Chapter 78—The Power of Prayer
It was in the mount with God that Moses beheld the pattern of
that wonderful building which was to be the abiding-place of His
glory. It is in the mount with God—the secret place of communion—
that we are to contemplate His glorious ideal for humanity. Thus we
shall be enabled so to fashion our character-building that to us may
be fulfilled the promise, “I will dwell in them, and walk in them;
and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”
While engaged in our daily work, we should lift the soul to
heaven in prayer. These silent petitions rise like incense before the
throne of grace; and the enemy is baffled. The Christian whose
heart is thus stayed upon God cannot be overcome. No evil arts can
destroy his peace. All the promises of God’s word, all the power of
divine grace, all the resources of Jehovah, are pledged to secure his
deliverance. It was thus that Enoch walked with God. And God was
with him, a present help in every time of need.
In Touch with the Infinite
Prayer is the breath of the soul. It is the secret of spiritual power.
No other means of grace can be substituted and the health of the
soul be preserved. Prayer brings the heart into immediate contact
with the Wellspring of life, and strengthens the sinew and muscle of
the religious experience. Neglect the exercise of prayer, or engage
[250] in prayer spasmodically, now and then, as seems convenient, and
you lose your hold on God. The spiritual faculties lose their vitality,
the religious experience lacks health and vigor....
It is a wonderful thing that we can pray effectually, that unworthy,
erring mortals possess the power of offering their requests to God.
What higher power can man desire than this,—to be linked with the
infinite God? Feeble, sinful man has the privilege of speaking to his
Maker. We may utter words that reach the throne of the Monarch of
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the universe. We may speak with Jesus as we walk by the way, and
He says, I am at thy right hand.
Every Sincere Prayer Answered
We may commune with God in our hearts; we may walk in
companionship with Christ. When engaged in our daily labor, we
may breathe out our heart’s desire, inaudible to any human ear; but
that word cannot die away into silence, nor can it be lost. Nothing
can drown the soul’s desire. It rises above the din of the street, above
the noise of machinery. It is God to whom we are speaking, and our
prayer is heard.
Ask, then; ask, and ye shall receive. Ask for humility, wisdom,
courage, increase of faith. To every sincere prayer an answer will
come. It may not come just as you desire, or at the time you look
for it; but it will come in the way and at the time that will best meet
your need. The prayers you offer in loneliness, in weariness, in trial,
God answers, not always according to your expectations, but always
for your good.—Gospel Workers, 254-258. [251]
Chapter 79—Our Attitude in Prayer
Both in public and in private worship, it is our privilege to bow
on our knees before the Lord when we offer our petitions to Him.
Jesus, our example, “kneeled down, and prayed.” Of His disciples
it is recorded that they, too, “kneeled down, and prayed.” Paul declared,
“I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” In
confessing before God the sins of Israel, Ezra knelt. Daniel “kneeled
upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before
his God.”
True reverence for God is inspired by a sense of His infinite
greatness and a realization of His presence. With this sense of the
Unseen, every heart should be deeply impressed. The hour and
place of prayer are sacred, because God is there; and as reverence
is manifested in attitude and demeanor, the feeling that inspires it
will be deepened. “Holy and reverend is His name,” the psalmist
declares. Angels, when they speak that name, veil their faces. With
what reverence, then, should we, who are fallen and sinful, take it
upon our lips!
Well would it be for old and young to ponder those words of
Scripture that show how the place marked by God’s special presence
should be regarded. “Put off thy shoes from off thy feet,”
He commanded Moses at the burning bush,” for the place whereon
thou standest is holy ground.” Jacob, after beholding the vision of
the angels, exclaimed, “The Lord is in this place; and I knew it
[252] not....”—Gospel Workers, 178, 179.
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Chapter 80—Faith and Prayer
Through faith in Christ, every deficiency of character may be
supplied, every defilement cleansed, every fault corrected, every
excellence developed.
“Ye are complete in Him.”
Prayer and faith are closely allied, and they need to be studied
together. In the prayer of faith there is a divine science; it is a
science that every one who would make his life work a success must
understand. Christ says, “What things soever ye desire, when ye
pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” He makes
it plain that our asking must be according to God’s will; we must
ask for the things that He has promised, and whatever we receive
must be used in doing His will. The conditions met, the promise is
unequivocal.
For the pardon of sin, for the Holy Spirit, for a Christlike temper,
for wisdom and strength to do His work, for any gift He has
promised, we may ask; then we are to believe that we receive, and
return thanks to God that we have received.
We need look for no outward evidence of the blessing. The gift
is in the promise, and we may go about our work assured that what
God has promised He is able to perform, and that the gift, which we
already possess, will be realized when we need it most.—Education,
257, 258.
