December 1926
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
740
feel impelled to express. We should maintain such undisturbed relations with our Heavenly Father that wher ever we may be and in whatever cir cumstances we may find ourselves, we may have ready access to His listen ing ear. We are encouraged by the Word to "call upon Him in the day of trouble.” We have no assurance of freedom from distresses and trials in this life, but we do know that in the midst of these difficult experiences "His grace is sufficient.” Our Lord Himself set us the ex ample of a life of habitual prayer. And if this was essential for Him, how imperatively necessary f o r us. The entire Sacred Record is replete with encouragements to a life of prayer. Not only was deliverance wrought in response thereto, and difficulty and distress of every sort adequately met, but such fellowship and communion were established a s s e r v e d t o strengthen faith, and lead to an un wavering reliance upon the unfailing arm. Let us learn to' “pray without ceasing,” and thus link ourselves in unbroken fellowship with Him who is ever faithful, and who will move heaven and earth in response to the appeals of His believing chiidreh. m Suggestive Scripture References For Class Hour Use Grace Maxwell A Central-Truth Text: Watch unto prayer. 1 Peter 4:7. A prayer-hearing and prayer-answer ing God: Isa. 65:24; Jer. 29:12. Re member experiences of Moses: Num. 11:2; David: Psa. 6:9; Elijah: 1 Kings 18:37, 38; Paul: 2 Cor. 12:7. Petitions for personal or material affairs: Rom. 15:30-32; 2 Cor. 1:10, 11; Philemon 22; Jas. 5:13-18. Praying always: Zech, 12:10 (1st cl.); Rom. 12:12; Phil. 4:6; 1 Thess. 6:17. Comparing Scriptures we note cer tain conditions to acceptable prayer: a. The putting away of evil: 2 Chron. 34riT; Psa. 66:18; Isa. 1:15; 68:9; 59:1, 2; Mark 11: 25; Heb. 10:22; Jas. 4:3, 8. b. Asking in faith: Mark 11:24; Jas: 1:6, 7. c. Praying in Jesus’ name: John 14:13, 14; 16:23, 24, 26; Bph. 2:i8. (If time allows—other Scripture: Isa. 37:14-20; 38:1-5; Dan. 10:3-23.) Mi M Learning From J e s u s How To Pray Mark 1:35; 14:32-36; Matt. 6:9-13 Golden Text: “Ask, and' it shall be given you; seek,'*"and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” Matt. 7:7. Approach: Recently a teen age girl remarked in my presence, that she be lieved tbe Bible was God’s Word; but as far as her life was concerned, she failed to get in on the truth stated in o u r Golden Text. ELEMENTARY She said her pray- Mabel L. Merrill ers never got any where. A closer touch with her revealed she was a busy girl in her senior year of High
body and forgiveness for the soul are all supplied in Christ (Phil. 4:19). “Bring US Not i n t o Temptation.” Testings are good for us (James 1:2). In and through them God proves His power and we prove our faith in God. But certain temptations are to be avoided (1 Cor. 10:13). “Deliver Us from the Evil One.” Satan is the great enemy of God and man. Christ was manifested to de stroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). He can only be overcome by submission to God (James 4:7), by vigilance (1 Pet. 6:8), by prayer (Bph. 6:18). We need to fear him and to remember that only God can keep us so that “that wicked one toucheth us not” (1 John 6:18). PRACTICAL POINTS (1) The Garden of Gethsemane is the scene of the Lord’s final conflict with Satan. (2) The preparation for every trial of our faith is prayer. (3) The Lord was perfectly human; He sought the sympathy and prayers of His followers in His sorest need. (4) Bare your heart in the presence of this sad, sacred, solemn scene—the Son of God falling upon His face! (5) Here is sorrow so deep that no human can sound its depths. (6) Soldiers are shot who are found sleeping on guard, but our Lord for gave His followers. (7) We must watch and pray, work and pray, and wait and pray. (8) Prayer must be -real if aught is to be realized. (9) The door to the Father’s heart is always open to His children. Pass in by prayer. (10) The purpose of prayer is to keep us dependent upon God. (11) W h e n prayer is answered, praise His name. Prayer is so much more than the mere asking things of God. It in cludes thiB, and we are thankful when He answers “Yes.” Are we equally thankful w h e n He DEVOTIONAL says “No”? The lat- COMMENT ter is manifestly as Wm. A. Fisher much an answer as the former. Praise is closely linked with prayer, and when offered out of gratitude for mercies vouchsafed, prepares the heart in a way that is perhaps not possible by any other means, for the exercise of the “effectual, fervent prayer” which, reposing implicit confidence in the Heavenly Father, confidently presents the petition with full expectation of a favorable response. Communion and fellowship are inseparably associated with true prayer. Prayer to be effec tive must go far beyond being a mere formal exercise of presenting peti tions. A prescribed attitude is not an indispensably necessary prerequisite, although a bowing of the knee usu ally implies a humbling of the peti tioner before the object of his appeal. But prayer need not and should not be limited to occasions of formal at titude. We may come into such con scious intimacy with God that our prayer life takes on a spontaneity de termined only by the needs which we
the power and the glory, forever, Amen,” which are now omitted In the revised version, and so on. But aside from all these questions, this prayer is very precious, as is all else that fell from the lips of our Lord. For sincerity, simplicity and fulness, it is incomparable. The order of de velopment and the proportions are all perfect. The prayer is addressed to "Our Father.” This introduces a new rela tionship of God to men, hitherto un known. The old dispensation revealed God as the “Almighty,” “Most High,” “Jehovah,’—names suggesting H is supreme power and almightiness, but the term "Father” reveals the heart of God. God is Father to those who become His children through the new birth (John 1:12, 13). T h e t e r m “The Fatherhood of God and the brother hood of man" is often used in a very unscrlptural sense, for God can never acknowledge the title “Father” from any one who fails to acknowledge His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, a s S i n- bearer and Sin-purger. “Hallowed be T h y Name.” The name stands for the person, the char acter. When we are told, “Whatso ever ye Bhall ask in my name, that will I do,” it does not mean merely to use the words “for Jesus’ sake,” etc., but it does mean that we must recog nize Jesus as Lord and S a v i o u r . “Father” Is a hallowed name, for it 8tanda for all the holiness, justice, truth, power, tenderness, and love of the Mighty One. Would that men might hallow it! “Thy Kingdom Come.” Men deny God’s right to rule now, so the prayer leads us to the time when His kingdom shall be established on the earth. But before the Kingdom can come, the King must come and set up His king dom; and before that can take place, the church must be caught up to be with Him. So we pray, “Come. Lord Jesus, come quickly!” (Matt. 13:43.) “Thy Will be Done.” Never until there is the "new heaven and the new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness” can this petition be answered. (1 Cor. 15:24-35). When His will is done down here, that will be heaven on earth. And in so far as we do His will we have heaven in our hearts now. “Give Us this Day Our Daily Bread.” This petition recognizes our daily de pendence upon God for the supply of all our need—for the soul as well as for the body (Prov. 30:8). We live a day at a time, therefore "For to morrow and its needs, we do n o t pray.” He may come today, and our need will be over, “Forgive Us our Debts as we For give our Debtors.” No one can call God “Father” who is not a son, and for the son there is absolute forgive ness for every sin (Col. 2:13; Bph. 1:7). But the other side of the truth is that, being sons and having the life of God, we cannot hold enmity or have an unforgiving spirit toward any without cutting ourselves off from fel lowship with God. Unless we forgive others, we can have no communion with the Father. But bread for the
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