Perservering Prayer
Andrew Murray emphasizes the importance of persistent and diligent prayer, trusting in God's timing and goodness.
Andrew Murray emphasizes the necessity of persevering in prayer, whether for oneself or for others, highlighting that true spiritual labor requires our full commitment and effort. He draws a parallel between the diligence needed in physical labor and the spiritual work of prayer, urging believers to sow seeds in the heavenly realm with confidence that they will reap in due time if they do not lose heart. Murray encourages persistent prayer for the Church, likening it to the plight of the widow who seeks justice, reminding us that God hears the cries of His elect who pray day and night. He reassures that prayer is effective and that we must trust in God's timing as we continue to seek His intervention. Ultimately, he calls for unwavering faith in the power of prayer to bring about God's will and restoration.
Text
Let it be thus whether you pray for yourself or for others. All labor, bodily or mental, needs time and effort: we must give up ourselves up to it. Nature discovers her secrets and yields her treasures only to diligent and thoughtful labor. However little we can understand it, in the spiritual farming it is the same: the seed we sow in the soil of heaven, the efforts we put forth, and the influence we seek to exert in the world above, need our whole being: we must give ourselves to prayer. But let us hold firm the great confidence that in due season we will reap if we don't give up.
And let us especially learn the lesson as we pray for the Christ's Church.
She is, indeed, like the poor widow, in the absence of her Lord, apparently at the mercy of her adversary, helpless to obtain restitution. Let us, when we pray for His Church or any portion of it, under the power of the world, asking Him to visit her with the mighty workings of His Spirit and to prepare her for His coming-- let us pray in the assured faith: prayer does help, praying always and not stopping will bring the answer. Only give God time. And then keep crying out day and night. "And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge His own elect, which cry day and night unto Him, though He bear long with them?" (Luke 18:6-7).
Sermon Outline
- The Importance of Diligent Prayer
- Prayer requires effort and time
- Nature yields its secrets to diligent labor
- Spiritual farming requires our whole being
Key Quotes
“But let us hold firm the great confidence that in due season we will reap if we don't give up.” — Andrew Murray
“And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge His own elect, which cry day and night unto Him, though He bear long with them?” — Andrew Murray
Application Points
- We must give ourselves fully to prayer, trusting in God's goodness and timing.
- Persistent prayer is essential for the Church to withstand the influence of the world and prepare for Christ's coming.
- Faith is crucial in prayer, giving us the confidence that our prayers will be answered in due season.