: praise Him, O ye servants of the
Lord. Ye that stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our
God. Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good: sing praises unto His name, for it
is pleasant.

Psalms 143:8. Cause us to hear Thy loving kindness in the morning, for in Thee
do we trust. Cause us to know the way wherein we should walk, for we lift up our
soul unto Thee.

Psalms 145:3; Psalms 145:5. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and
His greatness is unsearchable. We will meditate on the glorious honor of Thy
majesty, and of Thy wondrous works.

Psalms 145:15-16; Psalms 145:18. The eyes of all wait upon Thee. Thou openest
Thine hand and satisfiest the desire of every living thing. The Lord is nigh
unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth.

Isaiah 55:6; Isaiah 55:9. Seek ye the Lord, while He may be found; call ye upon
Him while He is near; for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my
ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts, saith the Lord.

Jeremiah 10:6-7. There is none like unto Thee, O Lord. Thou art great and Thy
name is great in might. Who should not fear Thee, O King of the nations?Micah
6:6; Micah 6:8. Wherewithal shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before
the high God? What doth the Lord require but to do justly and to love mercy, and
to walk humbly with thy God?

Matthew 7:7-8. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock,
and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth, and he
that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Matthew 18:20. Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I
in the midst of them.

John 4:23-24. The hour cometh, and now is, when the true wor­shippers shall
worship the Father in spirit and truth: for such doth the Father seek to be His
worshippers. God is spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit
and in truth.

James 4:8. Draw nigh unto God, and He will draw nigh unto you. Cleanse your
hands and purify your hearts.

Hebrews 10:22. Let us draw near with a true heart in fullness of faith, having
our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience.

Hebrews 4:16. Let us draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace, that we
may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 12:22-24. Ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living
God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant.

Malachi 1:11; Malachi 1:14. From the rising of the sun even unto the going down
of the same, My name is great among the nations: for I am a great King, saith
the Lord of hosts.

1 John 5:14. This is the boldness which we have toward Him, that, if we ask
anything according to His will, He heareth us.

Revelation 19:5. Give praise to our God, all ye his servants, ye that fear Him,
the small and the great.


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Source: https://sermonindex.net/books/mcfadyen-john-edgar-the-prayers-of-the-bible/
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