PRAYER
AND FAITH (Continued)
"The
guests at a certain hotel were being rendered uncomfortable by
repeated strumming on a piano, done by a little girl who
possessed no knowledge of music. They complained to the
proprietor with a view to having the annoyance stopped. 'I am
sorry you are annoyed,' he said. 'But the girl is the child of
one of my very best guests. I can scarcely ask her not to
touch the piano. But her father, who is away for a day or so,
will return tomorrow. You can then approach him, and have the
matter set right.' When the father returned, he found his
daughter in the reception-room and, as usual, thumping on the
piano. He walked up behind the child and, putting his arms
over her shoulders, took her hands in his, and produced some
most beautiful music. Thus it may be with us, and thus it will
be, some coming day. Just now, we can produce little but
clamour and disharmony; but, one day, the Lord Jesus will take
hold of our hands of faith and prayer, and use them to bring
forth the music of the skies." -- ANON
GENUINE,
authentic faith must be definite and free of doubt. Not simply
general in character; not a mere belief in the being, goodness
and power of God, but a faith which believes that the things
which "he saith, shall come to pass." As the faith is
specific, so the answer likewise will be definite: "He
shall have whatsoever he saith." Faith and prayer select
the things, and God commits Himself to do the very things which
faith and persevering prayer nominate, and petition Him to
accomplish.
The American
Revised Version renders the twenty-fourth verse of the eleventh
chapter of Mark, thus: "Therefore I say unto you, All
things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye receive
them, and ye shall have them." Perfect faith has always in
its keeping what perfect prayer asks for. How large and
unqualified is the area of operation -- the "All things
whatsoever!" How definite and specific the promise --
"Ye shall have them!"
Our chief
concern is with our faith, -- the problems of its growth, and
the activities of its vigorous maturity. A faith which grasps
and holds in its keeping the very things it asks for, without
wavering, doubt or fear -- that is the faith we need -- faith,
such as is a pearl of great price, in the process and practise
of prayer.
The statement
of our Lord about faith and prayer quoted above is of supreme
importance. Faith must be definite, specific; an unqualified,
unmistakable request for the things asked for. It is not to be a
vague, indefinite, shadowy thing; it must be something more than
an abstract belief in God's willingness and ability to do for
us. It is to be a definite, specific, asking for, and expecting
the things for which we ask. Note the reading of Mark 11:23:
"And
shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those
things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have
whatever he saith."
Just so far as the
faith and the asking is definite, so also will the answer be.
The giving is not to be something other than the things prayed
for, but the actual things sought and named. "He shall have
whatsoever he saith." It is all imperative, "He shall
have." The granting is to be unlimited, both in quality and
in quantity.
Faith and
prayer select the subjects for petition, thereby determining
what God is to do. "He shall have whatsoever he saith."
Christ holds Himself ready to supply exactly, and fully, all the
demands of faith and prayer. If the order on God be made clear,
specific and definite, God will fill it, exactly in accordance
with the presented terms.
Faith is not an
abstract belief in the Word of God, nor a mere mental credence,
nor a simple assent of the understanding and will; nor is it a
passive acceptance of facts, however sacred or thorough. Faith
is an operation of God, a Divine illumination, a holy energy
implanted by the Word of God and the Spirit in the human soul --
a spiritual, Divine principle which takes of the Supernatural
and makes it a thing apprehendable by the faculties of time and
sense.
Faith deals
with God, and is conscious of God. It deals with the Lord Jesus
Christ and sees in Him a Saviour; it deals with God's Word, and
lays hold of the truth; it deals with the Spirit of God, and is
energized and inspired by its holy fire. God is the great
objective of faith; for faith rests its whole weight on His
Word. Faith is not an aimless act of the soul, but a looking to
God and a resting upon His promises. Just as love and hope have
always an objective so, also, has faith. Faith is not believing
just anything; it is believing God, resting in Him,
trusting His Word.
Faith gives
birth to prayer, and grows stronger, strikes deeper, rises
higher, in the struggles and wrestlings of mighty petitioning.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the assurance and
realization of the inheritance of the saints. Faith, too, is
humble and persevering. It can wait and pray; it can stay on its
knees, or lie in the dust. It is the one great condition of
prayer; the lack of it lies at the root of all poor praying,
feeble praying, little praying, unanswered praying.
The nature and
meaning of faith is more demonstrable in what it does, than it
is by reason of any definition given it. Thus, if we turn to the
record of faith given us in that great honour roll, which
constitutes the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, we see something of
the wonderful results of faith. What a glorious list it is --
that of these men and women of faith! What marvellous
achievements are there recorded, and set to the credit of faith!
