The national leader., 1889-02-23
THE EFFICACY OF PRAYER.
Sermon Preached BY the Rev. H. C.
Fox.

What is prayer? Prayer is the be.
ginning OF spiritual life, the primary
idea is asking, or request. This idea
intensified is earnest and importunate
request. Specially it is request offered
to superior, as to sovereign. or to
a body of superiors, as to a legislature.
In religious sense prayer is request
addressed to q Divine being. In a
Christian sense ''prayer is the Offering
up of our desires unto God for things
agreeable to His will in the name of
Christi In Its grandest and most
comprehensive and most fruitful effect,
it is the uplifting Of our souls, and
the entering into communion with the
Lord of Heaven and earth. And in this
communion the soul of man expands
so as to include not merely petition,
but alteration. confession and thanks
giving. for benefits temporal, providen-
tial and spiritual. 1t Is not mere speech,
1t is not merely the language of the
lips. 1t is an emotion of the heart a
pouring out of the soul. The unbosom-
Ing of our whole heart unto Him that
seeth into the inward parts. And yet
how often we fail to comprehend the
true significance Of prayer, forgetting
that it is the Divinely ordained means
through which the power OF God is
invoked. We look around us and see
on all sides the power God has put into
the hands OF man as regards the ma
tural world. Scarcely day passes In
which we are not presented with some
thing which has more or less of the
claims of novelty; with some new
discovery or else some application or
combination of powers already known.
To this, man is not blind he appreci-
ates, he uses every new and mighty
engine as it is presented to him and
whether it be chloroform, to blunt the
acuteness Of his pain. or electricity to
fash his messages to the ends of the
world or steam, to whirl him over the
earth's surface and do in his factories
the work of thousands of hands.
He hears. sees, speaks about and uses
the mighty powers which God has put
within his reach.
We hear but little. however, Of the
mighty powers which God has put into
mans hands, so far as the spiritual
world is concerned. The prevailing
aspect of Gods people in this respect is
one of weakness, often one of de-
spondency they feel the pressure Of
the world. they see difficulties TO be
overcome, they realize their own inher-
ent weakness there is much despond-
ency by reason of the realization of
their own feebleness, their is little
vigOr, by reason of the non-reallzation
of the mighty efficacy Of prayer.
Could we but realize and put into
operation the power contained in
prayer the great force OF the spiritual
world we should in our collective and
in our individual capacity be very diff
ferent from what we are we should
know and feel that we had key to
heavens treasure, and the lever Of
heavens strength we should ''be
strong in the Lord and In the power of
his might We should be prepared
for great deeds. both OF action and
resistance in the spiritual life we
should never dream of failure, we
should never miss real success.
Now, desire in this discourse this
morning to help forward myself and
you as we climb together the path of
Christian life. For that Christian life
no means of grace is 80 absolutely
indispensable as prayer.
Let US ask then what prayer can do
for us. And to this | reply EVERY
THING. More than one saint like st.
Francis. and like Wesley. has left
behind him the record that God has
never refused him anything for which
he seriously prayed. There are many
sayings of our Lord telling or answers
to prayer. These promises are very
comprehensive and they must awaken
In US thoughts not to be lightly dis
missed. Is prayer dIDdyS effectual2 No
believer in Christ can doubt 1t for a
moment. Nature teaches us to expect
that prayer will be heard; the Scriptures
assure us that it UiII be. In how many
places and how many ways is the
veracity Of God pledged directly or
Indirectly in his word, that he will hear
and answer prayer In how many
passages of Holy Writ is the certain
efficacy and great power OF prayer
asserted or implied 1t is implied in
the innumerable invitations and cere.
monies to pray; to pray always with all
prayer and supplicatlon-to pray with
out ceasing, and never faint-Of which
the Bible is full; for what are such
invitations and ceremonies but mock
cry if prayer Is Of no avail to
secure the blessings for whick we askP
1t is yet more forciDly inculcated IN
the severe rebukes which are often ad-
ministered to those who cast OF fear
and restrain prayer. and who say.
"What profit shall we have II we pray
unto him?" 1t Is clearly taught in
those numerous passages which impute
our destitution of spiritual blessings
not to Gods unwillingness to hear
prayer, but to our not Offering
prayer Alright. ''Ye have not.
because ye ask not" "Ye ask,
and receive not. because ye ask
amiss." 1t is expres ssly declared in
passages not few. where it Is the
direct object OF the sacred writer to
insist on the efficacy Of prayer. 1.-The
effectual. fervent prayer Of the right
eous man availeth much" The Lord
is nigh unto all them that call upon
Him, to all that call upon Him in
truth" HE will fulfill the desire OF
them that fear Him; He also will hear
their cry, and save them" 1t is con-
tainod IN mopv oraat and Dr0ciOuS