Part 4 (2/2)
”But was not St. Paul filled with the Holy Spirit?” you ask, ”and did he not say, 'We have the mind of Christ?' Yet he asked thrice over that G.o.d would remove the 'thorn' in his flesh --and yet G.o.d distinctly tells him He would not do so.”
It is a very singular thing, too, that the only pet.i.tion recorded of St. Paul seeking something for his own individual need was refused! The difficulty, however, is this: Why did St. Paul, who had the ”mind” of Christ, ask for something which he soon discovered was contrary to G.o.d's wishes? There are doubtless many fully-consecrated Christians reading these words who have been perplexed because G.o.d has not given some things they prayed for.
We must remember that we may be filled with the Spirit and yet err in judgment or desire. We must remember, too, that we are never filled with G.o.d's Holy Spirit once for all. The evil one is always on the watch to put his mind into us, so as to strike at G.o.d through us. At any moment we may become disobedient or unbelieving, or may be betrayed into some thought or act contrary to the Spirit of love.
We have an astonis.h.i.+ng example of this in the life of St. Peter. At one moment, under the compelling influence of G.o.d's Holy Spirit, he cries, ”Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living G.o.d!” Our Lord turns, and with words of high commendation says, ”Blessed art thou, Simon, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father, which is in heaven.” Yet, a very little while after, the devil gets his mind into St. Peter, and our Lord turns and says unto him, ”Get thee behind me, Satan!” (Matt. xvi. 17, 23.) St. Peter was now speaking in the name of Satan! Satan still ”desires to have” us.
St. Paul was tempted to think that he could do far better work for his beloved Master if only that ”thorn” could be removed. But G.o.d knew that Paul would be a better man with the ”thorn” than without it.
Is it not a comfort to us to know that we may bring more glory to G.o.d under something which we are apt to regard as a hindrance or handicap, than if that undesired thing was removed? ”My grace is sufficient for thee: for My power is made perfect in weakness” (II Cor. xii. 9). Remember that G.o.d nothing does, nor suffers to be done, But what thou would'st thyself Did'st thou but see The end of all He does as well as He.
St. Paul was not infallible --nor was St. Peter, or St. John; nor is the Pope or any other man. We may --and do --offer up mistaken prayers. The highest form of prayer is not, ”Thy way, O G.o.d, not mine,” but ”My way, O G.o.d, is Thine!” We are taught to pray, not ”Thy will be changed,” but ”Thy will be done.”
May we, in conclusion, give the testimony of two who have proved that G.o.d can be trusted?
Sir H. M. Stanley, the great explorer, wrote: ”I for one must not dare to say that prayers are inefficacious. Where I have been in earnest, I have been answered. When I prayed for light to guide my followers wisely through the perils that beset them, a ray of light has come upon the perplexed mind, and a clear road to deliverance has been pointed out. You may know when prayer is answered, by the glow of content which fills one who has flung his cause before G.o.d, as he rises to his feet. I have evidence, satisfactory to myself, that prayers are granted.”
Mary Slessor, the story of whose life in West Africa has surely thrilled us all, was once asked what prayer meant to her. She replied, ”My life is one long, daily, hourly record of answered prayer for physical health, for mental overstrain, for guidance given marvelously, for errors and dangers averted, for enmity to the Gospel subdued, for food provided at the exact hour needed, for everything that goes to make up life and my poor service. I can testify with a full and often wonder-stricken awe that I believe G.o.d answers prayer. I know G.o.d answers prayer!”
Chapter 9: ANSWERS TO PRAYER.
MERE human nature would choose a more startling t.i.tle to this Chap.. Remarkable answers --wonderful answers --amazing answers. But we must allow G.o.d to teach us that it is as natural to Him to answer prayer as it is for us to ask. How He delights to hear our pet.i.tions, and how He loves to answer them! When we hear of some wealthy person giving a treat to poverty-stricken people, or wiping out some crus.h.i.+ng deficit in a missionary society, we exclaim, ”How nice to be able to do a thing like that!” Well, if it is true that G.o.d loves us --and we know it is true --do you not think it gives Him great joy to give us what we ask? We should like, therefore, to recount one or two answers to prayer out of very many which have come to our notice, so that we may have greater boldness in coming to the Throne of Grace. G.o.d saves men for whom we pray. Try it.
In talking over this question with a man of prayer a few days ago, he suddenly asked me, ”Do you know St. M-'s Church, L-?”
”Quite well --have been there several times.”
