PRAISE AND PRAYER
PRAISE AND PRAYER
Part One of Sixteen
PRAY your prayers! Don’t say them! Indeed, it
may be that, apart from divine inspiration, the most potent and eloquent
pleadings are those inarticulate groanings which are wrung from our hearts
in our infirmity and ignorance. We are not aware what we should be
praying for, because we do not know the details of God’s operations. Yet
He Who is searching the hearts is aware of the disposition of the
spirit He has given us, which pleads for us in accord with God. And we are
aware that our underlying wish for welfare will be gloriously
fulfilled, no matter what may be our lot, for God is causing all to
cooperate to that end. Long before we were aware of anything, the
minutest details, as well as the great outlines of our career, were
determined, and our most fervent wishes were granted, in the love of God
(Rom.8:26-39).
In the
language of inspiration, the idea of prayer is essentially concerned with HAVING.
To this is added the thought of good, WELL-HAVE,
that is, a wish. If this is directed toward anyone, especially the
Deity, then it is TOWARD-WELL-HAVING, prayer.
According
to the Authorized Version, we ought to know what to pray for. The
word ought stands for the word dei it-IS-BINDING,
hence cannot be rendered we ought, but it. It does not refer
to us, but what. We are not aware what must be, so
that we can pray accordingly. If it referred to us, then the word hemas
US would have to follow, as in Acts 27:26 it-IS-BINDING
US to fall on a certain island. This passage also shows that the
word means must not “ought.” Ought belongs to the word OWE,
as in John 13:14, “you also ought to be washing one another’s
feet.”
The Revised
Version changed to “we know not how to pray as we ought”
(American Revision). Very few will dispute this assertion, but it is not a
correct rendering of this passage. This word is WHAT,
not HOW. They correctly render HOW
in the thirty-second verse: “how shall he not also with him
freely give us all things?” But here it is not the manner or the mode
of doing a thing, but the identity of the thing itself. Notwithstanding
their scholarship, the Revisers made the matter worse, not better. In both
cases they distorted the words to mean what they thought they ought to
mean in this context. But they lacked a spiritual conception of God’s
place in prayer. They saw only the human side of what man wants, rather
than the divine, of what God, the Disposer, plans.
The
difference between the A. V. as we ought and the C.V. to accord
with what must be [WHICH is-BINDING]
is almost infinite. One confines us to ourselves and our soulish
and selfish interests. The other occupies our spirits with God and His
great plan and purpose. Our prayer should always be in tune with His
universal symphony. It is impossible for us to know the infinite details
of His grand designs. These are as fixed and immutable as His holy Word.
Not a “jot or tittle,” not one iota or serif, not the smallest letter
or even a part of a letter of His revelation can be changed by our
prayers, neither can the minutest part of His plan for us be altered by
our petitions. In one case we look within at our failing selves, in the
other we look above, at the infinite perfection of God. Our attitude and
outlook are revolutionized.
Let us
beware, in our prayer, that we do not set ourselves above the Supreme. Let
us not inform Him Who knows all, or reform Him Who has made all. He is not
an idol of putty, so that we may remould Him to conform to ourselves.
Those who know Him do not wish to change Him. They are satisfied and
delighted to have Him as He is. Neither do they wish to change His purpose
or His plan. His will, to them, is the only good. They wish to change
themselves, not Him. They would have Him inform them, through His Word.
They want Him to conform them to His will.
In these
days, in which there is much public prayer, there is a grave temptation to
pray to please the public. Indeed, some prayers can hardly be
distinguished from preaching, and their fervor is largely for human
appreciation. A calm, quiet petition may bring a rebuke from those who are
accustomed to the gushing of human emotions, and may seem insufficient to
reach the heavens. No doubt such a prayer can be just as genuine as any
other, but fervid, forceful, eloquent prayers should have a peroration,
petitioning for grace that it may not redound to the fame of the
petitioner. It is like the man who was charged with inordinate pride. He
prayed all night to be rid of it with such success that he told the first
man he encountered that he had engaged all night in prayer, hence was now
assured that he was the humblest man on earth. Such proud humility is the
most dangerous.
So long as
we are in the flesh we may never know just what we should ask for, in
prayer, but it is our privilege to know what God has revealed as to the
place of prayer in our fellowship with Him, especially in this secret
administration, which differs so radically from all that have gone before
it. The saints are confused on this theme, as on most others, because they
do not discriminate intelligently between God’s various operations, not
realizing that our intercourse with Him today is on a vastly bigger plane
than it could have been under the law, or when connected with the
heralding of the kingdom. Human contact with God at that time was based
largely on the flesh, and on physical nearness through the chosen
nation, while ours is sourced in spirit, which gives us a
tremendous advantage in dealing with the Deity, but operates in a
different sphere.
