"Let us then approach the throne of grace with
confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our
time of need." Hebrews 4:16
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by
prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And
the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts
and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6, 7
There are some of the injunctions of the Word of God
regarding prayer, which the ungodly and prayerless turn into ridicule,
because they know not, neither can they understand, the "things of the
Spirit of God." Attaching to the words of Scripture a meaning which they do
not bear, they endeavor to weaken the faith of the Christian, or to fill his
mind with doubt and anxiety, by the false insinuation, that an impossible
duty has been assigned—that God demands more than man is able to
perform. They point to such passages as these—"Pray without
ceasing"—"Continue instant in prayer"—"Praying always with all prayer and
supplication in the Spirit "—"In everything by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God."
Now it would be impossible to comply with such
injunctions, if they meant the ceaseless utterance of words—the constant and
idle expression of wishes and desires—if the Christian were required, amid
the duties and the business of life, to be continually sending up petitions
to God—to be ever occupied in kneeling at the throne of grace and making
known his requests unto God. But, God demands no impossibilities of His
children, and therefore such injunctions must have a different meaning. And
the true, scriptural meaning, will not long be difficult or doubtful,
to those who have, in any measure, realized the value, the blessedness, and
the privilege of prayer.
The exhortation, then, of the apostle, to the Philippian
Church, means, first, that prayer should be the pervading spirit of
the Christian life—that it should be, as leaven, fermenting the whole
substance of our moral being—a sentinel, continually keeping watch over our
unguarded movements—a sanctified enclosure, fencing us round by the
protection and presence of God. Like those bright and glorious orbs which
revolve in the skies above us—no sounds may be uttered—but the language of
the heart unceasingly ascends to the Father of spirits, and enters into the
ears of the Lord God Almighty. There may be no form—no utterance of
language—it may be a tear—a sigh—a wish—a hope—a desire—a groan—but the
whole Christian life is pervaded by the spirit of prayer.
"Prayer is the soul's sincere desire,
Uttered, or unexpressed—
The kindling of a hidden fire
That trembles in the breast."
The formation of plans—the carrying on of daily duty—the
going forth to encounter any difficulty or trial—the bearing up under
reproach, injury, or wrong, are all thought of, in subjection to the will of
God, in prayer. The Christian man will not absolutely say, "I will do," "I
will not do," until he has thus committed the matter, in prayer, to God. It
fills his heart as he opens his eyes to another day—and, a silent prayer is
breathed, that its dangers may not injure his soul—that its good may be
received with thankfulness, and its evils may be averted or shunned. It
enters into all his hopes and desires, so that they are always, "If the Lord
will." When an evil thought rushes into the Christian's heart, it finds that
the spirit of prayer is there to meet it—when a subtle temptation creeps
stealthily through the soul, if it has been thus exercised, there is
comparatively but little upon which it can lay hold, and it retires without
having drawn him into sin. It is thus that he realizes prayer as a perpetual
safeguard against the attacks of the adversary; and, living under its sacred
influence, he has the blessed consciousness of living near to God. God
dwells in him, and he in God—the Divine image is reflected upon his soul,
for "God is light, and he who dwells in light, dwells in God and God in
him."
Under all circumstances and in all conditions, this
spirit of silent, yet earnest, believing prayer, may have its power upon
the heart. Its home is the Christian's bosom—its hallowed influence pervades
the Christian's life—it brings down the happiness and peace of heaven itself
into the Christian's soul, so far as these can be enjoyed in this imperfect
state of being; and, it is, in truth, the most elevating, comforting, and
transforming, of all the duties, in which the Christian can engage on earth.
It brings him nearest to his God, and his God to him. There are no
circumstances in which it can be crushed—no peculiarities of place in which
it may not be indulged. In the time of adversity—when earthly blessings are
removed—this spirit sustains the soul, by leading it to "cast all its care
on God who cares for it." In the hour of bereavement—when the home is
desolated and the heart is wrung—this spirit calls Jesus to look upon the
desolated home and the torn heart, and reminds Him, that when on earth, He
once shed a tear over a scene like this; and, there is no thought of a
removal of the sorrow, except by the spirit of prayer, which can alone cope
with the sad, desolating power of grief.
