Jottings

by J. Miller | Category: Jottings | Mar 1962

The thought has arisen in one's mind and no doubt in the minds of others, why should we pray to God, seeing that He 'knows all and can do all, for He "is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think"? (Ephesians 3.20). The thought in such a question may prove to be a wholesome one, provided, owing to our lack of knowledge in this matter of prayer and many other things in the way of God, we do not doubt the need for prayer and of continuing steadfastly therein.

We have, concerning men and women who prayed, examples scattered throughout Scripture, and the greatest encouragements to prayer are those of the Lord and of the Holy Spirit. Prior to the choosing of the twelve apostles the Lord was all night in prayer. It is said of this occasion by Luke:

And it came to pass in these days, that He went out into the mountain to pray; and He continued all night in prayer to God (or in the prayer of God). And when it was day, He called His disciples: and He chose from them twelve, whom also He named apostles" (Luke 6.12, 18).

Again it is said of the Lord:

And in the morning, a great while before day, He rose up and went out, and departed into a desert place, and there prayed" (Mark 1.35; see also Matthew 14.28; Luke 9.28, 29; 5.16).

What the Lord said to His Father in the awful silence of mountain and desert we are not told, but we have certain utterances of the Lord in prayer, as in Matthew 11. 25-27; His prayer, thrice repeated, in the garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26.39-44; Luke 22. 44); and His prayer just before He left the upper room with His disciples, as given in John 17: to all these we do well to listen in holy and awed silence. If the Lord in His manhood prayed thus and prayed often, this fact, with His many exhortations to prayer, should make us all praying men and women.

The Holy Spirit, the other Advocate, is a Helper of our infirmity. Of Him please read Romans 8.26, 27.

There is, of course, a difference between the Lord praying and the Spirit's intercession; the Lord prayed for Himself as well as others, even as He said to Peter, "I made supplication for thee, that thy faith fail not" (Luke 22.82). The Spirit knows no weakness, as the Lord did in His Manhood, so He needs not to pray for Himself, only to make intercession for the saints, that they might in their weakness be able to stand, in their trials and temptations.

Prayer is to be made for" all men" (1 Timothy 2.1), and for" all the saints" (Ephesians 6.18), and in particular "one for another" (James 5.16). Prayer is to be made for brethren specially engaged in the Lord's service, as Paul besought the saints to pray for him (Ephesians 6.19; Colossians 4.8, etc.).

How inconsistent it is to pray and forget shortly after what we have asked for Let us think of Paul's words in Ephesians 6.18, part of which verse we have already quoted.

"Praying at all seasons in the Spirit, and watching thereunto in all perseverance." The word watching (Agrupneo, to be awake, to watch) is derived from Agrupnia, which means "want of" sleep." We may go literally to sleep while we pray, as the disciples did when they were with the Lord in Gethsemane, or we may be worse, we may be spiritually asleep and be quite unconscious as for whom we have prayed or about what we have prayed. Prayer requires perseverance. Perseverance here means to continue unremittingly in, to be intently engaged in.

Such prayer is not easy. It was in such prayer that Epaphras of Colossae strove for the saints in Colossae who had been made disciples by him (Colossians 1.7).

"Epaphras, who is one of you a servant of Christ Jesus, saluteth you, always striving for you in his prayers that ye may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God (Colossians 4. 12)

Striving is from the Greek verb Agonizomai which means to strive earnestly as an athlete did in the public games. See also Romans 15. 80 The Lord was in an agony (Agonia, contest, agony, anguish) in Gethsemane (Luke 22. 44). In such prayer He was heard for His godly fear (Hebrews 5.7).

We are told that "the supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its working" (James 5.16). It is not easy for a righteous man to continue striving in prayer.

Jacob's experience by the brook Jabbok has ever been taken as an example of prayer of this kind. It was said by Him with whom he strove on that occasion, "Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for thou hast striven with God and with men, and hast prevailed" (Genesis 32.28). One can no more be a truly praying man without striving with God in prayer, than one can be a godly man without exercise. Paul's exhortation to Timothy was, "Exercise thyself unto godliness" (1 Timothy 4.7). "Exercise " is the rendering of the Greek word Gumnazo, which meant to "accustom one's self to gymnastic exercises;" it was the training of the athlete for his striving in the games. Bodily exercise profited little, but godliness had, and still has, the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. The saint who is unexercised in divine things will make little progress now and this neglect will be seen in the life that is to come (1 Timothy 4.8).

Another thing which is most important in prayer is that of waiting on God. Though God can and may at times answer prayer speedily, at other times He takes time to answer prayer, for He may have many obstacles to remove and many things to do which in His wisdom He does not do as quickly as the flesh in us thinks He should. God works patiently and silently, as silently as He causes the earth to rotate on its axis, and to fly round its central sun in its vast orbit. So silently does God do all this, and much more, that we would not think the earth was moving at all God is "the God of patience" (Romans is. 5). We need to learn patience while God works, and also to exercise complete trust in Him, that He will hear the prayers of His prayerful saints and answer them in His own time and way.

The words of Isaiah 64.4 have been echoing and re-echoing within me for some days now:

For from of old men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen a God beside Thee, which worketh for him that waiteth for Him," which "waiting" means to wait as having full confidence in Him.

The flesh cannot wait on God. It must be up and doing, even though all it does is futile. It is like Saul, the king of Israel, who could not wait as he was instructed by Samuel to do till he came. When Samuel spoke to him, his answer was" I forced myself therefore, and offered the burnt offering." Samuel's reply was, "Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which He commanded thee." "Now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought Him a man after His own heart, and the LORD hath appointed him to be prince over His people" (1 Samuel 13.12-14).

Wherein Saul failed through haste, David was victorious through patient waiting on God. Twice he had Saul in his power, but he did not slay him and ascend the throne of Israel over Saul's dead body. He would wait on God and wait His time to reign. His psalms are replete with experiences of waiting and with exhortations to wait on God.

"Our soul hath waited for the Loan:

He is our Help and our Shield" (Psalm 33.20).

"Wait on the LORD:

Be strong, and let thine heart take courage

Yea, wait thou on the LORD" (Psalm 27.14).

Rest (be silent patiently and with confidence to expect His aid) in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him" (Psalm 37.7).

"My soul waiteth (is silent unto God) only upon God:

From Him cometh my salvation" (Psalm 62.1, see also v.5).

The effect of David's' patient waiting on God is seen in Psalm 40.1-5, and of the deliverance he then knew.

We cannot pass from these few words about the importance of those who pray to God waiting upon Him without referring to the oft-repeated words of Isaiah 40.31 as to the importance of waiting on Him, if we would mount up with wings as eagles, run and not be weary, and walk and not faint.

J. Miller | Mar 1962
Jottings