January 1927
19
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
Topsy-Turvy Ideas of Prayer and Worship B y P h il ip S heppard , M.D. Sydney, Australia
N OWHERE does man exhibit his folly more than when he prays, for unless he prays according to the Scriptures of the revealed mind of God, he soon discloses the “topsy-turvy” state of his mind. The popular idea of prayer is that we are, by our earnest pleading, to induce God to alter His purpose. Whereas with God—the God of the Bible—there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17). The truth is that in connection with prayer, as in every thing else, man needs instructing. If the disciples needed to say, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1), most certainly all of us need to. When we are thus taught, and learn to pray in the spirit, the effect is that we are changed—changed from arrogancy to humility ; from dictators to supplicants ; changed so that with shamefacedness, we abandon our wicked presumption of attempting to regulate the Almighty. God says: “Let us therefore come boldly unto the Throne of Grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16). The chief design of prayer is to bring us to our knees as supplicants before God. But man, with his usual perversity, turns things upside d own . Instead of regarding prayer as a footstool, he turns it into a throne; in stead of asking from God he presumes to dictate to God; instead of owning God as a Sovereign Supreme, he deigns to look upon God as a Servant—-his Servant, to be ordered about at his pleasure. T he D esign of P rayer Prayer was designed of God to humble man into the dust to ask for those things which are according to His will (1 John 5:14). But in his pride, .man (who is incompetent to regulate his own ways) undertakes to prescribe the ways of the Al mighty. ' Even believers are infected with this evil spirit, as is clearly witnessed to by their talking about “claiming” from God, instead of humbly pleading His promises. Again, the pride of the flesh is exhibited by many praying souls insisting that God should answer their prayers ' in their way, as though creatures of time knew better than Him who in- habiteth eternity what was best for them! That God reserves to Himself the right to answer even thé prayers of faith in His own time and way is clearly seen from the manner in which He responded to the petitions of the Apostle Paul. In 2 Cor. 12, we hear that after a thorn in the flesh had been given to him ( “given” mark, not sent) that the Apostle “besought the Lord thrice that it might depart” from him' (verse 8). God did re spond to the cry of his servant, but His response did not take the form which he desired. Instead.of removing the “thorn in the flesh” the Lord gave the Apostle grace to. endure it. The great Exemplar of the prayer-life, as of everything else that is good, is the perfect Man, the God-Man, the Lord Jesus. Behold Him amidst the awful agonies of Gethsemane ! See Him on His face before God I H e a r H i m as He cries, “Oh, my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.” But that was not all that He said. W e i g h carefully His concluding words : “Nevertheless not as I will but as Thou wilt” (Matt. 26:39). Here is the only becoming attitude for us to take in the presence of the Most High—our every petition must be placed in subserviency to that of the Almighty. To sum up: The present trend of much of so-called prayer today is, Not Thy will, but mine be done. The proper attitude,
as exemplified by the Incarnate Son of God was, Not my will, but Thine be done. W rong I deas of W orship If it be true that men get things topsy-turvy in connection with prayer, we should also expect to find them doing the same in regard to Divine worship. Such is indeed the case, and to an extent that few are aware. Were the apostle Paul on earth today, we are satisfied that if he entered m a n y churches in Christendom and beheld what was there going on, he would say, “Whom therefore ye ignorantly' worship, Him declare I unto you” (Acts 17:23). First, there is an amazing ignorance as to the act of worship itself. Worship is a personal thing, and cannot be rendered by proxy. Yet how many there are who pay the priest or the preacher to pray for them, who.contribute to the maintenance of a professional choir, and then suppose that their presence at church as mere listeners constitutes them worshippers. What a delusion! Again, there is a deplorable ignorance displayed in the place which is given to worship. Man puts service first and worship last. The popular slogan in many of the so-called evangelical churches is, that we are “saved to serve.” What an index to the low state of spirituality which almost everywhere prevails! God puts worship" before service! Mark the order in Christ’s crushing rebuke to the Tempter: “Thou shalt (1) worship the Lord thy God, and (2) Him only shalt thou serve” (Matt. 4:10) ! G od S eeks W orshippers We are saved to worship; What the Father desires is the adoration of our hearts before the works of our hands. What- is Christian service worth if it be not" overflow of a heart which praises God! It is greatly to be feared that much of that which passes today for “service” will prove to be but “wood, hay, stubble’’ in the day of testing. This same order of worship before service is to be observed in the demands which Jehovah set before Pharaoh. The first time Moses and Aaron appeared before Egypt’s king they said, “Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness” (Ex. 5:1) ; i. e., ‘that they may worship me. But subsequently we are told that Moses was instructed to say to Pharaoh, “The Lord God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go that they serve Me in the wilder ness” (Ex. 7:16). The general ignorance which prevails is also to be seen in the popular and erroneous idea of the nature of worship. The great majority imagine •that “worship” is going to church- in, . order to receive a blessing. They go to hear a sermon that their souls may be fed, or to sing .that their hearts may be warmed, or to pray that their petitions may be offered. But real wor ship consists of giving, not getting. Worship is what I render unto God, not what I receive from Him. The first mention of “worship” in the Bible indicates the significance of the term. “Abraham said to his young men, Abide ye here with the ass, and I and the lad will go yonder and worship” (Gen. 22:5). Abraham was about to offer his well-beloved son upon the altar of God. “Worship,” then, is presenting something to God; it is offering to Him our best. The second mention of “worship” is equally instructive. In Gen. 24:26, 48 we find the servant of Abraham bowing in worship
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