The inspired writer, exhausting his resources in cataloguing the
Old Testament saints, who were such notable examples of
wonderful faith, finally exclaims:
"And
what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of
Gideon and Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David
also, and Samuel, and of the prophets."
And then the
writer of Hebrews goes on again, in a wonderful strain,
telling of the unrecorded exploits wrought through the faith of
the men of old, "of whom the world was not worthy."
"All these," he says, "obtained a good report
through faith."
What an era of
glorious achievements would dawn for the Church and the world,
if only there could be reproduced a race of saints of like
mighty faith, of like wonderful praying! It is not the
intellectually great that the Church needs; nor is it men of
wealth that the times demand. It is not people of great social
influence that this day requires. Above everybody and everything
else, it is men of faith, men of mighty prayer, men and women
after the fashion of the saints and heroes enumerated in Hebrews,
who "obtained a good report through faith," that the
Church and the whole wide world of humanity needs.
Many
men, of this day, obtain a good report because of their
money-giving, their great mental gifts and talents, but few
there be who obtain a "good report" because of their
great faith in God, or because of the wonderful things which are
being wrought through their great praying. Today, as much as at
any time, we need men of great faith and men who are great in
prayer. These are the two cardinal virtues which make men great
in the eyes of God, the two things which create conditions of
real spiritual success in the life and work of the Church. It is
our chief concern to see that we maintain a faith of such
quality and texture, as counts before God; which grasps, and
holds in its keeping, the things for which it asks, without
doubt and without fear.
Doubt and fear
are the twin foes of faith. Sometimes, they actually usurp the
place of faith, and although we pray, it is a restless,
disquieted prayer that we offer, uneasy and often complaining.
Peter failed to walk on Gennesaret because he permitted the
waves to break over him and swamp the power of his faith. Taking
his eyes from the Lord and regarding the water all about him, he
began to sink and had to cry for succour -- "Lord, save, or
I perish!"
Doubts should
never be cherished, nor fears harboured. Let none cherish the
delusion that he is a martyr to fear and doubt. It is no credit
to any man's mental capacity to cherish doubt of God, and no
comfort can possibly derive from such a thought. Our eyes should
be taken off self, removed from our own weakness and allowed to
rest implicitly upon God's strength. "Cast not away
therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of
reward." A simple, confiding faith, living day by day, and
casting its burden on the Lord, each hour of the day, will
dissipate fear, drive away misgiving and deliver from doubt:
"Be
careful for nothing, but in everything, by supplication and
prayer, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known
unto God."
That is the Divine
cure for all fear, anxiety, and undue concern of soul, all of
which are closely akin to doubt and unbelief. This is the Divine
prescription for securing the peace which passeth all
understanding, and keeps the heart and mind in quietness and
peace.
All of us need
to mark well and heed the caution given in Hebrews:
"Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil
heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God."
We need, also,
to guard against unbelief as we would against an enemy. Faith
needs to be cultivated. We need to keep on praying, "Lord,
increase our faith," for faith is susceptible of increase.
Paul's tribute to the Thessalonians was, that their faith grew
exceedingly. Faith is increased by exercise, by being put into
use. It is nourished by sore trials.
"That
the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold
that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found
unto praise and honour and glow at the appearing of Jesus
Christ."
Faith grows by
reading and meditating upon the Word of God. Most, and best of
all, faith thrives in an atmosphere of prayer.
It would be
well, if all of us were to stop, and inquire personally of
ourselves: "Have I faith in God? Have I real faith,
-- faith which keeps me in perfect peace, about the things of
earth and the things of heaven?" This is the most important
question a man can propound and expect to be answered. And there
is another question, closely akin to it in significance and
importance -- "Do I really pray to God so that He hears me
and answers my prayers? And do I truly pray unto God so that I
get direct from God the things I ask of Him?"
It was claimed
for Augustus Caesar that he found Rome a city of wood, and left
it a city of marble. The pastor who succeeds in changing his
people from a prayerless to a prayerful people, has done a
greater work than did Augustus in changing a city from wood to
marble. And after all, this is the prime work of the preacher.
Primarily, he is dealing with prayerless people -- with people
of whom it is said, "God is not in all their
thoughts." Such people he meets everywhere, and all the
time. His main business is to turn them from being forgetful of
God, from being devoid of faith, from being prayerless, so that
they become people who habitually pray, who believe in God,
remember Him and do His will. The preacher is not sent to merely
induce men to join the Church, nor merely to get them to do
better. It is to get them to pray, to trust God, and to keep God
ever before their eyes, that they may not sin against Him.
The work of the
ministry is to change unbelieving sinners into praying and
believing saints. The call goes forth by Divine authority,
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be
saved." We catch a glimpse of the tremendous importance of
faith and of the great value God has set upon it, when we
remember that He has made it the one indispensable condition of
being saved. "By grace are ye saved, through faith."