”Let me tell you what happened when I lived there. We had a prayer-meeting each Sunday before the 8 o'clock communion service. As we rose from our knees one Sunday a sidesman said, 'Vicar, I wish you would pray for my boy. He is twenty-two years old now, and has not been to church for years.' 'We can spare five minutes now,' replied the vicar. They knelt down again and offered up earnest supplication on behalf of that man. Although nothing was said to him about this, that youth came to church that same evening. Something in the sermon convicted him of sin. He came into the vestry broken-hearted, and accepted Jesus Christ as, his Savior.”
On Monday morning my friend, who was working as a Church Army captain in the parish, was present at the weekly meeting of the staff. He said to the vicar, ”That conversion last night is a challenge to prayer --a challenge from G.o.d. Shall we accept it?” ”What do you mean?” asked the vicar. ”Well,” said he, ”shall we single out the worst man in the parish and pray for him?” By unanimous consent they fixed upon K-as the worst man they knew. So they ”agreed” in prayer for his conversion. At the end of that week, as they were conducting a Sat.u.r.day night prayer-meeting in the mission hall, and whilst his very name was on their lips, the door swung open and in staggered K-, much the worse for liquor. He had never been in that mission hall before. Without thinking of removing his cap he sank on a chair near the door and buried his face in his hands. The prayer-meeting suddenly became an enquiry-room. Even as he was --in drink --he sought the Lord Who was seeking him. Nor did he ever go back. Today he is one of the finest dockyard missioners in the land.
Oh, why do we not pray for our unconverted friends? They may not listen to us when we plead with them, but they cannot hold out if we pray for them. Let two or three agree in prayer over the salvation of the worst, and then see what G.o.d will do! Tell G.o.d and then trust G.o.d. G.o.d works in a wonderful way, as well as in a ”mysterious” way, His wonders to perform.
Dan Crawford told us recently that when returning to his mission field after a furlough, it was necessary to make all possible haste. But a deep stream, which had to be crossed, was in flood, and no boats were available, or usable, for that matter. So he and his party camped and prayed. An infidel might well have laughed aloud. How could G.o.d get them across that river! But, as they prayed, a tall tree which had battled with that river for scores of years began to totter and fall. It fell clear across the stream! As Mr. Crawford says, ”The Royal Engineers of heaven had laid a pontoon bridge for G.o.d's servants.”
Many young people will be reading these prayer-stories. May we remind them that G.o.d still hears the voice of the lad --yes, and the la.s.s? (Gen. xxi. 17.) For them may we be allowed to add the following story, with the earnest desire that prayer may be their heritage, their very life; and that answered prayer may be their daily experience.
Some little time ago, a Chinese boy of twelve years old, named Ma-Na-Si, a boarder in the mission school at Chefoo, went home for the holidays. He is the son of a native pastor.
Whilst standing on the doorstep of his father's house he espied a horseman galloping towards him. The man --a heathen --was in a great state of perturbation. He eagerly enquired for the ”Jesus-man” --the pastor. The boy told him that his father was away from home. The poor man was much distressed, and hurriedly explained the cause of his visit. He had been sent from a heathen village some miles away to fetch the ”holy man” to cast a devil out of the daughter-in-law of a heathen friend. He poured out his sad story of this young woman, torn by devils, raving and reviling, pulling out her hair, clawing her face, tearing her clothes, smas.h.i.+ng up furniture, and das.h.i.+ng away dishes of food. He told of her spirit of sacrilege, and outrageous impiety, and brazen blasphemy and how these outbursts were followed by foaming at the mouth, and great exhaustion, both physical and mental ”But my father is not at home,” the boy kept reiterating. At length the frenzied man seemed to understand. Suddenly he fell on his knees, and, stretching out his hands in desperation, cried, ”You, too, are a Jesus-man; will you come ?”
Think of it --a boy of twelve! Yes, but even a lad, when fully yielded to his Savior, is not fearful of being used by that Savior. There was but one moment of surprise, and a moment of hesitation, and then the laddie put himself wholly at his Master's disposal. Like little Samuel of old he was willing to obey G.o.d in all things. He accepted the earnest entreaty as a call from G.o.d. The heathen stranger sprang into the saddle, and, swinging the Christian boy up behind him, he galloped away.
Ma-Na-Si began to think over things. He had accepted an invitation to cast out a devil in the name of Christ Jesus. But was he worthy to be used of G.o.d in this way? Was his heart pure and his faith strong? As they galloped along he carefully searched his own heart for sin to be confessed and repented of. Then he prayed for guidance what to say and how to act, and tried to recall Bible instances of demoniacal possession and how they were dealt with. Then he simply and humbly cast himself upon the G.o.d of power and of mercy, asking His help for the glory of the Lord Jesus. On arrival at the house they found that some of the members of the family were by main force holding down the tortured woman upon the bed. Although she had not been told that a messenger had gone for the native pastor, yet as soon as she heard footsteps in the court outside she cried, ”All of you get out of my way quickly, so that I can escape. I must flee! A 'Jesus-man' is coming. I cannot endure him. His name is Ma-Na-Si.”