Thus the Christian realizes, that, at all times, he has
comfort and help at hand—that his communion is with an ever-present and
all-sufficient God—that he may keep up an communion with heaven, to which
the most rapid communication and the closest converse of earth, supply not
the equivalent. He realizes, too, that no calamity is too great—no event too
trivial—to be carried to the throne of grace, and laid before the Lord—that
he may detail his every sorrow in the ear of Divine sympathy—that he may
repair with every difficulty, to Divine wisdom—and seek the supply of every
want, out of the Divine resources—and this, not once, or for a short period
at stated times, but at any moment—at every time of need. Whatever be the
day of distress, it is a day for prayer. Whatever be the time of calamity,
it is a time when prayer is available. Joy is a fitting season for prayer,
and sorrow a fitting season too; the times of poverty and wealth—of sickness
and of health—may all be leavened with the spirit of habitual prayer. The
crosses which mar the Christian's peace—the vexations which oppress his
spirit—the clouds of earthly disappointment which sometimes come—are all
fitting themes for prayer.
As there is no danger which is above the power of God, so
there is no concern which is beneath His care. Therefore, the believer
learns "to pray always," or, as the apostle tells us, "in everything by
prayer and supplication, let your requests be made known unto God." The gate
of prayer is always open, and the winged prayer will, in an instant, bring
the Savior near—bring Him in all the intensity of His love—in all the
fullness of His grace—in all the abundance of His strength—and in all the
sweetness of His sympathy, and assurance of His death-destroying might, into
the faint and failing heart. "The sorrows of death," says David, "compassed
me, and the pains of hell took hold upon me—I found trouble and sorrow. Then
called I upon the name of the Lord—O Lord, I beseech you, deliver my soul.
Gracious is the Lord and righteous; yes, our God is merciful. I was brought
low, and he helped me. Return unto your rest, O my soul; for the Lord has
dealt bountifully with you."
But, while the Christian may thus, in everything, hold
sweet, unbroken communion with heaven—and, through all the duties and trials
of daily life, may cherish and retain the spirit of prayer—he will
have his special sacred times with God. Times of meditation and
prayer—times which only sickness or imperative necessity will ever permit
him to invade or to interrupt—times when the world and the things of the
world are forgotten, and the soul draws fresh nourishment, and strength, and
hope, from pouring out its desires and longings—its supplications and
entreaties, at the throne of grace, and, anew, asking help against coming
toils and trials, from its gracious and compassionate Heavenly Father.
How often these seasons should be, or how long they
should be, we have no express commandment of God. He would trust to our love
and gratitude—to our sense of the greatness of the privilege—to our
consciousness of need—to our remembrance of past joy experienced, in holding
communion with the Father of our spirits and the Redeemer of our souls. And
oh! if we have known the blessedness of communion with God—if we have
realized the peace—the comfort—the joy of believing prayer—no rule is
required. We will count it no hard duty which we must do—we will not
ask, Can we live without it? but we will regard it as the noblest exercise
of the soul—the most exalted privilege—and the purest pleasure on earth—to
pour out our heart before our Father, and to send up holy desires to the
Throne of Grace.
No true Christian—who has set his affections on things
above—who has taken up his cross to follow Jesus—and who is striving to walk
even as He also walked—will live without closet, and family, and social
prayer. He will seek retirement and seclusion, where he may "alone with God"
unburden his spirit—where he may make confessions, reveal anxieties, and
present petitions—which he could not unveil to any human ear. And he will
repair to the family altar, that, with his children and dependents,
he may thank God for family mercies, acknowledge family sins, and entreat
the Lord to continue family blessings—to impart Divine grace, guidance, and
strength, amid family trials, difficulties, and labors. And, knowing that he
is but one of the unnumbered family of God scattered throughout the
world—that there are many beyond his own family circle, who stand in need of
his sympathy and his prayers—or, with whom he ought to unite in the worship
and service of God—he will take part in social prayer, and unite with
his brethren in Christ Jesus, either in the assembly where only "two or
three are met together in the name of God," or in the sanctuary, where, with
the congregation of God's people, he may wait upon the Lord in the appointed
ordinances of His Church, and hallow the Sabbath, in obedience to the Divine
command.
