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HOW TO PRAY
Extracted
from the book by R.A. Torrey
In
Ephesians 6:18, the tremendous importance of prayer is expressed with
startling and over-whelming force:
“Praying
always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto
with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”
When
the perceptive child of God stops to weigh the meaning of these words then notes
the connection in which they are found, he or she is driven to say, “I must
pray, pray, pray. I must put all my energy and heart into prayer. Whatever else
I do, I must pray.” The Revised Standard Version is sometimes even more
emphatic than the King James: “Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all
prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making
supplication for all the saints,” Notice the alls: “Pray at all times,”
“with all prayer,” “in all perseverance,” “for all the saints.” Note
the piling up of strong words, “prayer,” supplication,”
“perseverance.”
Also
notice the strong expression, “to that end keep alert,” more literally,
“in this, be not lazy.” Paul realized the natural apathy of man, and
especially his natural neglect in prayer. How seldom we pray things through! How
often the Church and the individual get right up to the verge of a great
blessing in prayer and then let go, become lazy, and quit. I wish that these
words “in this, be not lazy” might burn into our heart. I wish the whole
verse would burn into our heart.
The
Necessity Of Persistent Prayer. Why is this constant, persistent, sleepless,
over-coming prayer so necessary?
Because
there is a devil.
He
is cunning; he is mighty; he never rests; he is continually plotting the
downfall of the child of God, If the child of God relaxes in prayer, the devil
will succeed in ensnaring him.
This
is the meaning of the text. Ephesians 6:12 reads; “For we wrestle not against
flesh and blood,but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of
the darkness of this world, against spiritual
wickedness in high places.” Then comes Ephesians 6:13: “Wherefore take unto
you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day,
and having done all, to stand.”
Next
follows a description of the different parts of the Christian’s armour which
we are to put on if we are to stand against Satan and his mighty wiles. Paul
brings all to a climax in Ephesians 6:18, telling us that to all else we must
add prayer — constant, persistent, untiring, sleepless prayer in the Holy
Spirit — or all else will be in vain. Prayer is God’s appointed way for
obtaining things. The reason we lack anything in life is due to neglect of
prayer. James points this out very forcibly in chapter 4, verse 2, of his
epistle: “Ye have not, because ye ask not,” These words contain the secret
of the poverty and powerlessness of the average Christian —neglect of prayer.
Many
Christians are asking, “Why is it that I progress so little in my Christian
life?” “Neglect of prayer,” God answers. “You have not, because you ask
not.”
Many
ministers are asking, “Why is it I see so little fruit from my labours?”
Again, God answers, “Neglect of prayer. You have not, because you ask not.’
Many
Sunday school teachers are asking, “Why is it that I see so few converted in
my Sunday
School
class?” Still, God answers, “Neglect of prayer. You have not, because you
ask not.”
Both
ministers and churches are asking, “Why is it that the Church of Christ makes
so little head-way against unbelief and error and sin and worldliness?”
Once
more, we hear God answering, “Neglect of prayer. You have not, because you ask
not.”
Those men whom God set forth as a pattern of what He expected Christians to be — the apostles —regarded prayer as the most important business of their lives.
When
the multiplying responsibilities of the early Church crowded in upon them, they
“called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason
that we should leave the Word of God, and serve tables. Wherefore, brethren,
look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and
wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give our-selves
continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the Word” (Acts 6:2-4). It is
evident, from what Paul wrote to both churches and individuals, that much of his
time and strength and thought were devoted to prayer for them. (See Romans 119;
Ephesians
1:15,16; Colossians 1:9; 1 Thessalonians 3:10; 2 Timothy 1:3).
All
the mighty men of God outside the Bible have been men of prayer. They have
differed from one another in many things, but in this they have been alike.
Prayer
occupied a very prominent place and played a very important part in the earthly
life of our Lord.
Turn,
for example, to Mark 1:35. “And in the morning, rising up a great while before
day, He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.” The
preceding day had been a very busy and exciting one, but Jesus shortened the
hours of needed sleep so that He could rise early and give Himself to more
sorely needed prayer.
Turn
again to Luke 6:12, where we read, “And it came to pass in those days, that He
went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.”
Our Saviour occasionally found it necessary to spend a whole night in prayer.
The
words pray and prayer are used at least twenty-five times in connection with our
Lord in the brief record of his life in the four gospels, and His praying is
mentioned in places where the words are not used. Evidently prayer took much of
Jesus’ time and strength. A man or woman who does not spend much time in
prayer cannot properly be called a follower of Jesus Christ.
Praying
is the most important part of the present ministry of our risen Lord. This
reason for constant, persistent, sleepless, overcoming prayer seems, if
possible, even more forcible than the others.