Ma-Na-Si entered the room, and after a ceremonial bow knelt down and began to pray. Then he sang a Christian hymn to the praise of the Lord Jesus. Then, in the name of the Risen Lord, glorified and omnipotent, he commanded the demon to come out of the woman. At once she was calm, though prostrate with weakness. From that day she was perfectly whole. She was amazed when they told her that she had uttered the name of the Christian boy, for she had never heard of it or read of it before, for the whole of that village was heathen. But that day was veritably a ”beginning of days” to those people, for from it the Word of the Lord had free course and was glorified.
Beloved reader, I do not know how this little narrative affects you. It is one that moves me to the very depths of my being. It seems to me that most of us know so little of the power of G.o.d --so little of His overwhelming, irresistible love. Oh, what love is His! Now, every time we pray, that wonderful love envelops us in a special way.
If we really loved our blessed Savior, should we not oftener seek communion with Him in prayer? Fellow Christian, is it because we pray so little that we criticise so much? Oh, let us remember that we, like our dear Savior, are not sent into the world to condemn, to judge, the world, ”but that the world should be saved through Him” (John iii. 17).
Will any thoughtless word of criticism of anyone move anyone nearer to Christ? Will it even help the utterer of that fault-finding to be more like the Master? Oh, let us lay aside the spirit of criticism, of blaming, of fault-finding, of disparaging others or their work. Would not St. Paul say to us all, ”And such were some of you, but ye are washed”? (II Cor. vi. 11.) Do you see what we are aiming at? All the evil dispositions and failings we detect in others are due to the devil. It is the evil one in the heart who causes those words and deeds which we are so ready to condemn and to exaggerate. Demon-possession is not unknown in England, but it takes a different form, perhaps. Our very friends and acquaintances, so kindly and lovable, are often tied and bound by some besetting sin --”whom Satan hath bound, lo, these many years.”
We may plead with them in vain. We may warn them in vain. Courtesy and charity --and our own failings and shortcomings --forbid us standing over them like Ma-Na-Si and exercising the evil spirit! But have we tried prayer --prayer always backed up by love which cannot be ”provoked”? (I Cor. xiii. 5.) G.o.d answers prayer from old and young, when there is a clean heart, a holy life, and a simple faith. G.o.d answers prayer. We are but frail and faulty servants at the best. Sincere as we may be, we shall sometimes ask amiss. But G.o.d is faithful that promised, and He will guard us from all harm and supply every need.
Can I have the things I pray for?
G.o.d knows best; He is wiser than His children.
I can rest.
”Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, we have boldness toward G.o.d; and whatsoever we ask we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight” (I John iii. 21.)
Chapter 10: HOW G.o.d ANSWERS PRAYER.
FOR man fully to understand G.o.d and all His dealings with us is an utter impossibility. ”O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of G.o.d! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past tracing out!” (Rom. xi. 33.) True, but we need not make difficulties where none exists. If G.o.d has all power and all knowledge, surely prayer has no difficulties, though occasionally there may be perplexities. We cannot discover G.o.d's method, but we know something of His manner of answering prayer.
But at the very outset may we remind ourselves how little we know about ordinary things? Mr. Edison, whose knowledge is pretty profound, wrote in August, 1921, ”We don't know the millionth part of one per cent about anything. We don't know what water is. We don't know what light is. We don't know what gravitation is. We don't know what enables us to keep on our feet to stand up. We don't know what electricity is. We don't know what heat is. We don't know anything about magnetism. We have a lot of hypotheses, but that is all.” But we do not allow our ignorance about all these things to deprive us of their use! We do not know much about prayer, but surely this need not prevent us from praying! We do know what our Lord has taught us about prayer. And we do know that He has sent the Holy Spirit to teach us all things (John xiv. 26). How, then, does G.o.d answer prayer? One way is just this: -- He reveals His mind to those who pray. His Holy Spirit puts fresh ideas into the minds of praying people. We are quite aware that the devil and his angels are busy enough putting bad thoughts into our minds. Surely, then, G.o.d and His holy angels can give us good thoughts? Even poor, weak, sinful men and women can put good thoughts into the minds of others. That is what we try to do in writing! We do not stop to think what a wonderful thing it is that a few peculiar-shaped black marks on this white paper can uplift and inspire, or depress and cast down, or even convict of sin! But, to an untutored savage, it is a stupendous miracle. Moreover, you and I can often read people's thoughts or wishes from an expression on the face or a glance of the eye. Even thought transference between man and man is a commonplace today. And G.o.d can in many ways convey His thoughts to us. A remarkable instance of this was related by a speaker last year at Northfield. Three or four years ago, he met an old whaling captain who told him this story.