Some of the
saints have an inkling of God’s great plans and do not pray that
everyone must be saved immediately, although that desire may be in the
heart of us all. Others have gone further and do not insist on great
blessing for the world until the return of Christ. A few do not seek to do
away with all evil, for they see its place in God’s plans. They do not
plead with God to remove all trials and sources of temptation from the
earth, for they know that today is not the time for Him to do this. They
do not embitter their lives by futile supplications contrary to His
revealed will.
But even
the most enlightened of those who have the gift of teaching are forced to
face multitudes of minor details which must be referred to God because of
their own ignorance of the infinite intricacies of their daily lives.
Israel had a complete code of laws and wise elders to conduct the affairs
of the kingdom. Nevertheless God arranged for the chief priest to settle
matters by “urim and thummim,” or lights and perfections. Two stones
were put in a pouch, as when the land was allotted. A leading question was
formulated, to be answered by yes or no. Jehovah gave His answer by the
stone which was unwittingly withdrawn. This enabled Israel to do according
to His will. We need only to place our petitions and problems before Him.
In His care we are free from care.
In order to
be most helpful, we will seek to cover this subject in all its phases, not
only as it applies to us today, but show how and why it differs in the
past and in the future. Only so can we clarify the cloud which has
concealed our own position, and establish the saints as to the place of
prayer in the present. This will also clear up problems and questions in
the minds of many as to how to pray, and what to pray for,
and to whom, and what answer to expect, and so avoid
discouraging disappointments. Because many have been sadly deceived by “claiming
the promises” (which were never made to them), false notions as to the
efficacy of prayer have led many into doubt and unbelief. Even when their
faith has not been shipwrecked by seeming failures to receive the expected
answers to their petitions, it has been weakened by the apparent
indifference of God in redeeming his presumed promises.
For some
time I worked, as a printer, on a small paper called “Prayer,” and was
much interested in its contents. So far as I can remember, the main
message was expressed in the phrase “Prayer changes things,” or words
to that effect. Great emphasis was laid on the idea that prayer was the
greatest force in the world, so that nothing could withstand it, if we
only “believed.” I liked the stress put upon “faith,” but
was led to question its quality, when things were made the subject of
insistent prayer concerning which God had not spoken. Indeed, it
was claimed that everything could be accomplished by prayer, even if it
was contrary to what God had said. This, it seemed to me, was faith
in ourselves, not faith in God. He certainly could not change His
purpose and alter His plans in order to “answer” thousands of
conflicting demands from His saints, who did not believe His Word
in regard to His great and glorious goal.
I have been
told of one person who made prayer the great business of life, and went
about Europe giving addresses on the subject. It was not long after the
first world war, and, so great was the speaker’s confidence in the power
of prayer, that the audience was assured that this war would never have
occurred had the saints used this marvelous force, which God had put into
their hands. All that they needed to do was to stamp their feet and defy
the devil to do his worst. Thus they could crush the powers of evil.
Needless to say, the lecturer did not succeed in stopping the second
world. war by this method. Such extreme, unscriptural ideas do great harm
in that they put God in a false light, as though He did not do as He had
promised. On the other hand, if the Scriptures distinctly stated that
there would be no third world war, I would believe it, and pray
accordingly—and there wouldn’t be any! That would be faith. The
other course was credulity. We may be confident that what we wish will
come to pass, but let us not have too much “faith” in ourselves if we
do not desire to be badly disappointed.
Why is it
that so many prayers do not seem to be “answered?” Let us forestall a
more thorough treatment of this question, and answer it briefly ahead of
time. The reason is that no prayer or petition of man can alter or
nullify the will or intention of the Deity. This holds good at all
times. In no eon or administration is the creature able to go counter to
His Creator. God is not feeling His way, or waiting for advice from mortal
men. He is operating all in accord with the counsel of His own will
(Eph.1:11). How unwise it would be for Him to follow the prayers of his
saints, very few of whom have any idea of His purpose, His plan, or its
consummation! The blind should not even attempt to guide Him who made the
organs of sight.
