By Andrew Murray
Victory Over Do you believe that all other blessings come from God
B he greatest stumbling block in the w a y o f v i c t o r y ove r prayerlessness is the secret feeling that we shall never obtain the blessing of being delivered from it. Often have we put forth effort in this direction, but in vain. Old habit and the power of the flesh, our surroundings with their attrac tions, have been too strong for us. What good is it to attempt that which our heart assures us is out of our reach? The change needed in the entire life is too great and too difficult. If the question is put: “ Is a change possible?” our sighing heart says: “ Alas, for me it is en tirely impossible!” Do you know why that reply comes? It is simply because you have received the call to prayer as the voice of Moses and as a command of the law. Moses and his law have never yet given anyone the power to obey. Do you really long for the cour age to believe that deliverance from a prayerless life is possible for you and may become a reality? Then you must learn the great lesson that such a deliverance is included in the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, that it is one of the blessings of the New Covenant which God Himself will impart to you through C h r is t Jesus. As you begin to understand this you will find that the exhortation, “ Pray without ceasing,” conveys a new meaning. Hope begins to spring up in your heart that the Spirit — Who has
been bestowed on you to cry con stantly, “ Abba, Father” — will make a true life of prayer possible for you. Then you will hearken, not in the spirit of discouragement, but in the gladness of hope, to the voice that calls you to repentance. Many a one has turned to his inner chamber, under bitter self accusation that he has prayed so little, arid has resolved for the future to live in a different manner. Yet no blessing has come —-- there was not the strength to continue faithful, and the call to repentance had no power, because his eyes had not been fixed on the Lord Jesus. If he had only understood, he would have said: “ Lord, Thou seest how cold and dark my heart is: I know that I must pray, but I feel I cannot do so; I lack the urgency and desire to pray.” He did not know that at that moment the Lord Jesus in His ten der love was looking down upon him and saying: “ You cannot pray; you feel that all is cold and dark: why not give yourself over into My hands? Only believe that I am ready to help you in prayer; I long greatly to shed abroad My love in your heart, so that you, in the con sciousness of weakness, may confi dently rely on Me to bestow the grace of prayer. Just as I will cleanse you from all other sins, so also will I deliver from the sin of prayerlessness — only do not seek the victory in your own strength.
Bow before Me as one who expects everything from His Saviour. Let your soul keep silence before Me, however sad you feel your state to be. Be assured of this — I will teach you how to pray.” Many a one will acknowledge: “ I see my mistake; I had not thought that the Lord Jesus must deliver and cleanse me from this sin also. I had not understood that He was with me every day in the inner chamber, in His great love ready to keep and bless me, how ever sinful and guilty I felt myself to be. I had not supposed that just as He will give all other grace in answer to prayer, so, above all and before all, He will bestow the grace of a praying heart. What folly to think that all other blessings must come from Him, but that prayer, whereon everything else depends, must be o b ta in e d by personal effort! Thank God I begin to com prehend— the Lord Jesus is Him self in the inner chamber watching over me, and holding Himself responsible to teach me how to approach the Father. This only He demands — that I, with childlike confidence, wait upon Him and glorify Him.” Have we not seriously forgotten this truth? From a defective spirit ual life nothing better can be ex pected than a defective prayer life. It is vain for us, with our defective spiritual life, to endeavor to pray more or better. It is an impossibil-
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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