by micheal2k1c

Now let's consider prayer as the expression of the soul's communion with God. If we stop to consider what is involved in this statement, it will perhaps begin to dawn upon us that true prayer is a great deal more than some of us have thought. It is certainly far more than going lightly into the presence of God with some request that is possibly dictated by selfishness rather than the desire for the glory of God Himself. It is to those who abide in Him that there seems to be no answer, it would be well for me to remember the Word of the Lord, "When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door pray to your Father who is in the secret place"(Matthew 6:6). Thus removed from all human interruption or worldly distraction, let there be a period of honest self-examination in the quiet presence of God. Ask yourself the following questions and answer each one faithfully and honestly:

1. Am I truly desirous that God's will should be done in me at whatever cost?
2. In presenting this particular request, am I seeking His glory or my own pleasure?
3. Is there anything in my life with which God has a controversy?
4. Have I been guilty of any known sin which lies unconfessed and unjudged upon my conscience?
5. Am I consciously yielded to God and endeavoring to walk in obedience to His Word?
6. Have I availed myself of the instruction in the Word of God, by meditating upon it carefully day by day to learn His will?
7. If my own heart condemns me along any of these lines, do I now honestly judge in myself everything that He, by the Spirit through the Word, shows me to be contrary to His mind?

I put before the reader these questions which I myself have employed for many years, though not always using the same terms, I earnestly desire to press the importance of taking stock, so to speak, of one's own actual state of soul. It may be that conscience does not condemn on any point, but even then it is well to remember that God, who "is greater than our heart of knows all things" may detect something in us which we ourselves fail to recognize. The Apostle Paul said on one occasion, "I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me in the Lord" (1 Cor. 4:4). Therefore, the importance of a lowly mind even when not conscious of failure.

After self-examination, weigh carefully the petition which you feel God has not answered. Look at it squarely, and see if you can honestly present it again in the light of all that has transpired between your soul and God. Perhaps you will realize that you cannot consistently press your claim lest, in doing so, you take yourself out of the hand of God. Perhaps it may be the very opposite. You will have your faith strengthened, and you will realize more clearly than before that your request was one that you were entitled to present with confidence. You will see that the temporary delay in answering was not a denial, but rather a test of faith. You will then leave the matter with the Lord as to the time and the manner in which He is to answer your cry and give you your heart's desire.

Undoubtedly, many times the Lord purposely waits, when His loving heart would gladly give us at once that for which we yearn; but He would make us more dependent upon Himself, and more appreciative of His mercies when we recieve them. The waiting season may become a time of rich spiritual blessing and of real growth in grace, as we learn to say, "My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him" (Psalm 62:5). Others have pointed out that the Hebrew word here translated "expectation" is exactly the same as the word translated "cord" inn Joshua 2:15. Think of the spies suspended by a cord from the window of Rahab's house, and think of your own soul linked by expectation to the very throne of God! What a cord is this to draw your heart out to Himself as you wait upon Him to fulfill His Word in His own way and time!

As the soul enters more deeply into communion, the form of the petition may itself become changed, and that almost unconsciously, so that instead of definiteness there may be seeming indefiniteness. But this does not necessarily indicate lack of faith, but rather fuller confidence in the unchanging love and wisdom of Him who delights to have us address Him as "Our Father." We read in Philippians 4:6-7: "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Chirst Jesus." How blessed in this!

The soul in communion with God knows no anxiety. It is enabled to bring everything that distresses the heart to God Himself by prayer and supplication, not forgetting thanksgiving for past mercies and present blessings. And the heart rests in quietness, garrisoned by the very peace of God, a peace which passes all understanding because the human mind knkows nothing of it. It is something of a purely spiritual character, not to be in any way confounded with stoical human determination to make the best of circumstances. It is the very calm that dwells in the heart of the Eternal GOd as He sits in peace upon His throne far above all the stomrs of earth, keeping the hearts and minds of those who believe in His son, our lord Jesus christ.

A few years ago, as a guest in a Christian home, I sat one afternoon at an open window. A beautiful child of perhaps eight years old was playing on the lawn, a lovely picture in a garden of flowers. Shortly my attention was attracted by the voice of another child who had come to the gate and called to my little friend in the garden "Annie, she said, "we are going to have a picnic on Saturday, and a lot of us will be there, and we want you to come along. Will you?" "I will ask my mother," replied the other, and immediately ran around the house to make inquiry. In a little while she returned and reported: "Mother says she will think about it." "Oh," exclaimed the other in an annoyed voice, "don't leave it like that. Go and beg her until she says yes." "It isn't necessary to beg my mother," said little Annie. "If she thinks it is best for me I know she will let me go; and if she doesn't let me go, she probably has something better in mind for me anyway." What a trustful child, I thought. What a lesson she may teach to many of her elders in regard to trusting implicitly the loving heart of our Father above!

Prevailing prayer is not to be confounded with the fretful begging of a restless heart, unhappy and disatisfied, crying out rebelliously for changed circumstances that its own comfort may be increased. It is rather the trusting petition of a soul at perfect peace, resting in the very center of the will of God, asking in happy confidence for what the blessed Holy Spirit knows will bring added glory to God. It is thus as we learn to delight in the Lord for what He is in Himself, not merely because of what He gives to us, that we have the assurance that when we pray in faith, we shall receive the desires of our heart.