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THE KNEELING CHRISTIAN
by Unknown Christian

It is when we pray that God 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 God 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 God 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.

A young convert asked his vicar to give him some Christian work. “Have you a chum?” “Yes,” replied the boy. “Is he a Christian?” “No, he is as careless as I was.” “Then go and ask him to accept Christ as his Savior.” “Oh, no!” said the lad, “I could never do that. Give me anything but that.” “Well,” said the vicar, “promise me two things: that you will not speak to him about his soul, and that you will pray to God twice daily for his conversion.” “Why, yes, I’ll gladly do that,” answered the boy. Before a fortnight was up he rushed round to the vicarage. “Will you let me off my promise? I must speak to my chum!” he cried. When he began to pray God could give him strength to witness. Communion with God is essential before we can have real communion with our fellow-man. My belief is that men so seldom speak to others about their spiritual condition because they pray so little for them.

The writer has never forgotten how his faith in prayer was confirmed when, as a lad of thirteen, he earnestly asked God to enable him on a certain day to secure twenty new subscribers for missions overseas. Exactly twenty new names were secured before night closed in. The consciousness that God would grant that prayer was an incentive to eager effort, and gave an unwonted courage in approaching others.

A cleric in England suggested to his people that they should each day pray for the worst man or woman and then go to them and tell them about Jesus. Only six agreed to do so. On arrival home he began to pray. Then he said, “I must not leave this to my people. I must take it up myself. I don’t know the bad people. I’ll have to go out and enquire.” Approaching a rough-looking man at a street corner, he asked, “Are you the worst man in this district?” “No, I’m not.” “Would you mind telling me who is?” “I don’t mind. You’ll find him at No. 7, down that street.”

He knocked at No. 7 and entered. “I’m looking for the worst man in my parish. They tell me it might be you?” “Whoever told you that? Fetch him here, and I’ll show him who’s the worst man! No, there are lots worse than me.” “Well, who is the worst man you know?” “Everybody knows him. He lives at the end house in that court. He’s the worst man.” So down the court he went and knocked at the door. A surly voice cried, “Come in!”

There were a man and his wife. “I hope you’ll excuse me, but I’m the minister of the chapel along the round. I’m looking for the worst man in my district, because I have something to tell him. Are you the worst man?” The man turned to his wife and said, “Lass, tell him what I said to you five minutes ago.” “No, tell him yourself.” “What were you saying?” enquired the visitor. “Well, I’ve been drinking for twelve weeks. I’ve had the D.T’s and have pawned all in the house worth pawning. And I said to my wife a few minutes ago, ‘Lass, this thing has to stop, and if it doesn’t, I’ll stop it myself — I’ll go and drown myself.’ Then you knocked at the door! Yes, sir, I’m the very worst man. What have you got to say to me?” “I’m here to tell you that Jesus Christ is the greatest Savior, and that He can make out of the worst man one of the best. He did it for me, and He will do it for you.” “D’you think He can do it even for me?” “I’m sure He can. Kneel down and ask Him.”

Not only was the poor drunkard saved from his sins, but he is today a radiant Christian man, bringing other drunken people to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Surely none of us finds it difficult to believe that God can, in answer to prayer, heal the body, send rain or fair weather, dispel fogs, or avert calamities?

We have to do with a God whose knowledge is infinite. He can put it into the mind of a doctor to prescribe a certain medicine, or diet, or method of cure. All the doctor’s skill is from God. “He knoweth our frame” — for He made it. He knows it far better than the cleverest doctor or surgeon. He made, and He can restore. We believe that God desires us to use medical skill, but we also believe that God, by His wonderful knowledge, can heal, and sometimes does heal, without human co-operation. And God must be allowed to work in His own way. We are so apt to tie God down to the way we approve of. God’s aim is to glorify His name in answering our prayers. Sometimes He sees that our desire is right, but our petition wrong. St. Paul thought he could bring more glory to God if only the thorn in the flesh could be removed. God knew that he would be a better man and do better work with the thorn than without it. So God said No-No-No to his prayer, and then explained why!

So it was with Monica, who prayed so many years for the conversion of Augustine, her licentious son. When he was determined to leave home and cross the seas to Rome she prayed earnestly, even passionately, that God would keep him by her side, and under her influence. She went down to a little chapel on the seashore to spend the night in prayer close by where the ship lay at anchor. But, when morning came, she found that the ship had sailed even while she prayed! Her petition was refused, but her real desire was granted. For it was in Rome that Augustine met the sainted Ambrose, who led him to Christ. How comforting it is to know that God knows what is best!