Christ’s
ministry did not close with His death. His
atoning work was finished then. But, when He rose and ascended to the right hand
of the Father, He entered into other work for us, work just as important in its
place as His atoning work. It cannot be separated from His atoning work because
it rests upon that as its basis and is necessary to our complete salvation.
We
read what that great present work is, by which He carries our salvation on to
completeness, in Hebrews 7:25: “Wherefore He is able also to save them to the
uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession
for them." This verse tells us that Jesus is able to save us unto the
uttermost, not merely from the uttermost, but unto the uttermost — unto entire
completeness, absolute perfection. He is able to do this not only because He
died, but because He also "ever liveth." The verse also tells us why
He now lives, "to make intercession for us, "to pray. Praying is the
principal thing He is doing in these days. It is by His prayers that He is
saving us.
The
same thought is found in Paul's remarkable, triumphant challenge in Romans 8:34:
"Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is
risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession
for us."
If
we are to then have fellowship with Jesus Christ in His present work, we must
spend much time in prayer- We must give ourselves to earnest, constant,
persistent, sleepless, overcoming prayer-1 know of nothing that has so impressed
me with a sense of the importance of praying at all seasons — being much and
constantly in prayer — as the thought that this is the principal occupation of
my risen Lord even now. I want to have fellowship with Him. For that reason I
have asked the Father, whatever else He may make me, to make me at all events an
intercessor. I pray He will make me a man who knows how to pray and who spends
much time in prayer.
This
ministry of intercession is glorious and mighty, and we can all have a part in
it. The man
or woman who cannot attend the prayer meeting because of illness can have
a part in it. The busy mother and the woman who works outside the home can have
a pan- they can mingle prayers for the saints, for their pastor, for the
unsaved, and for foreign missionaries with their day’s work. The hard-driven
man of business can have a part in it, praying as he hurries from duty to duty.
But we must, if we want to maintain this spirit of constant prayer, take
time—and plenty of it—when we shut ourselves up in the secret place alone
with God for nothing but prayer.
Prayer
is the means that God has appointed for our receiving mercy and obtaining grace
to help in time of need.
Hebrews
4:16 is one of the simplest and sweetest verses in the Bible. “Let us
therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and
find grace to help in time of need.” These words make it very clear that God
has appointed a way by which we can seek and obtain mercy and grace. That way is
prayer; bold, confident, outspoken approach to the throne of grace, the most
holy place of God’s presence. There
our sympathizing High Priest, Jesus Christ, has entered in our behalf. (See
Hebrews 4:14-15.)
Mercy
is what we need and grace is what we must have or else all our life and effort
will end in complete failure. Prayer is the way to obtain mercy and grace. There
is infinite grace at our disposal, and we make it ours by prayer. Oh, if we only
realized the fullness of God’s grace which is ours for the asking — its
height and depth and length and breadth — I am sure we would spend more time
in prayer. The measure of our appropriation of grace is determined by the
measure of our prayers.
Who
does not feel that he needs more grace? Then,
ask for it. Be constant and persistent in your asking. Be diligent and untiring
in your asking. God delights to
have us “shameless” beggars in prayer; for it shows our faith in Him, and He
is mightily pleased with faith. Because of our “shamelessness,” He will rise
and give us as much as we need (see Luke 11:8). What little streams of mercy and
grace most of us know, when we might know rivers overflowing their banks!
Prayer
in the name of Jesus Christ is the way He Himself has appointed for His
disciples to obtain fullness of joy. He states this simply and beautifully in
John 16:24: “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My name; ask, and ye shall
receive, that your joy may be full.” Who does not wish for full joy? Well, the
way to have full joy is by praying in the name of Jesus, We all know people who
are full of joy. Indeed, it is just
running over, shining from their eyes, bubbling out of their very lips, and
running off their fingertips when they ^hake your hand.
Coming
in contact with them is like coming in contact with an electrical machine
charged with gladness. People of that sort are always people who spend much time
in prayer.
Why
is it that prayer in the name of Christ brings such fullness of joy?
In
part, because we get what we ask. But, that is not the only reason, nor is it
the greatest. It makes God real. When we ask something definite of God, and He
gives it, how real God becomes! He is right there! It is blessed to have a God
who is real and not merely an idea. I remember once when I suddenly and
seriously fell ill all alone in my study. I dropped upon my knees and cried to
God for help. Instantly, all pain left me—I was perfectly well. It seemed as
if God stood right there and had put out His hand and touched me. The joy of the
healing was not as great as the joy of meeting God.
