The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-03-01
What A LAWYER SAYS OF PRAYER
Why so Many SuppIications are
Unanswered.
Certain Conditions Must Exist Befors God
VIII Hear Psaysr-It Must be offered
In State OF Entire oonsecration,
With Conscience Void Of offence
Toward God and Man-Othsr Means
OF Grace.

Prevailing prayer Is that which se-
cures On answer. Saying prayers ia not
Offering prevailing prayer. The preva.
lence of prayer does not depend SO much
on quantity as on quality. 1 do not
know how better to approach this sub
Ject than by relating fact of nv own
experience before 1 WAS converted. /
relate 1t because l fear such expert.
ences are too common among uncon-
verified men.
donot recollect ever having attended
.sprayer- until after l began the
study OF law. Then, for the first time
lived In neighborhood where there
WAS prayer. meeting weekly. 1 had
neither knewn, heard, nor seen much OF
religion; hence had no settled opinions
about it. Partly from curiosity and
partly from an uneasineas OF mind upon
the subject, which could not we'll de-
hne, began to attend that prayer
meeting. About the san Q time bought
the first Bible l ever owned, and began
to read 1t. l listened to tho PRAYERS
which | heard in those prnyer-m ceilings,
with all the attention I could give to
prayers 80 cold and formal. In every
prayer they prayed for the Gift and OUT
pouring of the Holy Spirit. Both in
their prayers and in their remarks,
which were occasionally intersp erBed.
they acknowledged that they did not
prevail with God. This was most evil
| dent and had almost made me o skepsic.
Seeing me 80 frequently in their
prayer-meeting, the leader, on one oc-
casion, asked me II did not wish them
to ,pray for me. replied: NO
said: y! suppose that I need to be
prayed for, but your prayers are not
answered. You confess 1t yourselves"
| l then expressed my astonishment st
this fact, in view of what the Bible said
about the prevalence of prayer. Indeed.
for some time my mind was much per-
picked and In doubt in view of Chriss's
teaching on the subject of prayer and
the manifest facts sfore me, from week
to week, In this prayer. meeting. Was
Christ divine teacher? Did He actu-
ally teach what the Gospels attributed
to Him?' Did He mean what he said?
Did prayer really avail to secure Bless
ings from God? II SO, what was l to
make OF what Witnessed from week to
week and from month to month in that
prayer meeting? Were thew real Chris.
tisns? Was that which l heard real
prayer, in she Bible sense? Was such
prayer as Christ had promised to answero
Here found the solution.
L became convinced that thew were
under delusion; that they did not pre-
vail because they had no right to pre-
vail. They did NOT comply with the
| conditions upon which God had promised
to hear prayer. Their prayers were Just
such as God has promised not to answer.
IL was evident they were overlooking
the fact that they were in danger Of
praying themselves into skepticism in
regard to the value of prayer.
In reading my Bible / noticed such
revealed conditions as the following
(a Faith In God as the answerer of
prayer. This, it 10 plain, involves the
expectation OF receiving what we ask.
(b) Another revealed condition Is the
asking according to the revealed will of
God. This plainly implies asking not
only for such things as God Is willing to
grant, but also asking in such state of
mind as God oan accept. ] fear 1t is
common for protested Christians 20 over
look the state OF mind in which God re-
! qutros them to be SO condition OF an
swering their prayers.
For example: In Offering the Lords
prayer, "Thy kingdom come" 1t is
plain that sincerity ls q condition of
prevailing with God. But sincerity In
Offering this petition implies the whole
heart and life devotion of the petitioner
| to the building up Of this kingdom. 1t
implies the sincere snd thorough conse-
Grafton OF all that we have and all that
we are to this end. To utter this peti.
ton In any other frame of mind in
wolves hypocrisy, and is an ahom lnation.
SO in the next petition, "Thy will be
done on earth as 10 is in Heaven God
has not promised to hear this petition
unless IT be sincerely offered. But ain.
certify implies . state OF mind that ac-
oepts the whole revealed will OF God.
80 far as we understand it, as thew ne.
oept 1t In heaven. It implies a loving.
conhding, universal obedience 10 the
whole known will OF God, whether thai
Will ts revealed in His Word. bv His
Spirit, or In His providence. Ii jmnlies
that we hold ourselves and all that wa
have and are as absolutely and cordisiiv
at Gods disposal as do the inhsbItsnts
OF heaven. II we fall short of this. and
withhold anything whatever from God.
We regard intquity In our heArts,n and
God will not hear us.
Sincerity In Offering this petition inn
pies state Of entire and universal con.
CONTINUED ON THIRD pAeE.)