Even the
most enlightened saint is not intelligent enough to insist on the
fulfillment of his own wishes, as expressed in prayer. He should always
subordinate his petitions to the divine will. Our Lord Himself is the most
illustrious example of this spirit. He knew, as no one else, what God’s
will was in regard to His sacrifice. Nevertheless, when He is about to
enter into the depths of distance from His God, He cannot help praying,
“My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass by from Me.” Surely,
no one ever had more reason to pray to be spared than He, especially from
such a bitter and bloody experience. But even in the most crucial moment,
when, for once, His will did not coincide with His Father’s, He
immediately adds, “However, not as I will, but as Thou” (Matt.26:39).
Then, once more, He makes it plain that, notwithstanding the bitter
draught that He was called upon to drain, He was determined to bow to God’s
will. In this lay the vast value of His sacrifice. Sacrifices and
offerings brought God no delight. That was the very motive for His coming,
to offer a Sacrifice according to God’s will (Heb.10:5-7).
Was there
ever anyone more worthy to have His prayers answered? Was there ever
anyone more versed in God’s will? Yet even He came to a crisis when His
will was not in line with God’s. If we go through a similar experience
today, we would say that our prayer had not been answered, meaning by that
that our will had not been carried out. What if God had yielded to His
will? Then there would have been no Sacrifice, no Saviour, no salvation.
God’s whole purpose would have failed. Should we not be thankful that
His prayer was not heeded? And should we not be grateful for every
prayer of ours that is not “answered?” We may be assured that
all that we ask according to His will will meet a response. And we should
be most obliged to Him for every petition which is not fulfilled. We may
be sure that it would not have been for our welfare.
It is
evident from this that we should always modify our petitions by an
expression of submission to God’s will and good pleasure. But we should
also seek to conform our prayers to His intention. When His disciples
asked our Lord if they should call down fire from heaven as Elijah had
done, to consume those who did not receive them, He rebuked them (Luke
9:53-55; 2 Kings 1:10). The times had changed, and God’s method of
dealing had altered correspondingly. That is why we can pray in accord
with men of God in the past in some respects, but not in others.
The grace which accompanied our Lord’s earthly ministry would not allow
His disciples to ask for destruction as Elijah did. How much less will the
transcendent grace of today agree with such a procedure!
Each eon,
every administration, puts mankind into a different relationship with God.
It follows that He must be approached in a special way, and our prayers
should be colored to accord with His operations at the time. The more we,
are in tune with His present work, the more our prayers will conform to
His will, and we will be “answered” according to our wishes. This is
because His spirit, through His Word, has awakened these desires within
us, and they must be in line with His will. In this way God is operating
in us to will, as well as to work, for the sake of His delight
(Phil.2:13).
Instead of
prayer being discarded altogether in this administration of God’s grace,
emphasis is laid upon persevering in it (Rom.12:12; Col.4:2),
praying on every occasion (Eph.6: 18), and, indeed, praying without
intermission (1 Thess.5:17). Where else, in the Scriptures, is such
stress laid upon the continual exercise of communion with God? At other
times men had a special hour of prayer (Acts 3:1). The early
disciples persevered in prayer on certain occasions (Acts 1:14), but it
was never made a vital part of the believer’s experience as it is today.
Indeed, the immature may well question the possibility of praying
unintermittingly. How could we give all our time to that alone? Would not
other important matters be neglected? In practice such difficulties do not
arise. It is quite possible to be always in the attitude of prayer in the
subconscious mind, so that all our other work is done in an atmosphere of
dependence on God.
To be
continually putting our petitions into words is quite the opposite of the
unremittent prayer of the apostle. The scribes of old were prolix in
prayer (Mark 12:40), but it only drew down judgment upon them. Rather it
is the inarticulate pleadings of the spirit, of which we are not always
aware, but which immediately makes its presence known, when occasion
demands it. I have often awakened from sleep with a word of prayer or
praise in my mind, which sometimes forces itself to my lips. Is not this
what is meant by God being “All” in us? If our subconscious mind is
habitually in tune with Him, so that we only need to touch a key to make
it audible, there is a constant connection or communion which is very
close to that for which God is preparing the whole universe. And the
present administration brings us nearer to that blessed ultimate than any
other. May our prayers conform to His grace!
Many a
saint has led a life of disappointment and sorrow because he did not know
that God will answer all his prayers. How sad seems the lot of the poor
and patient widow with a single wayward son, who persists in darkening her
days with secret sin or open offenses! How, patiently she prays that God
will turn him from his wicked ways, and save his “soul”! Then she dies
before her time and even this does not turn him to God and he, he dies and
is buried in a pauper’s grave. It certainly seems that her
heartfelt supplications were in vain. Not so! If she had only known God
better, and had been taught His Word, she would not have agonized and
insisted on his salvation before God’s good time. And she would
have thanked Him in advance and rejoiced in the prospect of his
ultimate reconciliation at the consummation, if not before.
