Two things are essential to the nurture and maintenance of a fresh and healthy state of soul; the reading of the Word and Prayer; nor can we afford to neglect either the one or the other, if we desire that our hearts and lives may answer to the grace bestowed upon us. If the reading of the word be neglected, there will be the danger of our prayers becoming the expression of mere natural desires instead of “intercession according to the will of God.” We need to have our desires even for spiritual blessings formed in the atmosphere of the word, in fellowship with the Lord Himself, and by the power of His Spirit; while where this is lacking, the more earnest the soul is, the more danger will there be of a zeal that is not according to knowledge. An opposite danger, on the other hand, is that the reading of the word, without prayer, tends to a spirit of intellectualism, ending in a cold, barren state of soul in which there is neither power nor joy, but abundance of spiritual pride. There is nothing more deadening to spiritual vitality than to have the mind occupied with divine truth, while the heart and the conscience remain strangers to its power; and this is sure to be the case just in proportion as prayer is neglected. There can be no surer and more certain sign of a low, unhealthy spiritual state than the absence of prayer, and there can be no better proof that a man is “filled with the Spirit,” than to know that he “gives himself unto prayer.”
Dear Christians, is there not a great lack of prayer amongst us? Alas! must we not confess that our closets, our households, our assembly meetings for prayer, bear witness to this and prove that we are oftentimes culpably indifferent to this high and holy privilege of expressing our interest in all that interests the heart of God, and affects the glory of His beloved Son.
Let us consider Him – our blessed Example and Pattern. He commenced, carried on and ended His ministry with prayer. We read of Him praying at the time of His baptism (Luke 3:21); “He withdrew Himself into the wilderness and prayed” (Luke 5:16); “He went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God” (Luke 6:12); “He was alone praying” (Luke 9:18); “He took Peter, and James, and John, and went up into a mountain to pray” (Luke 9:28); “He was praying in a certain place” (Luke 11:1); “He kneeled down and prayed” (Luke 22:41); “He prayed more earnestly” (Luke 22:44), and finally, at the very close of His marvelous life, amidst the agonies of the cross, He prays for His enemies (Luke 23:34).
Consider Paul, who has exhorted us to be “followers of him even as he also was of Christ.” When we think of his arduous and unremitting labors in connection with the ministry of the word, while pursuing at the same time when necessary, his calling as a tent-maker, we almost wonder how he found any time for prayer, and yet as we read his epistles we find he was much given to prayer. See Rom. 1:9, 10:1; 2 Cor. 13:7; Eph. 1:16; 3:14; Phil. 1:4, 9; Col. 1:3, 9; 1 Thess. 1:2, 3:10; 2 Thess. 1:11; 2 Tim. 1:3; Philem. 1:4.
Remember the repeated exhortations of the word – “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication” “in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God.” “I exhort therefore, that first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men.” “Continuing instant in prayer.” “Continue in prayer and watch in the same with thanksgiving.” “Brethren, pray for us.” “Praying in the Holy Ghost.” “Pray without ceasing.”
Think of the blessed results that have ever followed the expression of dependence upon God in united or individual prayer. The baptism with the Holy Spirit took place on the day of Pentecost at the close of ten days spent in continued prayer and supplication. The disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, and made bold to speak the Word of God, “after they had prayed” (Acts 4). The angel of the Lord delivered Peter from prison in answer to the prayer which “was made without ceasing of the Church unto God for him” (Acts 12). Scripture is full of instances of the prevalence of prayer (2 Chron. 32:20); and James 5:17-18; are conspicuous examples. And without doubt when the history of the Church is surveyed from the glory, it will be seen that every wave of blessing to saints and salvation to sinners, has been preceded by the effectual fervent prayers of many whose labors are better known in heaven than on earth. Men and women like Epaphras, Colossians 4:12, who have prevailed with God in their closets, and like Jabez, 1 Chronicles 4:10, have had granted to them that which they requested.
Remember that God is gathering out His elect by the preaching of the word, and ours is the blessed privilege of interceding for the salvation of the lost. The consideration of the realities of heaven and hell, a perishing world, a loving God, a waiting Savior, and a world-wide gospel, surely should constrain us to more prayer.
The word is “Praying always,” by which I understand that a believer, though not always in the act, should always be in the spirit of prayer. His constant state is one of dependence, therefore his constant spirit should be that of prayer. But there are special seasons when, either alone or with others the soul turns aside from all else to have to do with God Himself and pours out its desires and requests to Him. Suffer me, in conclusion, to beseech you to embrace every opportunity of thus continuing instant in prayer. Redeem every moment, and you will be surprised to discover how many opportunities for a few minutes of prayer you have hitherto suffered to pass idly away. Then, when a brother calls, or a few saints come together for a little fellowship, what a sweet opportunity for prayer. We can then plead the promise to “two of you,” and blessed it is to do so. Such a privilege should never be neglected, and would there not be much more prayer than there is, if every coming together of saints was characterized by it?
Then the assembly meeting. Well, introduce me to saints who are much in private prayer, and given to social prayer, and I will show you a gathering where the prayer meetings are bright, fresh and happy; full of vigor, faith, power and liberty. Where the prayer meetings are cold, formal, and lacking in fervor and liberty, depend upon it, the closet could tell a tale of indifference and negligence in respect to prayer, of which the more public barrenness is only the painful indication and the sad result.