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FORTY-FIFTH LORD’S DAY.
OF PRAYER.
Question 118. What hath
God commanded us to ask of him?
Answer. All
things necessary for soul and body; which Christ our Lord has comprised in that
prayer he himself has taught us.
EXPOSITION.
The conditions of acceptable prayer are --
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That it be
directed to the true God, or that the true God be called upon, who has
revealed himself in the church by the word delivered by the Prophets and
Apostles, and by the work of creation, preservation and redemption. This true
God now is the eternal Father, Son and Holy Ghost. “As we have received” said
Basil, “so have we been baptized, and as we have been baptized, so do we
believe, and as we believe, so do we worship the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.”
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The second
requisite of acceptable prayer, is a knowledge of the di vine commandment.
Without the commandment of God we doubt in regard to our being heard. The
person, however, that has an eye to the divine command, rests fully assured
that his prayers are acceptable to God; be cause the worship which God
requires of us, in his word, cannot be other wise than pleasing to him. When
we pray, therefore, we ought so to think and resolve, I call upon thee,
because thou hast commanded me.
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A knowledge
of the things which we ought to ask at the hands of God, is also necessary to
effectual prayer. God does not desire us to direct vague and wandering
petitions to him, being uncertain what we would pray for. A king would
consider himself derided and mocked if any one were to kneel before him,
without knowing what to ask at his hands. So God will have us consider and
think what things we should ask of him, if we would pray unto him and not mock
him when we come into his presence. We, however, do not know what we should
ask. It is for this reason that Christ has prescribed a form of prayer, which
contains the sum and sub stance of the things which we should pray for.. To
sum up the whole in as few words as possible, we would say, we should pray for
things which we are certain are approved of by God, and promised. These
consist of two kinds such as are spiritual and temporal, both of which God
desires us to ask at his hands. Spiritual things, because they are necessary
to our salvation, and temporal things, 1. That the desire of them may exercise
our faith, and confirm our confidence in regard to our obtaining such things
as are spiritual. The reason is, because no one can expect good things of God,
except he be reconciled to him. 2. That we may consider and reflect upon the
providence of God, knowing that these small and comparatively unimportant
things do not come fortuitously.
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There must
be a true desire for those things which we ask of God, if our prayers are
heard. God will not have our prayer to be feigned, or hypocritical they must
come from the heart, and not merely from the lips. God wills us to pray with
an earnest desire of the heart, for it not the words of the mouth, but the
sighs and groans of the heart, that constitute true prayer, as the Lord said
unto Moses, “Wherefore criest thou unto me?” when Moses, nevertheless, said
nothing. (Ex. 14:15.) Hence an ardent desire is to be made the general and
chief thing in the definition of prayer.
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A knowledge
and sense of our own want. This should be the spring or fountain from which
all our desires should proceed; for what any one does not feel himself greatly
in need of, that he will not ardently desire. All of us now stand in need of
God.
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True
humility with an acknowledgement of our want. We should cast ourselves before
the divine Majesty as humble suppliants. God is under no obligation to us. All
of us, too, were the enemies of God before our conversion. God now does not
hear sinners; that is, such proud sinners as the Pharisee was, who prayed
standing in the highest seat in the temple. Hence, true humility, penitence,
and conversion are necessary to acceptable prayer. The promises of God, too,
have respect merely to such as are converted. No one can pray in faith without
conversion to God; and without faith, no one can have any assurance of being
heard, nor does he receive what he desires.
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A knowledge
of Christ the Mediator, and trust in him, are likewise necessary, in order
that we may rest assured that both we and our prayers please God, not on
account of any worthiness on our part, but only for the Mediator s sake. It
was in this way that Daniel prayed and asked to be heard for the Lord’s sake.
(Dan. 9:17.) Christ also commands us to pray to the Father in his name. Our
prayers should be placed upon our altar, even Christ. So shall they be
acceptable to God.
