TH B K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
390
October, 1941
lng God Himself in view. God’s honor must be first in the believer’s desire. God’s kingdom must be desired-above all other authority, and God’s will must be desired beyond any other will, A good preparation for engaging in pre vailing prayer is meditation upon these three things -until there is certainty that, on the part of .the one who prays, they are desired above all else. ; Second, there are three petitions for personal good. One is for daily food and provision; the need is to be recognized and the source of supply is to be ac knowledged. Another is for spiritual blessings; constant forgiveness is needed for sin, whether that sin is conscious ly or unconsciously committed. And finally there is deliverance from the evil one. , . He’ who truly prays will look out upon the world as God looks upon it, with a deep love for it, with an understanding sympathy for it, and fu ll"forgiveness for its frailty and sin, as these are en countered. n . T he M ethod of T hanksgiving 1 (Eph. 5:20) Thanksgiving is to be continuous, not merely when some special providence has been received, but in the midst of even untoward experiences. The believer is to give thanks “always.” He is to count upon it that his Father knows his need, of whatever sort it may be; that He knows how to meet that need; and, moreover, that He will meet the need in His own infinitely wise and loving way. The full understanding of this fact will enable the Lord’s follower to give thanks comprehensively; he will include “all things” in his thanksgiving. Only the one who knows that “all things work to gether for good” (Rom. 8:28) can ful fill the exhortation of this passage. HI. T he M odel for B oth P rater and T hanksgiving (1 Thess.v5:16-18) Continuous rejoicing must be possible, or else it Would not be commanded by God. When outward causes of rejoic ing fail, the believer still can rejoice in his position in Christ, his protection in Christ, and his possessions in Christ. Continuous prayer means the constant desire for the will of God to be known and done. The will of God will not be something secondary in the believer’s thinking, but will become the motivat ing factor in every circumstance and ex perience. Continuous thanks should be offered -for all the providences o f God. And how abundant these ,are! Points and Problems i. “Thou, shalt not be as the, hypo crites” (Matt. 6:5). The Greek word rendered “hypocrites” was originally used in ancient days to describe an actor or stage-player. The actor pretended to be something that he was not. So also With the hypocrite. He is a play-actor, not in reel life, but in Teal life. In the
matter of prayer, there are probably more pretenders and play-actors than in any other activity of the Christian life. It would pay us to ask ourselves each morning of our lives solemnly, “Just how genuine is my prayer-life?” 2. ,“Thy Father which seeth in secret* (v; 6). In the solitude of the closet, where the eye of no man can see, there is an eye which'takes note of how we pray and what we say. It is better to -be seen of God than of men. 3. “ Shall reward thee openly” (v. 6). A careful comparison of the ancient manuscripts shows that the Greek words translated “openly” are not genuine. The - evidence against them Is overwhelming. Therefore the American Revision has omitted “openly.” After all, God has not promised to reward our private devo tions always in a public manner. Many a saint has prayed in secret long and faithfully without any public recogni tion. Some day, however, there will be a public reward, and all the universe will know why evil was restrained here, and men were saved there. 4. “Use not vain repetitions” (v. 7). It is interesting to note that our Lord uttered this warning just before He gave the' prayer which is called “The Lord’s Prayer.” Did He, with divine foreknowl edge, anticipate the way that prayer is commonly used in the churches today ? “Vain repetition” is a mark of heathen ism. 5. “ Our Father which art In heaven” (v. 9).. Two points here should not be overlooked: First, the Lord gave this prayer-address to those who were dis* ciples, not to the world in general (see Matt. 5:1, 2). The world cannot call God “Qur Father.” Ejecond, the God who an swers prayer is “in heaven.” To be sure, He is also in nature. But it is significant that Christ teaches men in prayer to address God “in heaven.” There is a profound philosophic truth here. If God were only in nature (immanent), He could not answer prayer, in a miraculous way. Only a God who is above nature (transcendent) can answer prayer thus. Let us be thankful for our Father who is “in heaven.” Golden Text Illustration- 1 T hessalonians 5:17, 18 A young woman in Scotland, collect ing for some charity, called at the cot tage of a woman who was very poor, but who would have been insulted if the collector had passed her door. Betty was sitting at her tea. As she rose to get her widow’s mite, she threw her apron across the tea table. The girl in curios- »ity lifted the apron to see what it con cealed, and found that the hidden cup was full of water. “Why, Betty,” she cried, “it isn’t tea you have here; it is water!” “Aye, my. dear,” said Betty, "it’s just water, but He makes it taste like wine.” --From llie Contentment of Love, by Morrison. > - i .
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