Isaiah"s words find their New Testament fulfilment: They that wait on the Lord shall walk and not faint, because Christ is now the strength of their life.
It is strange how believers sometimes think this life of dependence too great a strain, and a loss of our personal liberty. They admit a need of dependence, of much dependence, but with room left for our own will and energy. They do not see that even a partial dependence makes us debtors, and leaves us nothing to boast of. They forget that our relationship to G.o.d, and co-operation with Him, is not that He does the larger part and we the lesser, but that G.o.d does all and we do all--G.o.d all in us, we all through G.o.d. This dependence upon G.o.d secures our true independence; when our will seeks nothing but the Divine will, we reach a Divine n.o.bility, the true independence of all that is created. He that has not seen this must remain a sickly Christian, letting self do part and Christ part. He that accepts the life of unceasing dependence on Christ, as life and health and strength, is made whole. As G.o.d, Christ can enter and become the life of His creature. As the Glorified One who received the Holy Spirit from the Father to bestow, He can renew the heart of the sinful creature and make it His home, and by His presence maintain it in full health and strength.
O ye all who would fain walk and please G.o.d, and in your prayer-life not have your heart condemn you, listen to Christ"s words: "Wilt thou be made whole?" He can give soul-health. He can give a life that can pray, and know that it is well-pleasing to the Father. If you would have this, come and hear how you can receive it.
WHAT CHRIST ASKS OF US.
The story invites us to notice three things very specially. Christ"s question first appeals to the will, and asks for the expression of its consent. He then listens to man"s confession of his utter helplessness.
Then comes the ready obedience to Christ"s command, that rises up and walks.
1. Wilt thou be made whole? About the answer of the impotent man there could be no doubt. Who would not be willing to have his sickness removed? But, alas, in the spiritual life what need to press the question. Some will not admit that they are so sick. And some will not believe that Christ can make a man whole. And some will believe it for others, but they are sure it is not for them. At the root of all lies the fear of the self-denial and the sacrifice which will be needed. They are not willing to forsake entirely the walk after the course of this world, to give up all self-will, and self-confidence, and self-pleasing.
The walk in Christ and like Christ is too straight and hard: they do not will it, they do not will to be made whole. My brother, if thou art willing, speak it out: "Lord! at any price, I will!" From Christ"s side the act is one of the will: "I will, be thou clean." From your side equally: "Be it unto thee as thou wilt." If you would be delivered from your impotence--oh, fear not to say, "I will, I will!"
Then comes the second step. Christ wants us to look up to him as our only Helper. "I have no man to put me in," must be our cry. Here on earth there is no help for me. Weakness may grow into strength in the ordinary use of means, if all the organs and functions are in a sound state. Sickness needs special measures. Your soul is sick; your impotence to walk joyfully the Christian walk in G.o.d"s way is a sign of disease; fear not to confess it, and to admit that there is no hope for restoration unless by an act of Christ"s mercy healing you. Give up the idea of growing out of your sickly into a healthy state, of growing out from under the law into a life under grace. A few days ago I heard a student plead the cause of the Volunteer Pledge. "The pledge calls you,"
he said, "to a decision. Do not think of growing into a missionary: unless G.o.d forbids you, take the step; the decision will bring joy and strength, will set you free to grow up in all needed for a missionary, and will be a help to others." It is even so in the Christian life.
Delay and struggle will equally hinder you; do confess that you cannot bring yourself to pray as you would, because you cannot give yourself the healthy, heavenly life that loves to pray, and that knows to count upon G.o.d"s Spirit to pray in us. Come to Christ to heal you. He can in one moment make you whole. Not in the sense of working a sudden change in your feelings, or in what you are in yourself, but in the heavenly reality of coming in, in response to your surrender and faith, and taking charge of your inner life, and filling it with Himself and Spirit.
