The Privileges of Prayer

The Privileges of Prayer

It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples." And He said to them, "When you pray, say: 'Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. 'Give us each day our daily bread. 'And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.'" Then He said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; and from inside he answers and says, 'Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.' "I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs. "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. "For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened. "Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? "Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?" (Luke 11:1-13)

Many fail to make of prayer what it is our privilege to make. There are many for whom prayer is an energizing power that is a lost art. Some have given up praying because of intellectual difficulties, others no longer pray because of moral difficulties. In the hour of prayer they have been brought face to face with surrenders which they are unwilling to make. When called upon to deny self, or give up prayer they have chosen the latter. But by far prayer is a lost art for many not because of any sense of futility or frustration but because of indifference to the privilege of prayer.

It is a privilege to pray. It is through prayer that the creature is brought into a vital living relationship with the Creator. It is through prayer that the children of God receive the fullness of the Father and the good gifts He stands to impart. It is through prayer that the worker co-operates with the husbandman in achieving his purpose for all mankind.

Centuries ago St. Augustine testified: “Man is restless until he finds his peace in God.” George Matheson expresses this need in one of his prayers: “My heart needs thee, O Lord, my heart needs Thee! All else within me can be filled by thy gifts. My hunger can be satisfied by daily bread. My thirst can be allayed by earthly waters. My cold can be removed by household fires. My weariness can be relived by outward rest. But no outward thing can make my heart pure. The calmest day will not calm my passions. The fairest scene will not beautify my soul. The sweetest music will not make harmony within. The breezes can cleanse the air but no breeze ever cleansed my spirit. The world has provided for my heart. It has provided for my eye, it has provided for my ear, it has provided for my touch, it has provided for my taste – but it has not provided for my heart. O God, provide for my heart.” This our deepest need is met as we come unto God in the hour of prayer.

In one of the grand hymns of the Church we sing: “Guide me, O thou great Jehovah, Pilgrim through this barren land; I am weak, but Thou art mighty; Hold me with Thy powerful hand.” Paul confessed, “I am not sufficient of myself, but my sufficiency comes from God.” Abraham Lincoln said, “I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had no where else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for the day.” Man’s darkness needs God’s light; man’s perplexity needs God’s guidance; man’s weakness needs God’s strength.

The high privilege of prayer is petition. It is the privilege of asking our Father in heaven to minister to the needs of us, his children. This is in accord with both the practice and the teaching of Jesus. Jesus asked God, His Father for things both for Himself and others. He taught us to think of prayer as analogous to the relation of existing between a father and a son. One element of this relation is asking. Thus Jesus said: “What man of you, if his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him?” “Prayer is fellowship with God; a fellowship of giving and receiving, of asking and taking.”

There is no need of any kind, whether is be great or small, that cannot be brought to God in prayer. Our temporal as well as our spiritual needs are of real concern unto Him. Jesus taught us to pray saying, “Give us this day our daily bread.” There is no need so small, there is no need as great as our daily bread. Paul the Apostle has commanded us, “in everything, by prayer and supplication to let our request to be made known unto God.” Temporal necessities, physical needs, business and household problems constitute a large part of our life and experience should certainly be made an object of prayer.

Jesus said, “Your heavenly Father knoweth what ye need of before ye ask.” Why, then, is it needful to asks for the supply of our needs? If God is good, loving, kind, infinitely wise will He not give us His children that which we need without asking? Let us remember that giving is not always as simple as it seems. There are two parts to giving. There must be a giver and there must be a receiver. Receiving is just as important as giving. An earthly father cannot make possible the means for giving his child a college education, until and unless his child is ready to receive it. As we make known our needs unto our Father in heaven, we give evidence that we are aware of our need and are ready to receive the supply of His grace.

A skeptical father and his Christian son were discussing prayer. The father said that he saw no reason why he should ask God for what was already furnished in nature and which would come to him in the ordinary course of events. The son replied, “Father, I remember once when I made free use of your pictures and books to entertain my friends. You said, “Son, all that I have belongs to you, but I think it would be respectful and courteous to ask your father before taking anything.” And so added the son, “Although God has provided everything for you, I think it respectful and courteous to ask Him and thank Him for what you use.”

The high privilege of prayer is petition; the higher privilege of prayer is intercession. Dr. Fosdick has described intersession, praying on behalf of others, as “love on its knees.” In the Scripture which we read this morning, the householder was concerned that his unexpected quest should have something to eat and thus at midnight he hammered on his neighbor’s door until the need of his quest was met. Moses interceded for the idolatrous Hebrews: “But now, if Thou wilt forgive their sin – and if not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of Thy book which Thou hast written.” (Exodus 32:32) His love for his people was so great, that he, though innocent, would rather perish than live without them. Such a love drove him to his knees on their behalf. Our Lord when “He knew that His hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having love for His own who were in the world to the end,” offered up His great prayer of intercession for His friends and not for them alone but for His friends of all succeeding ages. Jesus urged his disciples to “love your enemies and pray for them who persecute you.” He practiced what He taught, for as He was being nailed to the cross, He prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Love intercedes on behalf of others.

Through intercessory prayer we reach out and become identified with joys and sorrows, plans and purposes of friends close at hand, and neighbors far away. Through prayers of intercession we can cooperate with God in determining the future of our world. Through intercession we can have a vital part in the missionary program of the Church, in promoting efforts to bring peace and unity to our world, in staying the hand of the aggressor. One has written, “A dying world is waiting for a praying Church. Every time the Church has set herself to pray there have been great revival movements. We must transfer the stress of our dependence from appeals to men to appeals to God, from trusting organization to struggle in supplication.”

There is a place where thou canst touch the eyes

Of blinded men to instant, perfect sight;

There is a place where thou canst say “Arise!”

To dying captives, bound in chains of night;

There is a place where thou canst reach the store

Of horded gold and free it for the Lord;

There is a place – upon some distant shore –

Where thou canst send the worker or the Word;

There is a place where heavens resistless power

Responsive move to thine insistent plea;

There is a place – a silent, trusting hour –

Where God, Himself descends and fights for thee.

Where is that blessed place – dost thou ask, “Where?”

O, Soul, it’s the place of intercessory prayer.

The high privilege of prayer is petition, the higher privilege of prayer is intercession, and the highest privilege of prayer is communion, fellowship with God. The highest privilege of prayer is to occupy ourselves with God. “To dwell in the secret place of the most high, to abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” In prayer there must ever be a two way communication. I talk to God, this is wonderful. God talks to me, this is more wonderful. Have you ever said with Samuel, “Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth.” God does speak, Words of assurance to a troubled soul, Words of comfort to a sorrowing heart, and Words of guidance to an inquiring mind.

The practice of prayer should not be limited to a particular time nor to a certain place, as important as this is. Ones entire life should be lived as in the presence of God. It was said of Enoch, “he walked with God.” This is true prayer. This is what Paul meant when he urged his readers to “pray without ceasing.” Thus, at anytime and out of the midst of any situation we can breathe a prayer to God of thanksgiving or praise, of petition or intercession.

One has said, “The theological problem confronting us today is getting religion out of people and not pump it into them.” How true! If the millions of Christians in the world would begin living in their faith, what a different world ours would be. I know of no better way to become a practicing Christian than to exercise the privileges of prayer. Let us pray.

Dr. Robert W Kirkpatrick

Whitfield Estates Presbyterian Church, August 30, 1964