Prayer That Obtains

Tip! If I will give myself up to the inspiration of the Spirit of God, who commands me to pray, the details and the petitions of that praying will all fall into harmony with the will of Him who wills that I should pray.

"So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." (Luke 11:9)

There are many conditions of true prayer. For instance, it must be earnest. There are times when we know we are on the line of God's purposes, when we may dare to be persistent. Prayer must be offered in the Name of Christ, i.e., it must be in harmony with the nature of Christ, which was devoted to the glory of God and to the blessing of people. That Name will eliminate the element of selfishness which will mar any prayer by whom ever offered it. Prayer must also be based on some promise of God, then is presented to Him as a check or note is presented to a bank.

All these are but steps to the faith that obtains, for it is, after all, not prayer but faith that obtains promises. That is why our Lord lays so much stress on receiving. Much of our prayer fails because we forget that He said, "Every one that asks receives"; and again, "All things whatsoever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received them, and you shall have them" (Mark 11:24).

As close as I can describe this process of prayer, it seems to be something after this fashion.

Tip! Prayer, as taught by Jesus in its principal expression, enters into all the relations of life. It purifies fellowship.

1) We must reverently kneel before God, glorifying and praising Him for His greatness and goodness.

2) We are conscious of needing some very special gift which is promised to us in His Word the Holy Bible.

3) Then in the Name of Christ we present the request with the confidence of a child.

Tip! The entire principle of Bible teaching is to illustrate the great truth that God hears and answers prayer. One of the great purposes of God in His book is to impress on us permanently the great importance, the priceless value, and the absolute necessity of asking God for the things that we need for our time on earth and eternity.

4) With earnestness of desire and speech we unfold the reasons why the gift sought is so necessary. But we do not quit praying at this point and go away in uncertainty as to what the outcome will be.

5) By an act of the Spirit, we seem to receive without doubt the spiritual or even the temporal gift; and we realize that it has received, that the special grace has been imparted, to be discovered and used under stress of our need. Also that the temporal gift has also been received, though it may be held back until the precise moment when it can be delivered, in much the same way as a present may be purchased long before the time of handing it to its destined owner. (1Samual 1:15, 1Samual 1:18, 1Samual 1:27).

This is what Christ meant by "receiving," and it has a mighty effect on prayer, because it makes it so much more definite. It leads to praise, because we are able to thank God for His gift. Remember you must be able to take what you ask for as well as pray.

PRAYER

We rejoice that our Savior ever lives to intercede as our High Priest and Mediator. Through the rent veil, let our prayers ascend to You mingled with the fragrance of His merit in whom You are ever well pleased. In Jesus' name, AMEN.