There
is no greater joy on earth or in heaven than communion with God. Prayer in the
name of Jesus brings us into communion with God. The Psalmist was surely not
speaking only of future blessedness, but also of present blessedness, when he
said, “In Thy presence is fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11). Oh, the
unutterable Joy of those moments when, in our prayers, we really enter into the
presence of God!
Does
someone say, “I have never known any such joy as that in prayer”? Do you
take enough leisure for prayer to actually get into God’s presence? Do you
really give yourself up to prayer in the time that you do take?
Freedom From Anxiety
Prayer
with thanksgiving, in every care and anxiety and need of life, is the means that
God has appointed for our obtaining freedom from all anxiety and the peace of
God, which passes all understanding.
“Be
careful for nothing,” says Paul, “but in every thing by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the
peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). To many this initially seems like
the picture of a life that is beautiful but beyond the reach of ordinary
mortals. This is not so at all. The verse tells us how this life of peace is
attainable by every child of God: “Be careful for nothing,” or as the
Revised Standard Version reads, “Have no anxiety about anything.” The
remainder of the verse tells us how to do this. It is very simple: “But in
every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be
made known unto God.” What could be plainer or simpler than that? Just keep in
constant touch with God. When trouble or vexation, great or small, occur, speak
to Him about it, never forgetting to return thanks for what He has already done.
What will the result be? “The peace of God, which passeth all understanding,
will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (R.S.V.).
That
is glorious, and it is as simple as it is glorious! Thank God, many are trying
it. Don’t you know anyone who is always serene? Perhaps he is a very stormy
man by nature. Troubles and conflicts
and
opposition and sorrow may sweep around him, and the peace of God which passes
all under-standing will guard his heart and his thoughts in Christ Jesus.
We
all know such persons. How do they do it? Just
by prayer, that is all. Those persons who know the deep peace of God, the
unfathomable peace that passes all understanding, are always men and women of
much prayer.
Some
of us let the hurry of our lives crowd prayer out, and what a waste of time and
energy and emotion there is in this constant worry. One night of prayer will
save us from many nights of insomnia. Time spent in prayer is not wasted, but
time invested at big interest.
Prayer
is the method that God Himself has appointed for our obtaining the Holy Spirit.
The
Bible is very plain on this point. Jesus says, “If ye then, being evil, know
how to give good gifts unto your children; how much more shall your heavenly
Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?” (Luke 11:13).
I
know this as definitely as I know that my thirst is quenched when I drink water.
Early one morning in the Chicago Avenue Church prayer room, where several
hundred people had been assembled a number of hours in prayer, the Holy Spirit
fell so manifestly that no one could speak or pray. The whole place was so
filled with His presence that sobs of joy filled the place.
Men
left that room and went to different parts of the country, taking trains that
very morning, and the effects of the outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit in answer
to prayer were soon reported. Others went out into the city with the blessing of
God upon them. This is only one instance among many that might be cited from
personal experience.
If
we would only spend more time in prayer, there would be more fullness of the
Spirit’s power in our work. Many men, who once worked unmistakably in the
power of the Holy Spirit now fill the air with empty shouting, beat it with
meaningless gestures, because they have neglected prayer. We must spend much
time on our knees before God if we are to continue in the power of the Holy
Spirit.
Prayer
is the means that Christ has appointed so that our hearts will not be overcome
with indulgence and drunkenness and the cares of this life. For, the day of
Christ’s return will come upon us suddenly as a snare.
One
of the most interesting and solemn passages on prayer in the Bible is along this
line (Luke21:34.36). “Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be
overcharged with surfeiting
and
drunkenness and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For
as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Watch ye therefore, and/way always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape
all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”
According to this passage, there is only one way in which we can be prepared for
the coming of the Lord when He appears: through much prayer.
The
second coming of Jesus Christ is a subject that is awakening much interest and
discussion in our day. It is one thing to be interested in the Lord’s return
and to talk about it, but it is quite another thing to be prepared for it. We
live in an atmosphere that has a constant tendency to make us unsuitable for
Christ’s coming. The world tends to draw us down by its gratifications and
cares. There is only one way by
which we can triumphantly rise above these things — by constant watching in
prayer, that is, by sleeplessness in prayer. Watch in this passage is the same
strong word used in Ephesians 6:18, and always is the same strong phrase as pray
at all times. The man who spends little time in prayer, who is not steadfast and
constant in prayer, will not be ready for the Lord when He comes. But, we may be
ready. How? Pray! Pray* Pray!
Because
of what prayer accomplishes.
Much
has really been said about that already, but there is also much that should be
added.
Prayer
promotes our spiritual growth as almost nothing else, indeed, as nothing else except
Bible study. True prayer and true Bible study go hand in hand.
