12. Praying

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"Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit."
Eph. 6:18
A godly man is a praying man. "Every one that is godly shall pray unto Thee." As soon as grace is poured in, prayer is poured out. Prayer is the soul's traffic with heaven; God comes down to us by His Spirit, and we go up to Him by prayer.
A spiritual prayer is a believing prayer: "Whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive" (Matt. 21:22). The reason why so many prayers suffer shipwreck, is because they split against the rock of unbelief; praying without faith is shooting without bullets.
A spiritual prayer is an holy prayer: Wherefore lift up holy hands (1 Tim. 2:8). Prayer must be offered on the altar of a pure heart; sin lived in makes the heart hard, and God's ear deaf; sin stops the mouth of prayer, it doth as the thief to the traveler, puts a gag in his mouth, that he cannot speak; "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me" (Psa. 66:18). It is foolish to pray against sin, and then to sin against prayer.
A spiritual prayer is an humble prayer: "LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble" (Psa. 10:17). Prayer is the asking of an alms, which requires humility. It is comely to see a poor nothing lie at the feet of its Maker; "Behold, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes" (Gen. 18:27). The lower the heart descends, the higher the prayer ascends. God accepts broken expressions, when they come from broken hearts.
A spiritual prayer is when we have spiritual ends in prayer. There is a vast difference between a spiritual prayer, and a carnal desire: the ends of a hypocrite are carnal; he looks a-squint in prayer; it is not the sense of his spiritual wants that moves him, but rather lust; "Ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts" (James 4:3). The sinner prays more for food than grace; this God doth not interpret praying, but howling. "They howled upon their beds: they assemble themselves for corn and wine" (Hos. 7:14). Prayers which want a good aim want a good answer. A godly man drives the trade of prayer that he may increase the stock of grace.
Prayer delights God's ear, it melts His heart, it opens His hand: God cannot deny a praying soul.
How hard is it sometimes to get leave of hearts to seek God! Jesus Christ went more willingly to the cross than we do to the throne of grace.
Christ was in an agony at prayer (Luke 22:44). Many when they pray are rather in a lethargy, than in an agony. When they are about the world, they are all fire; when they are at prayer, they are all ice.
The joint stock of the prayers of saints works for good to the godly. "Prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.... And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him... and raised him up,... and his chains fell off" (Acts 12:5-7). The angel fetched Peter out of prison, but it was prayer fetched the angel.
"Effectual fervent prayer prevails much" (James 5:16). Cold prayers, like cold suitors, never speed. Prayer without fervency, is like a sacrifice without a fire. Prayer is called a "pouring out of the soul", to signify vehemence (1 Sam. 1:15). Formality starves prayer.
If you would keep your mind fixed in prayer, keep your eye fixed. "Unto Thee lift I up mine eyes, O Thou that dwellest in the heavens" (Psa. 123:1). Much vanity comes in at the eye. When the eye wanders in prayer, the heart wanders. Love is a great fixer of the thoughts. He who is in love cannot keep his thoughts off the object. He who loves the world has his thoughts upon the world. Did we love God more, our minds would be more intent upon Him in prayer. He who gives himself liberty to have vain thoughts out of prayer, will scarcely have other thoughts in prayer.
He that leaves off prayer leaves off to fear God. "Thou castest off fear, and restrainest prayer before God" (Job 15:4). A man that has left off prayer is fit for any wickedness. When Saul had given over inquiring after God he went to the witch of Endor.
Faith is the breath of prayer; prayer is dead unless faith breathe in it. "Let him ask in faith" (James 1:6). "Whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive" (Matt. 21:22). Without faith it is speaking, not praying. Faith must take prayer by the hand, or there is no coming nigh to God. A faithless prayer is fruitless. "They could not enter in because of unbelief", is as true of prayer; it cannot enter into heaven because of unbelief.