But, the exhortation of the apostle goes even further
than this, and implies that, in every condition and circumstance of life,
Divine guidance, and help, and counsel, should be sought in prayer. There
are many, who flee to a Throne of Grace in times of extremity, but who are
strangers to it when all is calm and tranquil—who never imagine that the
help of God is needed quite as much in prosperity as in adversity—in health
as in sickness. "When trouble is upon them," says Scripture, "they will pour
out their souls unto God." "In their affliction they will seek me, says the
Lord." Yes, they know they cannot, in such trying circumstances, bear up
without the help of Heaven—they feel the utter insufficiency of human
resources, and the weakness of human trust—and they cry unto the Lord for
help. They pray in the tempest, but are silent in the calm—they implore
deliverance from the sick-bed, but not the fear and love of God to keep and
guide them in the day of health—they make their complaint under the pressure
of calamity, or the burden of distress, but they ask not for a thankful
spirit in the midst of their plenty and prosperity.
The true Christian, however, realizing his own feebleness
and his entire dependence on the grace and help of God—"in everything makes
known his requests unto God"—not merely in times of tribulation, when the
storm has driven him to seek for shelter—not merely in days of sickness and
trouble when he stands as it were on the brink of death's dark flood—but
when everything is bright and prosperous, and when health and vigor animate
his frame. If in sickness, he prays for patience—in health, he prays for a
thankful spirit. If in adversity, he prays that God may not forget him—in
prosperity, he prays that he may not forget God. He makes known his
requests, not merely for spiritual, but for temporal blessings, knowing that
his temporal and spiritual lot are inseparable, and that, in the
arrangements of both, he cannot and ought not to rely on his own judgment
and discretion, but on the gracious promise of God—"In all your ways
acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."
He is conscious, that he can take no step—engage in no
enterprise, which may not, for good or evil, have an effect upon his
everlasting happiness; and, therefore, he prays that he may be guided in the
right way—that the step he is about to take, may be such as God will
approve—that every movement of his, may be attended with the Divine
blessing—that, in whatever duty he is engaged—in whatever society he
mingles, God's presence may accompany him, and that, throughout all, he may
be enabled to "walk worthy of the vocation with which he has been called."
Christian! be assured, this is the only way in which to
tread safely and securely the path of life—in everything you undertake—in
everything you purpose to follow out—whether in your family or in the world,
to make known your requests unto God, and to ask His blessing, His guidance
and His support. He has graciously permitted you to lay everything—(be it
great or small—important or trivial, in human view)—before Him in prayer,
and He has promised to direct and guide you. "Trust in the Lord, and do
good—so shall you dwell in the land, and verily you shall be fed. Delight
yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way unto the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it
to pass."
Oh! from how many false and sinful steps might we be
preserved, if before venturing upon them we had all formed the habit of
praying!—"May the angel of God's presence go with me where I go, and be with
me where I am." What confidence would it impart in the midst of doubt and
perplexity, if every duty—every project—every undertaking, were preceded by
humble and earnest prayer for Divine guidance and direction!—if the
Christian, when surrounded by difficulties, and beset on every hand by
obstacles—which seemed to indicate that the step he had taken was a false
one—if he could say, "I took this step under Divine direction—I embarked in
this enterprise, after I had sought counsel of the Lord. Difficulties may
have arisen—obstacles which I did not anticipate may be lying in the way—the
waters may seem to be troubled—and the vessel appear to labor, but I set out
under the best pilotage. Every sail was filled with the breath of prayer,
and I will therefore calmly entrust my all to Him who said, 'I am with you
always, even unto the end.'"
Reader! the assurance of the inspired apostle is, that if
"in everything" you thus "make known your requests unto God," then, "the
peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your heart and mind
through Christ Jesus." The peace of God! a peace which the heaviest
storms shall not disperse, nor the wildest tempest terrify—a peace, which
will remain unbroken when earthly props are removed, and earthly stays are
taken from you—a peace, which will enable you, amid the wreck of fondest
hopes, and the ruin of the most cherished plans, still to repose on the
bosom of infinite love, and to say, "Here I find rest—here no troubles can
reach me—here I still enjoy the peace which passes all understanding."
We do not say this is always the experience of the
believer; but, that it is not so, is owing to the weakness of his faith, and
not the lack of willingness on the part of God to impart the blessing of
peace—is owing, it may be, to the fact, that he has not "in everything made
known his requests unto God." He has kept back something which still
disquiets and alarms—something which he is afraid or unwilling to reveal at
the Throne of Grace.