It is through prayer that my sin is brought light,
my most hidden sin. As I kneel before God and pray, “Search me, 0 God, and
know my heart; try
me, and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me” (Psalm
139:23-24), God shoots the penetrating rays of His light into the innermost
recesses of my heart. The sins I never suspected to be present are brought to
light. In answer to prayer, God washes me from my iniquity and cleanses me from
my sin (Psalm 51:2). In answer to prayer, my eyes are opened to behold wondrous
things out of God’s Word (Psalm 119:18). In answer to prayer, I receive wisdom
to know God’s way (James 1:5) and strength to walk in it- as I meet God in
prayer and gaze into His face; I am changed into His image from glory to glory
(2 Corinthians 3:18). Each day of true prayer life finds me more like my
glorious Lord.
John
Welch, the son-in-law of John Knox, was one of the most faithful men of prayer
this world has ever seen. He counted any day in which seven or eight hours were
not devoted solely to God in prayer and the study of His Word as wasted time.
An old man speaking of him after his death said, “He was a type of
Christ.” How did he become so like his Master? His prayer life explains the
mystery.
Prayer
also brings power into our work. If we wish power for any work to which God
calls us, be it preaching, teaching, personal work, or the raising of our
children, we can receive it by earnest prayer. A woman, with a little boy who
was perfectly incorrigible, once came to me in desperation and said: “What
shall I do with him?” I asked, “Have you ever tried prayer?” She said that
she had prayed for him, she thought. I asked if she had made his conversion and
his character a matter of definite, expectant prayer. She replied that she had
not been definite in the matter. She began that day, and at once there was a
marked change in the child - As a result, he grew up into Christian manhood.
How
many Sunday school teachers have taught for months and years and seen no real
fruit from their labours. Then, they learn the secret of intercession and, by
earnest pleading with God, see their students, one by one, brought to Christ!
How many poor teachers have become mighty men of God by casting away
their confidence in their own ability and gifts and giving themselves up to God
to wait upon Him for the power that comes from on high! The evangelist John
Living-stone spent a night, along with some believers, in prayer to God. When he
preached the next day, five hundred people were either converted or marked some
definite uplift in their spiritual life. Prayer and power are inseparable.
Prayer avails for the conversion of others. There are few converted in this
world in any other way than in connection with someone’s prayers. I previously
thought that no human being had anything to do with my own conversion, for I was
not converted in church or Sunday school or in personal conversation with
anyone. I was awakened in the middle of the night and converted. As far as I can
remember, I did not have the slightest thought of being convened, or of anything
of that character, when I went to bed and fell asleep. But, I was awakened in
the middle of the night and converted probably within five minutes. A few
minutes before, I was about as near eternal damnation as one gets. I had one
foot over the brink and was trying to get the other one over. As I said, I
thought no human being had anything to do with it, but I had forgotten my
mother’s prayers. Later I learned that one of my college classmates had
decided to pray for me until I was saved.
Prayer
often avails where everything else fails. How
utterly all of Monica’s efforts and entreaties failed with her son! But, her
prayers prevailed with God, and the immoral youth became St. Augustine, the
mighty man of God. By prayer, the bitterest enemies of the gospel have become
its most valiant defenders, the most wicked the truest sons of God, and the most
contemptible women the purest saints. Oh, the power of prayer to reach down,
where hope itself seems vain, and lift men and women up into fellowship with and
likeness to God! It is simply wonderful! How little we appreciate this
marvellous weapon! Prayer brings
blessings to the Church.
The
history of the Church has always been full of grave difficulties to overcome.
The devil hates
the
Church and seeks in every way to block its progress; by false doctrine, by
division, and by inward corruption of life. But, by prayer, a clear way can be
made through everything. Prayer will root out heresy, smooth out
misunderstanding, sweep away jealousies and animosities, obliterate
immoralities, and bring in the full tide of God’s reviving grace. History
abundantly proves this. In the darkest hour, when the state of the Church has
seemed beyond hope, believing men and women have met together and cried to God,
and the answer has come.
It was so in the days of Knox. It was so in the days of Wesley and Whitefield. It was so in the days of Edwards and Brainerd. It was so in the days of Finney. It was so in the days of the great revival of 1857 in this country and of 1859 in Ireland. And, it will be so again in your day and mine! Satan has organized his forces. Some people, claiming great apostolic methods, are merely covering the rankest dishonesty and hypocrisy with their loud and false assurance. Christians equally loyal to the great fundamental truths of the gospel are scowling at one another with a devil-sent suspicion. The world, the flesh, and the devil are holding a merry carnival- It is now a dark day, but now “it is time for Thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void Thy law” (Psalm 119:126). He is getting ready to work, and now He is listening for the voice of prayer.
Will He hear it from you?
Will He hear it from the Church as a body?
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