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Confidence
of being heard. As it respects the former condition, faith is necessary in
order that we may be fully persuaded that we are just be fore God, and that he
is reconciled to us in Christ. Here faith or confidence of being heard is
necessary, inasmuch as this cannot exist independent of the former. “Because
ye are sons, God hath put forth the Spirit of his Son, into your hearts,
crying, Aba, Father.” “Without faith, it is impossible to please him, for he
that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is the rewarder of
them that diligently seek him.” (Gal. 4:6. Heb. 11:6.)
We must, however, here observe in respect to this
confidence of being heard, that there is a difference in the things which are to
be prayed for. Some gifts are necessary to salvation, as are those which are
spiritual; whilst there are others such as are temporal without which we may be
saved. The former are to be simply and positively desired with full confidence
that we shall as certainly receive them, as we ask them specially at the hands
of God. The latter are indeed to be sought and desired, but with the condition
of the will of God, that he will confer them upon us, if they contribute to his
glory, and are profitable to us; or that he will confer upon us other and better
things, either now or hereafter as may seem best in his sight. We should in
praying for these things imitate the example of the leper, who said, “Lord if
thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.” (Matt. 8:2.) It is in this way that the
faithful present their prayers before God, and desire to be heard, inasmuch as
we oftentimes pray for things which, perhaps, would be more injury than
advantage to us, if God were to hear and grant our requests.
Obj. He who asks doubtingly does not ask in faith, and is
not heard. We seek temporal blessings with doubt, inasmuch as we pray for them
conditionally. Therefore, we do not ask them in faith. Ans. The major
proposition is either particular, or else it is not true. For the nature of
faith does not demand that we be fully assured in reference to temporal
blessings, but merely in reference to spiritual blessings, such as the forgive
ness of sins, and eternal life, which are necessary to salvation. Respecting
temporal benefits, it is sufficient if faith submit itself to the word of God,
and desire and pray for such things as are profitable for us. We also deny the
truth of the minor proposition; for although we do pray conditionally for
temporal blessings, yet we do not simply doubt in regard to our obtaining them.
We believe that we shall obtain from God the temporal blessings which we ask at
his hand, if they contribute to our salvation, and do not desire to be heard, if
they would be injurious to us. We, therefore, notwithstanding ask in faith,
when we submit to the word of God and acquiesce in his will, and pray to be
heard according to the good pleasure of our heavenly Father. For faith submits
itself to every word and desire of God. But the will and pleasure of God consist
in this, that we desire and pray for spiritual things simply, and for temporal
things conditionally, and that we be fully persuaded that we shall receive the
former particularly; and the latter in as far as they contribute to the glory of
God and our salvation. Praying in this way, we do not doubt in regard to our
being heard.
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A
knowledge of the divine promise, with confidence in it. God promises that he
will hear those who call upon him, observing the conditions which we have now
specified. “Call upon me in the day of trouble, I will deliver thee.” “And it
shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer, and while they are
yet speaking, I will hear.” (Ps. 50:15. Is. 65:24.) Without this promise,
that we shall be heard in what we ask of God, there is no faith; and without
faith, prayer is of no avail. Except we have faith in the divine promises, and
have a regard to them in our prayers, they will not avail us any thing,
neither can we desire any thing with a good conscience. Confidence in the
divine promise produces an assurance of being heard, and of our salvation,
which assurance kindles in us a desire of calling upon God, and of making
supplication to him. From the conditions which we have specified as being
necessary to constitute acceptable prayer, it readily appears what a great
difference there is between the prayers of the godly and the ungodly. The
godly desire to observe all these conditions in drawing near to God in prayer:
the un godly, on the other hand, either neglect all of them, or else they
observe one or two of these conditions, and fall short as it respects the
rest. Some commit an error, as it were, in the very threshhold, having an
incorrect knowledge of the nature and will of God, and so violate the very
first condition necessary to acceptable prayer some err in the things which
they pray for, in that they pray for things that are evil, uncertain, and not
approved of by God some ask blessings of God hypocritically some ask without
any consciousness or sense of the want of the blessings for, which they pray
some have no confidence in Christ the mediator some ask that they may be heard
in the things which they pray for, and yet persist in sin some ask things
necessary for salvation, and yet do it with distrust, whilst others again
address prayers to God, and yet never think of the divine promise, and
therefore ask without faith, and so receive no answer to their prayers.
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