The third thing Christ asks is this, the surrender of faith. When He spoke to the impotent man His word of command had to be obeyed. The man believed that there was truth and power in Christ"s word; in that faith he rose and walked. By faith he obeyed. And what Christ said to others was for him too--"Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole." Of us, too, Christ asks this faith, that His word changes our impotence into strength, and fits us for that walk in newness of life for which we have been quickened in Him. If we do not believe this, if we will not take courage and say, with Paul, "I can do all things in Christ, which strengtheneth me," we cannot obey. But if we will listen to the word that tells us of the walk that is not only possible, but has been proved and seen in G.o.d"s saints from of old, if we will fix our eye on the mighty, living, loving Christ, who speaks in power, "Rise and walk," we shall take courage and obey. We shall rise and begin to walk in Him and His strength. In faith, apart from and above all feeling, we shall accept and trust an unseen Christ as our strength, and go on in the strength of the Lord G.o.d. We shall know Christ as the strength of our life. We shall know, and tell, and prove that Jesus Christ hath made us whole.
Can it indeed be? Yes, it can. He has done it for many: He will do it for you. Beware of forming wrong conceptions of what must take place.
When the impotent man was made whole he had still all to learn as to the use of his new-found strength. If he wanted to dig, or build, or learn a trade, he had to begin at the beginning. Do not expect at once to be a proficient in prayer or any part of the Christian life. No; but expect and be confident of this one thing, that, as you have trusted yourself to Christ to be your health and strength, He will lead and teach you.
Begin to pray in a quiet sense of your ignorance and weakness, but in a joyful a.s.surance that He will work in you what you need. Rise and walk each day in a holy confidence that He is with you and in you. Just accept Jesus Christ the Living One, and trust Him to do His work.
Will you do it? Have you done it? Even now Jesus speaks, "Rise and walk." "Amen, Lord! at Thy word I come. I rise to walk with Thee, and in Thee, and like Thee."
A PLEA FOR MORE PRAYER
CHAPTER IX
The Secret of Effectual Prayer
"What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye have received them, and ye shall have them."--MARK xi. 24.
Here we have a summary of the teaching of our Lord Jesus on prayer.
Nothing will so much help to convince us of the sin of our remissness in prayer, to discover its causes, and to give us courage to expect entire deliverance, as the careful study and then the believing acceptance of that teaching. The more heartily we enter into the mind of our blessed Lord, and set ourselves simply just to think about prayer as He thought, the more surely will His words be as living seeds. They will grow and produce in us their fruit,--a life and practice exactly corresponding to the Divine truth they contain. Do let us believe this: Christ, the living Word of G.o.d, gives in His words a Divine quickening power which brings what they say, which works in us what He asks, which actually fits and enables for all He demands. Learn to look upon His teaching on prayer as a definite promise of what He, by His Holy Spirit dwelling in you, is going to work into your very being and character.
Our Lord gives us the five marks, or essential elements, of true prayer.
There must be, first, the heart"s _desire_; then the expression of that desire in _prayer_; with that, the _faith_ that carries the prayer to G.o.d; in that faith, the _acceptance of G.o.d"s answer_; then comes _the experience_ of the desired blessing. It may help to give definiteness to our thought, if we each take a definite request in regard to which we would fain learn to pray believingly. Or, perhaps better still, we might all unite and take the one thing that has been occupying our attention.
We have been speaking of failure in prayer; why should we not take as the object of desire and supplication the "grace of supplication," and say, I want to ask and receive in faith the power to pray just as, and as much as, my G.o.d expects of me? Let us meditate on our Lord"s words, in the confidence that He will teach us how to pray for this blessing.