Thus, when we contemplate the great importance of prayer, we
find faith standing immediately by its side. By faith are we
saved, and by faith we stay saved. Prayer introduces us
to a life of faith. Paul declared that the life he lived, he
lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved him and gave Himself
for him -- that he walked by faith and not by sight.
Prayer is
absolutely dependent upon faith. Virtually, it has no existence
apart from it, and accomplishes nothing unless it be its
inseparable companion. Faith makes prayer effectual, and in a
certain important sense, must precede it.
"For he
that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a
rewarder of them that diligently seek Him."
Before prayer ever
starts toward God; before its petition is preferred, before its
requests are made known -- faith must have gone on ahead; must
have asserted its belief in the existence of God; must have
given its assent to the gracious truth that "God is a
rewarder of those that diligently seek His face." This is
the primary step in praying. In this regard, while faith does
not bring the blessing, yet it puts prayer in a position to ask
for it, and leads to another step toward realization, by aiding
the petitioner to believe that God is able and willing to bless.
Faith starts
prayer to work -- clears the way to the mercy-seat. It gives
assurance, first of all, that there is a mercy-seat, and that
there the High Priest awaits the pray-ers and the prayers. Faith
opens the way for prayer to approach God. But it does more. It
accompanies prayer at every step she takes. It is her
inseparable companion and when requests are made unto God, it is
faith which turns the asking into obtaining. And faith follows
prayer, since the spiritual life into which a believer is led by
prayer, is a life of faith. The one prominent characteristic of
the experience into which believers are brought through prayer,
is not a life of works, but of faith.
Faith
makes prayer strong, and gives it patience to wait on God. Faith
believes that God is a rewarder. No truth is more clearly
revealed in the Scriptures than this, while none is more
encouraging. Even the closet has its promised reward, "He
that seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly," while the
most insignificant service rendered to a disciple in the name of
the Lord, surely receives its reward. And to this precious truth
faith gives its hearty assent.
Yet faith is
narrowed down to one particular thing -- it does not believe
that God will reward everybody, nor that He is a rewarder of all
who pray, but that He is a rewarder of them that diligently
seek Him. Faith rests its care on diligence in prayer, and
gives assurance and encouragement to diligent seekers after God,
for it is they, alone, who are richly rewarded when they pray.
We need
constantly to be reminded that faith is the one inseparable
condition of successful praying. There are other considerations
entering into the exercise, but faith is the final, the one
indispensable condition of true praying. As it is written in a
familiar, primary declaration: "Without faith, it is
impossible to please Him."
James puts this
truth very plainly.
"If any
of you lack wisdom," he says, "let him ask of God,
that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it
shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing
wavering. For he that wavereth (or doubteth) is like a wave of
the sea, driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man
think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord."
Doubting is always
put under the ban, because it stands as a foe to faith and
hinders effectual praying. In the First Epistle to Timothy Paul
gives us an invaluable truth relative to the conditions of
successful praying, which he thus lays down: "I will
therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands,
without wrath and doubting."
All questioning
must be watched against and eschewed. Fear and peradventure have
no place in true praying. Faith must assert itself and bid these
foes to prayer depart.
Too much
authority cannot be attributed to faith; but prayer is the
sceptre by which it signalizes its power. How much of spiritual
wisdom there is in the following advice written by an eminent
old divine.
"Would
you be freed from the bondage to corruption?" he asks.
"Would you grow in grace in general and grow in grace in
particular? If you would, your way is plain. Ask of God more
faith. Beg of Him morning, and noon and night, while you walk
by the way, while you sit in the house, when you lie down and
when you rise up; beg of Him simply to impress Divine things
more deeply on your heart, to give you more and more of the
substance of things hoped for and of the evidence of things
not seen."
Great incentives
to pray are furnished in Holy Scriptures, and our Lord closes
His teaching about prayer, with the assurance and promise of
heaven. The presence of Jesus Christ in heaven, the preparation
for His saints which He is making there, and the assurance that
He will come again to receive them -- how all this helps the
weariness of praying, strengthens its conflicts, sweetens its
arduous toil! These things are the star of hope to prayer, the
wiping away of its tears, the putting of the odour of heaven
into the bitterness of its cry. The spirit of a pilgrim greatly
facilitates praying. An earth-bound, earth-satisfied spirit
cannot pray. In such a heart, the flame of spiritual desire is
either gone out or smouldering in faintest glow. The wings of
its faith are clipped, its eyes are filmed, its tongue silenced.
But they, who in unswerving faith and unceasing prayer, wait
continually upon the Lord, do renew their strength, do
mount up with wings as eagles, do run, and are not weary,
do walk, and not faint.
