Starving Prayer
Effective prayer requires time, effort, and a willingness to truly seek God, rather than taking salvation too lightly.
Alexander Whyte emphasizes the importance of dedicating sufficient time to prayer, cautioning against rushing through prayers and highlighting the need for depth and sincerity in our communication with God. He warns against being overly spiritual in prayer, urging believers to understand that true prayer requires effort, sacrifice, and a willingness to invest time and energy. Whyte stresses that genuine prayer is not meant to be easy or convenient, but rather a challenging and transformative experience that demands our full commitment and devotion.
Text
"We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you"
(Col. 1:3).
I am as certain as I am standing here, that the secret of much mischief to our own souls, and to the souls of others, lies in the way that we stint, and starve, and scamp our prayers, by hurrying over them. Prayer worth calling prayer: prayer that God will call true prayer and will treat as true prayer, takes far more time, by the clock, than one man in a thousand thinks. After all that the Holy Ghost has done to make true prayer independent of times, and of places, and of all kinds of instruments and assistances,--as long as we remain in this unspiritual and undevotional world, we shall not succeed, to be called success, in prayer, without time, and times, and places, and other assistances in prayer. Take good care that you are not spiritual overmuch in the matter of prayer. Take good care lest you take your salvation far too softly, and far too cheaply. If you find your life of prayer to be always so short, and so easy, and so spiritual, as to be without cost and strain and sweat to you, you may depend upon it, you are not yet begun to pray. As sure as you sit there, and I stand here, it is just in this matter of time in prayer that so many of us are making shipwreck of our own souls, and of the souls of others.
Sermon Outline
- The Secret of Mischief in Prayer
- Stinting and Starving Prayer
- Prayer Takes Time
- Spiritual Worldliness in Prayer
Key Quotes
“Prayer worth calling prayer: prayer that God will call true prayer and will treat as true prayer, takes far more time, by the clock, than one man in a thousand thinks.” — Alexander Whyte
“If you find your life of prayer to be always so short, and so easy, and so spiritual, as to be without cost and strain and sweat to you, you may depend upon it, you are not yet begun to pray.” — Alexander Whyte
Application Points
- Make time for prayer and don't rush through it.
- Be aware of spiritual worldliness in your prayer life and take your salvation seriously.
- Seek to truly pray and not just go through the motions.