”A good many years ago, I was sailing in the desolate seas off Cape Horn, hunting whales. One day we were beating directly south in the face of a hard wind. We had been tacking this way and that all the morning, and were making very little headway. About 11 o'clock, as I stood at the wheel, the idea suddenly came into my mind, 'Why batter the s.h.i.+p against these waves?
There are probably as many whales to the north as to the south. Suppose we run with the wind instead of against it? In response to that sudden idea I changed the course of the s.h.i.+p, and began to sail north instead of south. One hour later, at noon, the look-out at the masthead shouted 'Boats ahead!'
Presently we overtook four lifeboats, in which were fourteen sailors, the only survivors of the crew of a s.h.i.+p which had burned to the water's edge ten days before. Those men had been adrift in their boats ever since, praying G.o.d frantically for rescue; and we arrived just in time to save them. They could not have survived another day.”
Then the old whaler added, ”I don't know whether you believe in religion or not, but I happen to be a Christian. I have begun every day of my life with prayer that G.o.d would use me to help someone else, and I am convinced that G.o.d, that day, put the idea into my mind to change the course of my s.h.i.+p. That idea was the means of saving fourteen lives.”
G.o.d has many things to say to us. He has many thoughts to put into our minds. We are apt to be so busy doing His work that we do not stop to listen to His Word. Prayer gives G.o.d the opportunity of speaking to us and revealing His will to us. May our att.i.tude often be: ”Speak, Lord, Thy servant heareth.”
G.o.d answers other prayers by putting new thoughts into the minds of those we pray for. At a series of services dealing with the Victorious Life, the writer one afternoon urged the congregation to ”makeup” their quarrels if they really desired a holy life. One lady went straight home, and after very earnest prayer wrote to her sister, with whom, owing to some disagreement, she had had nothing to do for twenty years! Her sister was living thirty miles away. The very next morning the writer of that note received a letter from that very sister asking forgiveness and seeking reconciliation. The two letters had crossed in the post. While the one sister was praying to G.o.d for the other, G.o.d was speaking to that other sister, putting into her mind the desire for reconciliation.
You may say, Why did not G.o.d put that desire there before? It may be that He foresaw that it would be useless for the distant sister to write asking forgiveness until the other sister was also willing to forgive. The fact remains that, when we pray for others, somehow or other it opens the way for G.o.d to influence those we pray for. G.o.d needs our prayers, or He would not beg us to pray.
A little time back, at the end of a weekly prayer-meeting, a G.o.dly woman begged those present to pray for her husband, who would never go near a place of wors.h.i.+p. The leader suggested that they should continue in prayer then and there. Most earnest prayers were offered up. Now, the husband was devoted to his wife, and frequently came to meet her. He did so that night, and arrived at the hall while the prayer-meeting was still in progress. G.o.d put it into his mind to open the door and wait inside --a thing he had never done before. As he sat on a chair near the door, leaning his head upon his hand, he overheard those earnest pet.i.tions. During the homeward walk he said, ”Wife, who was the man they were praying for tonight?” ”Oh,” she replied, ”it is the husband of one of our workers.” ”Well, I am quite sure he will be saved,” said he; ”G.o.d must answer prayers like that.” A little later in the evening he again asked, ”Who was the man they were praying for?” She replied in similar terms as before. On retiring to rest he could not sleep. He was under deep conviction of sin. Awaking his wife, he begged her to pray for him.
How clearly this shows us that when we pray, G.o.d can work! G.o.d could have prompted that man to enter that prayer-meeting any week. But had he done so it is a question whether any good at all would have come from it. When once those earnest, heartfelt pet.i.tions were being offered up on his behalf G.o.d saw that they would have a mighty influence upon that poor man.
It is when we pray that G.o.d can help us in our work and strengthen our resolves. For we can answer many of our own prayers. One bitter winter a prosperous farmer was praying that G.o.d would keep a neighbor from starving. When the family prayers were over, his little boy said, ”Father, I don't think I should have troubled G.o.d about that. Why not?” he asked. ”Because it would be easy enough for you to see that they don't starve!” There is not the slightest doubt that if we pray for others we shall also try to help them.
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