We wish to
point particularly to Philippians as the place to learn the practice of
prayer for the present. Paul opens it with thanksgiving to God for them
(Phil.1:3-11). As we have already expounded the epistle at length
elsewhere, we will stop only to call attention to a passage in it which is
in line with our present theme. Paul is confident, not that the
Philippians will produce good works of themselves, but that GOD
undertakes a good work in them, and that HE will
be performing it until the day of Jesus Christ (Phil.1:6). Does not
this give us the key to correct conduct for today? We should have our eyes
open to His deity, and realize that He is the real motive power in
our lives, and rely on Him, not ourselves, in deportment as
well as in doctrine.
In the
divine revelations previous to Paul the veil before reality is lifted only
occasionally, and we see glimpses of God’s operations in exceptional
cases. But they saw “through a glass darkly,” or by means of a mirror,
in an enigma (1 Cor.3:12), and got only vague impressions of His ways.
And, in fact, this is still so today in many quarters, Even in the highest
theological schools they teach that this is the norm for us today. But in
Paul’s epistles, especially in his latest letters, the enigma is solved,
the light is bright, the concealing curtain is gone. What we saw to be the
case occasionally in Israel’s history, that all is of God, even their
prayers, is at last seen to be the constant and continuous mode of God’s
operations. God is not merely directing all in great crises, but works His
will in the meanest of the saints. And this is not confined to his works,
but his will. Not only the fruit but even the root is of Him. And all is
not only for Him, but out of and through Him.
Let us
never base our ideas of the ultimate cause upon our own conscious
experience, but upon God’s revelation. A beautiful illustration of this
comes to my mind. In my early manhood we spent a vacation in a lovely
valley high up in the San Jacinto mountains. Back of our cabin was a
little canyon down which a tiny stream made its appearance at intervals
only to lose itself in the sand again. We were curious to know whence it
came, so traced it up its bed. We opened seven springs from which it
emerged. But now, as I look back, I realize that these were not its
source. The water came down from heaven when I was not there, and
sank out of sight where I could not see it, and came forth only when I dug
for it. I forgot that it had fallen from above and had found its way in
the heart of the earth to the points where it welled up to slake my thirst
and cool my palate with its refreshing fluid.
So it is
with the prayer of God. It falls like gentle rain from above upon the
human heart and sinks into its deep dark recesses all unknown to us, and
emerges only when we consciously disturb its surface. When the stress and
strain of circumstance break open the crust of our subconscious mind it
comes forth a delicious drink, first of all for His delectation and then
for us. Let us never forget to offer Him the first draught in the form of
praise before we spread our petitions before Him.
PRAYER OUT OF GOD
All
is out of God, and prayer is no exception. Apart from His revelation in
the Scriptures it would be practically impossible to trace a petition from
its beginning out of Him, through His creatures and back to God, for we do
not consciously realize the promptings of His spirit even in our own
experience. So it will be best to trace the course of some important
prayers as recorded in holy Writ.
God
operated in the saints of old to pray for the things He promised. Did they
ask Him to alter His plans? It may be that Jewish saints have
petitioned Him to do this in their day. did He fulfill this part of
their request? I know that some tried to bring about Israel’s
restoration when I lived in the promised land. The owner of the house in
which I lived in Tiberias put in a garden, with great labor, and made
other improvements with the hope of helping to bring about these things now.
But this was not in faith and apart from the presence of their Messiah, so
it will not succeed. If every Jew on earth, and every Gentile, as well,
should join in petition, praying without ceasing that Jehovah establish
and bless Israel in the land now, before the coming of Christ (as
many are doing), I doubt if a single iota of His prediction would be
changed.
We know
that God will eventually save all, but this only encourages us to pray
that He will save someone now. We should never appeal to Him to
call all now, for we know that it is contrary to His Word. But He
has not told us who are the elect, so we confidently give out the evangel
to all, for God’s side is true of everyone. We are confident that it
will work His will and gain glory for Him, whether received or rejected.
Yet who can quell the overflowing of his own heart, which prompts him to
pray for those whom he loves? Even though we may know that the prayer will
be fulfilled at the consummation, our hearts surge in supplication that it
may be true now.
Many other
aspects of this theme will engage our hearts in future installments. In
our next chapter we will consider, more fully, The Time for Prayer.
A. E. Knoch