1. "What things soever _ye desire_."--Desire is the secret power that moves the whole world of living men, and directs the course of each. And so desire is the soul of prayer, and the cause of insufficient or unsuccessful prayer is very much to be found in the lack or feebleness of desire. Some may doubt this: they are sure that they have very earnestly desired what they ask. But if they consider whether their desire has indeed been as whole-hearted as G.o.d would have it, as the heavenly worth of these blessings demands, they may come to see that it was indeed the lack of desire that was the cause of failure. What is true of G.o.d is true of each of his blessings, and is the more true the more spiritual the blessing: "Ye shall seek Me, and shall find, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart" (Jer. xxix. 13). Of Judah in the days of Asa it is written, "They sought Him with _their whole desire_" (2 Chron. xv. 15). A Christian may often have very earnest desires for spiritual blessings. But alongside of these there are other desires in his daily life occupying a large place in his interests and affections. The spiritual desires are not all-absorbing. He wonders that his prayer is not heard. It is simply that G.o.d wants the whole heart. "The Lord thy G.o.d is _one Lord_, therefore thou shalt love the Lord thy G.o.d with _all thy heart_." The law is unchangeable: G.o.d offers Himself, gives Himself away, to the whole-hearted who give themselves wholly away to Him. He always gives us according to our heart"s desire.
But not as we think it, but as He sees it. If there be other desires which are more at home with us, which have our heart more than Himself and His presence, He allows these to be fulfilled, and the desires that engage us at the hour of prayer cannot be granted.
We desire the gift of intercession, grace and power to pray aright. Our hearts must be drawn away from other desires: we must give ourselves wholly to this one. We must be willing to live wholly in intercession for the kingdom. By fixing our eye on the blessedness and the need of this grace, by thinking of the certainty that G.o.d will give it us, by giving ourselves up to it, for the sake of the perishing world, desire may be strengthened, and the first step taken towards the possession of the coveted blessing. Let us seek the grace of prayer, as we seek the G.o.d with whom it will link us, "with our whole desire"; we may depend upon the promise, "He will fulfil the desire of them that fear Him." Let us not fear to say to Him, "I desire it with my whole heart."
2. "What things soever ye desire when _ye pray_."--The desire of the heart must become the expression of the lips. Our Lord Jesus more than once asked those who cried to Him for mercy, "What wilt thou?" He wanted them to say what they would. To speak it out roused their whole being into action, brought them into contact with Him, and wakened their expectation. To pray is to enter into G.o.d"s presence, to claim and secure His attention, to have distinct dealing with Him in regard to some request, to commit our need to His faithfulness and to leave it there: it is in so doing that we become fully conscious of what we are seeking.
There are some who often carry strong desires in their heart, without bringing them to G.o.d in the clear expression of definite and repeated prayer. There are others who go to the Word and its promises to strengthen their faith, but do not give sufficient place to that pointed asking of G.o.d which helps the soul to the a.s.surance that the matter has been put into G.o.d"s hands. Still others come in prayer with so many requests and desires, that it is difficult for themselves to say what they really expect G.o.d to do. If you would obtain from G.o.d this great gift of faithfulness in prayer and power to pray aright, begin by exercising yourself in prayer in regard to it. Say of it to yourself and to G.o.d: "Here is something I have asked, and am continuing to ask till I receive. As plain and pointed as words can make it, I am saying, "My Father! I do desire, I do ask of Thee, and expect of Thee, the grace of prayer and intercession.""
3. "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, _believe_."--As it is only by faith that we can know G.o.d, or receive Jesus Christ, or live the Christian life, so faith is the life and power of prayer. If we are to enter upon a life of intercession, in which there is to be joy and power and blessing, if we are to have our prayer for the grace of prayer answered, we must learn anew what faith is, and begin to live and pray in faith as never before.
Faith is the opposite of sight, and the two are contrary the one to the other. "We walk by faith, and not by sight." If the unseen is to get full possession of us, and heart and life and prayer are to be full of faith, there must be a withdrawal from, a denial of, the visible. The spirit that seeks to enjoy as much as possible of what is innocent or legitimate, that gives the first place to the calls and duties of daily life, is inconsistent with a strong faith and close intercourse with the spiritual world. "We _look not_ at the things that are seen"--the negative side needs to be emphasised if the positive, "but at the things which are not seen," is to become natural to us. In praying, faith depends upon our living in the invisible world.