For, observe it must be "in everything" that the
heart must be laid bare before God—"in everything," that the matter must be
committed to His care. You are not to ask His counsel and then follow your
own—you are not to "cast your care upon God," and then in distrust of His
providential goodness, to take back the burden upon yourself; but, when you
have unburdened your soul of a request, you are to leave all in the Lord's
hands—when you have made known your desire, you are to leave the mercy-seat,
like Hannah, "with a countenance no more sad." The warm sunshine of promise,
should dry up every tear and dissipate every cloud of unbelief, for,
"whoever puts his trust in the Lord, shall lack no good thing."
Not, that you are to cease from effort after prayer, or
relax your diligence in the Christian race. If you leave God to do all, God
will leave you to do all. He will refuse to grant your request, until He
discovers, that, along with prayer, there is diligence—that you are really
desirous to "stir up the gift of God which is in you." You must, then, both
in regard to temporal and spiritual matters, combine the two duties—you must
labor and pray—you must fight and pray—you must watch and pray—resist and
pray. You are to strive, as if all depended upon yourself, and yet, knowing
that the blessing can come only from God—that He only can give you success,
that He only can ensure a successful outcome.
"Pray then with all prayer and supplication," and "watch
thereunto with all perseverance." Trust God at all times, and pray that you
may have the fulfillment of the assurance, "My presence shall go with you."
That will lighten the darkest hour and assuage the acutest suffering—that
will throw a gleam of sunshine over the gloomiest, and add a luster to the
brightest scenes of life. With God by your side, what have you to fear? He
will guide you over every difficulty, and protect you in every danger. You
will learn, day by day, more of your Father's care in protecting—your
Father's goodness in assisting—your Father's authority in correcting, and
your Father's love in chastening. In joy and in sorrow—in health and in
sickness—in prosperity and in adversity, you will realize the meaning of
that sweet promise—"Kept as the apple of His eye."
While in the world, there will be vicissitudes in your
experience; but, the care of your heavenly Father will provide for all. You
may be "led about"—from gardens of Eden, smiling with the flowers of hope
and the tree of life, to dreary deserts and unploughed seas of sand—from
Nebo's heights with the beauteous scenery of Canaan in view, to the valley
of Baca and its well of tears—from the river "whose streams make glad the
city of our God," to the sterile shores of the Dead Sea—from the beams of
mid-day brightness, to the solemn gloom of midnight—from the merry hearth
and home of loving friends and cherished sympathies, to the cold churchyard
and broken hearts. Yet, fear not—All is the work of your Father's hand! He
will not leave nor forsake you, and His "peace which passes all
understanding, will still keep your heart and mind in Christ Jesus."
And the time is near at hand, when He will fulfill all
your desires, and more than answer all your prayers—when you will enjoy the
peace and the rest of heaven itself—no more to be disturbed or broken by
earthly disappointments, cares, and troubles—when the shining of your sun
will be unclouded—when, with a grateful heart, filled with the recollection
of all that God has done for you—of your Savior's unchanging, faithful, and
undying love—you will strike your golden lyre and sing in sweeter tones than
ever fell on mortal ears—"Unto Him who has loved us, and washed us from our
sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests unto God and His
Father—to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever! Amen."
Most merciful God and Father, who has taught us to be
careful for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with
thanksgiving, to make our requests known unto You; we cast ourselves on Your
care, and humbly ask of You those things which are necessary—for the body as
well as the soul.
Grant us, we beseech You, such a competent portion of
earthly blessings, as Your wisdom sees to be suitable and expedient for us.
And whatever You are pleased to send, make us to be heartily content with
Your blessed will. Teach us to acknowledge and adore You in all Your gifts,
and when earthly comforts fail, to joy evermore in the God of our salvation.
Above all, O God, grant that our spiritual desires may be
more and more abundantly supplied, through the fullness of the blessings of
Your Gospel; to the end that, growing in knowledge and in grace, our souls
may be strengthened and nourished unto life eternal. May it please You in
all our undertakings to encourage us with Your favor, to further us with
Your help, and to grant us such success as seems good to You, who orders all
things well and wisely for us.
Oh, take us henceforth under Your heavenly guidance and
protection. In all our ways may we acknowledge You, that You may direct our
paths. In whatever state Your providence has placed us, may we be enabled to
walk with You in newness of life, constantly trusting in Your fatherly care,
seeking at all times to be instructed by Your wisdom, and earnestly
striving, not only in our outward deeds, but in our inward thoughts and
affections, to be entirely devoted to Your service.
Graciously hear us, O God, for the sake of Your
well-beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.