But we should never think it unreasonable that God should make some things dependent upon our prayers. Some people say that if God really loves us He would give us what is best for us whether we ask Him or not. Dr. Fosdick has so beautifully pointed out that God has left man many things to do for himself. He promises seedtime and harvest. Yet man must prepare the soil, sow, and till, and reap in order to allow God to do His share. God provides us with food and drink. But He leaves us to take, and eat, and drink. There are some things God cannot, or at least will not, do without our help. God cannot do some things unless we think. He never emblazons His truth upon the sky. The laws of science have always been there. But we must think, and experiment, and think again if we would use those laws for our own good and God’s glory.

God cannot do some things unless we work. He stores the hills with marble, but He has never built a cathedral. He fills the mountains with iron ore, but He never makes a needle or a locomotive. He leaves that to us. We must work.

If, then, God has left many things dependent upon man’s thinking and working, why should He not leave some things dependent upon man’s praying? He has done so. “Ask and ye shall receive.” And there are some things God will not give us unless we ask. Prayer is one of the three ways in which man can co-operate with God; and the greatest of these is prayer.

Men of power are without exception men of prayer. God bestows His Holy Spirit in His fullness only on men of prayer. And it is through the operation of the Spirit that answers to prayer come. Every believer has the Spirit of Christ dwelling in him. For “if any have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” But a man of prevailing prayer must be filled with the Spirit of God.

A lady missionary wrote recently that it used to be said of Praying Hyde that he never spoke to an unconverted man but that he was soundly converted. But if he ever did fail at first to touch a heart for God, he went back to his room and wrestled in prayer till he was shown what it was in himself that had hindered his being used by God. Yes, when we are filled with the Spirit of God, we cannot help influencing others God-ward. But, to have power with men, we must have power with God. The momentous question for you and me is not, however, “How does God answer prayer?” The question is, “Do I really pray?” What a marvelous power God places at our disposal! Do we for a moment think that anything displeasing to God is worth our while holding on to? Fellow-Christian, trust Christ wholly, and you will find Him wholly true.

Let us give God the chance of putting His mind into us, and we shall never doubt the power of prayer again.

CHAPTER 11: HINDRANCES TO PRAYER

THE, poet said, and we often sing —
What various hindrances we meet
In coming to the mercy-seat.

Yes, indeed, they are various. But here again, most of those hindrances are our own making. God wants me to pray. The devil does not want me to pray, and does all he can to hinder me. He knows that we can accomplish more through our prayers than through our work. He would rather have us do anything else than pray.

We have already referred to Satan’s opposition to prayer:
Angels our march oppose
Who still in strength excel
Our secret, sworn, relentless foes,
Countless, invisible

But we need not fear them, nor heed them, if our eyes are ever unto the Lord. The holy angels are stronger than fallen angels, and we can leave the celestial hosts to guard us. We believe that to them — the hosts of evil — we owe those wandering thoughts which so often wreck prayer. We no sooner kneel than we “recollect” something that should have been done, or something which had better be seen to at once.

These thoughts come from without, and are surely due to the promptings of evil spirits. The only cure for wandering thoughts is to get our minds fixed upon God. Undoubtedly a man’s worst foe is himself. Prayer is for a child of God — and one who is living as a child of God should pray. The great question is: Am I harboring any foes in my heart? Are there traitors within? God cannot give us His best spiritual blessings unless we fulfil conditions of trust, obedience and service. Do we not often ask earnestly for the highest spiritual gifts, without even any thought of fulfilling the necessary requirements? Do we not often ask for blessings we are not fitted to receive? Dare we be honest with ourselves, alone in the presence of God? Dare we say sincerely, “Search me, O God, and see —”? Is there anything in me which is hindering God’s blessing for me and through me? We discuss the “problem of prayer”; we are the problem that needs discussing or dissecting! Prayer is all right! There is no problem in prayer to the heart which is absolutely stayed on Christ.

Now, we shall not quote the usual Bible texts which show how prayer may be frustrated. We merely desire that everyone should get a glimpse of his own heart. No sin is too small to hinder prayer, and perhaps to turn the very prayer itself into sin, if we are not willing to renounce that sin. The Moslems in West Africa have a saying, “If there is no purity, there is no prayer; if there is no prayer, there is no drinking of the water of heaven.” This truth is so clearly taught in Scripture that it is amazing that any should try to retain both sin and prayer. Yet very many do this. Even David cried, long ages ago, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear” (Psa. lxvi. 18).

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