This faith has specially to do with G.o.d. The great reason of our lack of faith is our lack of knowledge of G.o.d and intercourse with Him. "Have faith in G.o.d," Jesus said when He spoke of removing mountains. It is as a soul knows G.o.d, is occupied with His power, love, and faithfulness, comes away out of self and the world, and allows the light of G.o.d to shine on it, that unbelief will become impossible. All the mysteries and difficulties connected with answers to prayer will, however little we may be able to solve them intellectually, be swallowed up in the adoring a.s.surance: "This G.o.d is our G.o.d. He will bless us. He does indeed answer prayer. And the grace to pray I am asking for He will delight to give." (Note C.)
4. "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that _ye have received_," now as you pray.--_Faith has to accept the answer, as given by G.o.d in heaven, before it is found or felt upon earth._ This point causes difficulty, and yet it is of the very essence of believing prayer, its real secret. Try and take it in. Spiritual things can only be spiritually apprehended or appropriated. The spiritual heavenly blessing of G.o.d"s answer to your prayer must be spiritually recognised and accepted before you feel anything of it. It is faith does this. A soul that not only seeks an answer, but seeks first the G.o.d who gives the answer, receives the power to know that it has what it has asked of Him. If it knows that it has asked according to His will and promises, and that it has come to and found Himself to give it, it does believe that it has received. "We know that He heareth us."
There is nothing so heart-searching as this faith, "_Believe that ye have received._" As we strive to believe, and find we cannot, it leads us to discover what there is that hinders. Blessed is the man who holds nothing back, and lets nothing hold him back, but, with his eye and heart on G.o.d alone, refuses to rest till he has believed what our Lord bids him, "that he has received." Here is the place where Jacob becomes Israel, and the power of prevailing prayer is born out of human weakness and despair. Here comes in the real need for persevering and ever-importunate prayer, that will not rest, or go away, or give up, till it knows it is heard, and believes that it has received.
You pray for "the Spirit of grace and supplication"? As you ask for it in strong desire, and believe in G.o.d who hears prayer, do not be afraid to press on and believe that your life can indeed be changed, that the world with its press of duties, whether religious or not, hindering prayer, can be overcome, and that G.o.d gives you your heart"s desire, grace to pray both in measure and in spirit, just as the Father would have His child do. "Believe that you have received."
5. "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye have received, and _ye shall have them_."--The receiving from G.o.d in faith, the believing acceptance of the answer with the perfect, praising a.s.surance that it has been given, is not necessarily the experience or subjective possession of the gift we have asked for. At times there may be a considerable, or even a long, interval. In other cases the believing supplicant may at once enter upon the actual enjoyment of what he has received. It is specially in the former case that we have need of faith and patience: faith to rejoice in the a.s.surance of the answer bestowed and received, and to begin and act upon that answer though nothing be felt; patience to wait if there be for the present no sensible proof of its presence. We can count upon it: _Ye shall have_, in actual enjoyment.
If we apply this to the prayer for the power of faithful intercession, the grace to pray earnestly and perseveringly for souls around us, let us learn to hold fast the Divine a.s.surance that, as surely as we believe we receive, and that faith therefore, apart from all failing, may rejoice in the certainty of an answered prayer. The more we praise G.o.d for it, the sooner will the experience come. We may begin at once to pray for others, in the confidence that grace will be given us to pray more perseveringly and more believingly than we have done before. If we do not find any special enlargement or power in prayer, this must not hinder or discourage us. We have accepted, apart from feeling, a spiritual Divine gift by faith; in that faith we are to pray, nothing doubting. The Holy Spirit may for a little time be hiding Himself within us; we may count upon Him, even though it be with groanings which cannot find expression, to pray in us; in due time we shall become conscious of His presence and power. As sure as there is desire and prayer and faith, and faith"s acceptance of the gift, there will be, too, the manifestation and experience of the blessing we sought.
