Watch and pray, ask and receive, seek and find, knock and it shall be opened unto you.
To live in the experience of constant “watching unto prayer.” is one of the greatest achievements of the Christian life and such is the actual seed of the day in which we live the need to live in the constant spirit and habit of prayer (Matt. 7:77Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: (Matthew 7:7)).
There are many other needs. There is the need of laborers and of funds, of wisdom and reform, but the need of prayer transcends them all. If only the Church of God could be impelled to prayer, there would be an end of barrenness and failure.
It is the lack of prayer that lies at the root of all our troubles, and there is no remedy but in prayer.
The spirit of worldiness will never be broken by strong and fiery words of censure. The powerlessness of the Church cannot be cured by reproach. Spiritual destitution and moral laxity are the order of the day, but they will never be better, till prayer is restored to its true place in the Church, and the habit of individual believers.
There is no substitute for prayer, but to prayer all things are possible. This is the truism of the Christian faith. Nobody denies it. All history confirms it. If only the people of God could be brought into a passion for prayer, life would quicken, souls would be saved, coffers would overflow, God would be glorified.
Why do we not set ourselves to prayer? The remedy is sure and simple, the need is urgent and acknowledged. Why is it so slow in getting to work? (Mark 2:2424And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful? (Mark 2:24).)
“Seek and ye shall find.” The remedy is not so simple as it seems. The command to ask seems simple enough, and the promise is to them that ask. “If ye have not, it is because ye ask not.” James 4:33Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. (James 4:3).
“Ask and receive.” What could be simpler than that? And yet, the Scriptures speak of it as toil and labor. Prayer taxes all the resources of mind and heart.
Jesus Christ wrought many mighty works without any signs of effort. There was in His marvelous works the ease of omnipotence. There was no strain in healing diseases, raising the dead, and stilling the tempest; but we read of His being all night in prayer. (Luke 6:1212And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. (Luke 6:12).)
Their experiences were seemingly strange but wonderful. They spent cold winter nights in prayer, they lay on the ground weeping, and pleading, and came out of the conflict physically spent, but spiritually victorious. They wrestled with principalities and powers, contended with the world rulers of Satan’s kingdom, and grappled with spiritual foes in the heavenly sphere.
Now-a-days in the open life of the Church, and in the fellowship of believers there is seemingly little power in prayer. There is a marked absence of travail. There is much phrasing, but little pleading. Prayer has become a soliloquy instead of a passion.
The powerlessness of the Church needs no other explanation, and the counselors of the Church need seek no other cause. To be prayer-less is to be both passionless and powerless.
“Watch and pray.” The New Testament links watching with prayer. Twice our Lord commanded His Disciples to “Watch and pray.” They are to watch at every season, making supplication. The instruction is not to pray and watch, but to “Watch and pray” (Matt. 26:4141Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. (Matthew 26:41)).
The Apostle Paul exhorts the Colossians to “continue steadfastly in prayer, watching therein with thanksgiving,” and in the warfare against evil powers he instructs the Ephesians to be alert “with all prayer and supplication, praying at all seasons in the Spirit and watching thereunto in all perseverance and supplication” (Eph. 6:1818Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; (Ephesians 6:18)).
It is the watcher that prays and prevails. The command to watch is likened with the command to pray, and prayer is regulated by the exercise of watching. Peter slept while Jesus prayed, because he failed to watch.
Prayer is the only medium by which we can prevail in the Spirit world. The Word of God reveals its mysteries; prayer lays hold of God and prevails.
Prayer seeks divine wisdom and awaits divine instruction. Prayer fails for lack of watching. Prayer turns thoughts into petitions, facts into arguments, and reasons into supplication, faith into sight, and prayer into praise.
“The blessing of prayer.” Such prayer-life is absolutely simple, but it is by no means easy. The Devil sees to that. He sentinels the gateway of prayer. Andrew Bonar has left it on record that he never entered into a season of pure prayer without a fierce battle at the threshold (Heb. 11:66But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)).
Satan dreads nothing but prayer. He knows he cannot frighten saints with hideous features, or overcome them by coarse enticements. He stands at the portal of prayer as an “Angel of Light.” He does not attack, he diverts.
The one who lacks prayer is usually full of good works. Works are multiplied, that devotion and meditation may be ousted, and activities are increased that prayer may have no chance.
Souls may be lost in good works, as surely as in evil ways. The one concern of the Devil is to keep the saints from prayer. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.
Who can tell the blessings of “Watching unto prayer?” But how often earthly concerns, material interests, commercial enterprises, domestic affairs, and everything else hold the right of way to the Divine Presence! Therefore we are weak, when we might be strong.
What serenity and confidence would come to worried and distracted ones if they “Watched unto prayer!” Nothing saves time like time spent with God. An hour’s spiritual thinking, earnest communication, patient waiting, would save both time and money, as well as keep hearts young and tempers sweet.
“As he was praying.” Prayer illumines and transforms. God teaches men that pray. He opens their eyes, and they see things in His light; He touches their hearts, and they feel as He feels.
“Watching unto prayer” gives wisdom. The more we know how to truly wait upon God, the more shall we truly know the joy and sweetness of abiding rest. “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.” These are the factors of prevailing with God. Prayer languishes when watching fails. The fire dies for lack of fuel. It is not information that is wanted but vision (Jer. 29:1313And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13)).
If prayer is the supreme need of the Church, why do not people begin to pray?
The frivolous cannot pray. It is an exercise that demands intellectual honesty, moral sincerity and spiritual resoluteness.
The worldling cannot pray. Prayer submits all things to the standards of heaven, seeks the judgment of God, and lives in the unseen.
Prayer that stops short of obedience is blasphemy.
“This is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us: and if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.” 1 John 5:14, 1514And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 15And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. (1 John 5:14‑15).