The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-11-24
What the Bible Teaches About Prayer

What the Bible Teaches About Prayer
1t must be borne in mind that God
has never promised to hear the
prayers of any but His own spiritual
children. Mankind are not all such
children of God. All mankind are
natural children of God by creation,
as are all other living beings.
Christ-the Messiah-has bid His
brethren, "Ask, and it shall be given
you; seek, and We shall find; knock,
and it shall be opened unto you; for
every one that asketh receiveth; and
he that seeketh fndeth; and to him
that knocketh it shall be opened"
(Matt. 7:7, 81 But, some sincere
Christians occasionally complain, 1--WE
have asked, and we have not re-
ceived;" while on the other hand
there are some who hold that God
here promises to give whatever His
people choose to ask" Thus some
fall into dependency and others into
fanaticism. But, Scripture must be
interpreted by Scripture, and each
passage must be read so as to har-
monte with other declarations. Tn
less we do this we fail to get the cor
rect teaching Of Scripture on any
point.
Now, 1t is said Ggain by st. James,
"Ye ask, and receive not, because ye
ask amiss, that We may consume 1t on
your lusts." And the Lord Himself
has put the condition thus: IF ye
abide in Me, and My words abide in
you, We shall ask what We will, and
it shall be done unto you" And,
again, in the thirty-seventh Psalm.
Delight thyself also in the Lord and
He shall give thee the desires Of thine
heart" So also it is written, when
ye stand praying, forgive, If you have
aught against any: that your Father
also which is in Heaven may forgive
your trespassers." Then, we have ac-
counts in the Bible of prayers offered
for certain things which the petition
ers, though sincere and earnest, did
not receive. So, David prayed for
the life Of his child, but the child
died; and, Paul besought the Lord
three times that his thorn in the flesh
might depart from him, and received
an answer, indeed; but not the thing
which he requested. While, again,
we read that God gave Israel a king
In His answer; and on another occa-
sion, that "He gave them their re-
quest hut sent leanness into their
soul" ...
From which passages we learn that
prayer, to be successful, must be &C.
1ompanied by certain indispensable
conditions. First the suppliant must
delight himself in God and abide in
Christ; his request must be agreeable
10 the will OF God; and it must be in
accordance with the purpose and pre-
rogatiye of God Himself, for the end
IF His existence is not simply to an.
wer the prayers Of His creatures"
THE 'Almighty's treatment of His
shildren's petitions is a part of the
education to which He subjects them.
And by which He trains them into
nolipess of character"
Ali Christian prayer is, of cuorse,
BASED on the Lords Prayer, but it's
spirit is also guided by that of His
prayer in Gethsemane, and of the
prayer recorded in John IT.. "Chris-
Jan prayers are generally addressed
~ luC PdlHCi, III uOpCDlCaCO upOh
the merits and intercession Of the Son
and the influence and grace Of the
Holy Spirit" (Venn}. f.
Nevertheless, there are numerous
instances of prayer addressed to Jesus
Christ. The man born blind "wor-
SHIPPED Him." and, was not forbid
den. The disciples prayed to Jesus,
Lord, increase our faith" The dy-
ing malefactor prayed to Him and
was answered. Stephen commended
his spirit into His hands. Paul. be-
sought Him thrice to take away his
thorn of flesh. and speaks of Him as
Lord I'VE all, rich in mercy to all
that call upon Him" Every Chris
tian may address Him, doubtless, in
the words of the apostle Thomas,
my Lord and my God" John 20:
28.)-Detroit News-Tribune.