Beloved brother! do you truly desire that G.o.d should enable you so to pray that your life may be free from continual self-condemnation, and that the power of His Spirit may come down in answer to your pet.i.tion?
Come and _ask it of G.o.d_. Kneel down and pray for it in a single definite sentence. When you have done so, kneel still in faith, believing in G.o.d who answers. Believe that you do now receive what you have prayed: believe that you have received. If you find it difficult to do this, kneel still, and say that you do it on the strength of His own word. If it cost time, and struggle, and doubt--fear not; at His feet, looking up into His face, faith will come. "Believe that you have received": at His bidding you dare claim the answer. Begin in that faith, even though it be feeble, a new prayer-life, with this one thought as its strength: "You have asked and received grace in Christ to prepare you, step by step, to be faithful in prayer and intercession.
The more simply you hold to this, and expect the Holy Spirit to work it in you, the more surely and fully will the word be made true to you: Ye shall have it. G.o.d Himself who gave the answer will work it in you."
A PLEA FOR MORE PRAYER
CHAPTER X
The Spirit of Supplication
"I will pour upon the house of David the Spirit of grace and of supplication."--ZECH. xii. 10.
"The Spirit also helpeth our infirmity; for we know not how to pray as we ought: but the Spirit Himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to G.o.d."--ROM. viii. 26, 27.
"With all prayer and supplication praying at all seasons in the Spirit, and watching thereunto in all perseverance and supplication for all the saints."--EPH. vi. 18.
"Praying in the Holy Spirit."--JUDE 20.
The Holy Spirit has been given to every child of G.o.d to be his life. He dwells in him, not as a separate Being in one part of his nature, but as his very life. He is the Divine power or energy by which his life is maintained and strengthened. All that a believer is called to be or to do, the Holy Spirit can and will work in him. If he does not know or yield to the Holy Guest, the Blessed Spirit cannot work, and his life is a sickly one, full of failure and of sin. As he yields, and waits, and obeys the leading of the Spirit, G.o.d works in him all that is pleasing in His sight.
This Holy Spirit is, in the first place, a Spirit of prayer. He was promised as a "Spirit of grace and supplication," the grace for supplication. He was sent forth into our hearts as "the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." He enables us to say, in true faith and growing apprehension of its meaning, Our Father which art in heaven. "He maketh intercession for the saints according to G.o.d." And as we pray in the Spirit, our worship is as G.o.d seeks it to be, "in spirit and in truth." Prayer is just the breathing of the Spirit in us; power in prayer comes from the power of the Spirit in us, waited on and trusted in. Failure in prayer comes from feebleness of the Spirit"s work in us. Our prayer is the index of the measure of the Spirit"s work in us. To pray aright, the life of the Spirit must be right in us. For praying the effectual, much-availing prayer of the righteous man everything depends on being full of the Spirit.
There are three very simple lessons that the believer, who would enjoy the blessing of being taught to pray by the Spirit of prayer, must know.
The first is: _Believe that the Spirit dwells in you_ (Eph. i. 13). Deep in the inmost recesses of his being, hidden and unfelt, every child of G.o.d has the Holy, Mighty Spirit of G.o.d dwelling in him. He knows it by faith, the faith that, accepting G.o.d"s word, realises that of which he sees as yet no sign. "We receive the promise of the Spirit by faith." As long as we measure our power, for praying aright and perseveringly, by what we feel, or think we can accomplish, we shall be discouraged when we hear of how much we ought to pray. But when we quietly believe that, in the midst of all our conscious weakness, the Holy Spirit as a Spirit of supplication is dwelling within us, _for the very purpose of enabling us to pray in such manner and measure as G.o.d would have us_, our hearts will be filled with hope. We shall be strengthened in the a.s.surance which lies at the very root of a happy and fruitful Christian life, that _G.o.d has made an abundant provision for our being what He wants us to be_. We shall begin to lose our sense of burden and fear and discouragement about our ever praying sufficiently, because we see that the Holy Spirit Himself will pray, is praying, in us.