,,prayer ,,and ,,praying ,,men ,,rev4 ,,edward ,m4 ,,bounds ,,prayer ,,and ,,praying ,,men ,,by ,,rev4 ,,edward ,m4 ,,bounds ,,author ,,of 8,,the ,,ineffable ,,glory10 8,,preacher ,,and ,,prayer10 8,,purpose ,,in ,,prayer10 ,,etc4 ,,with ,,an ,,introduction ,,by ,,rev4 ,,homer ,w4 ,,hodge ,,hodder ,,stoughton ,,limited 3 3 ,,london ,,copyright1 #aiba1 ,,by ,,george ,h4 ,,doran ,,company ,,printed ,,in ,,the ,,united ,,states ,,of ,,america ,,introduction ,rev4 ,edward ,mc,kendrie ,bounds was passionately devoted to his beloved ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ4 ,his devotion was extraordinary in that he was praying and writing about ,him all the time1 except during the hours of sleeping4 ,god gave ,bounds an enlargedness of heart and an insatiable desire to do service for ,him4 ,to this end he enjoyed what ,i am pleased to term a transcendent inspiration1 else he could never have brought out of his treasury things new and old far exceeding anything we have known or read in the last half century4 ,bounds is easily the ,betelguese of the devotional sky4 ,there is no man that has lived since the days of the apostles that has surpassed him in the depths of his marvelous research into the ,life of ,prayer4 ,he was busily engaged in writing on his manuscripts when the ,lord said unto him1 8,well done1 thou good and faithful servant1 enter thou into the joys of thy ,lord40 ,his letters would often come to me in ,brooklyn1 ,n4 ,y41 in #aiaa1 #aiab and #aiac1 saying1 8,pray for me that ,god will give me new nerves and new visions to finish the manuscripts40 ,wesley was of the sweetest and most forgiving disposition1 but when aroused he was a man of the 8keenest penetration with a gift of speech that bit like the stroke of a whip40 ,bounds was meek and humble1 and never did we know him to retaliate upon any of his enemies4 ,he cried over them and wept praying for them early and late4 ,wesley was easily gulled4 8,my brother10 said ,charles1 on one occasion in disgusting accents1 8was1 ,i believe1 born for the benefit of knaves40 ,no man could impose on ,bounds' credulity4 ,he was a diagnostician of rare ability4 ,bounds shied away from all frauds in profession1 and would waste no time upon them4 ,wesley was preaching and riding all day4 ,bounds was praying and writing day and night4 ,wesley would not allow any misrepresentation of his doctrinal positions in his late years4 ,bounds in this respect was very much like him4 ,wesley came to his fame while yet alive4 ,he was always in the public eye4 ,bounds1 while editing a ,christian ,advocate for twelve years1 was little known out of his church4 ,wesley at eighty-six could still preach on the streets for thirty minutes4 ,bounds was able at seventy-five in the first hour of the fourth watch to pray for three hours upon his knees4 ,wesley1 at the time of his death1 had enjoyed fifty-six years of preferment4 ,his name was on every tongue4 ,christianity was born again in ,england under his mighty preaching and organization4 ,bounds was comparatively unknown for fifty years but will recover the 8lost and forgotten secret of the church0 in the next fifty years4 ,wesley's piety and genius and popularity flowed from his early life like a majestic river4 ,bounds' has been dammed up1 but now it is beginning to sweep with resistless force and ere long he will be the mighty ,amazon of the devotional world4 ,henry ,crabbe ,robinson said in his diary when he heard ,wesley preach at ,colchester1 8,he stood in a wide pulpit and on each side of him stood a minister1 and the two held him up4 ,his voice was feeble and he could hardly be heard1 but his reverend countenance1 especially his long white locks1 formed a picture never to be forgotten40 ,the writer of these lines gave up his pulpit in ,brooklyn in #aiab to ,rev4 ,e4 ,m4 ,bounds just ten months before his death4 ,his voice was feeble and his periods were not rounded out4 ,his sermon was only twenty minutes long1 when he quietly came to the end and seemed exhausted4 ,wesley had sufficient money and to spare during all his career4 ,bounds did not care for money4 ,he did not depreciate it2 he considered it the lowest order of power4 ,wesley died with 8an eye beaming and lips breaking into praise40 8,the best of all is ,god with us10 ,bounds wrote the writer of these lines4 8,when ,he is ready ,i am ready2 ,i long to taste the joys of the heavenlies40 ,wesley said1 8,the ,world is my parish40 ,bounds prayed as if the universe was his zone4 ,wesley was the incarnation of unworldliness1 the embodiment of magnanimity4 ,bounds was the incarnation of unearthliness1 humility and self-denial4 ,wesley will live in the hearts of saints for everlasting ages4 ,bounds eternally4 ,wesley sleeps in ,city ,road ,chapel grounds1 among his 8bonny dead10 under marble1 with fitting tribute chiseled in prose1 awaiting the ,resurrection4 ,bounds sleeps in ,washington1 ,georgia1 cemetery1 without marble covering1 awaiting the ,bridegroom's coming4 ,these two men held ideals high and clear beyond the reach of other men4 ,has this race of men entirely gone out of the world now that they are dead8 ,let us pray4 ,,homer ,w4 ,,hodge ,brooklyn1 ,n4 ,y4 ,,contents ,,chapter ,,page ,i ,,praying ,,saints ,,of ,,the ,,old ,,testaments #ac ,,ii ,,praying ,,saints ,,of ,,the ,,old ,,testaments 7continued7 #ba ,,iii ,,abraham1 ,,the ,,man ,,of ,,prayer #bi ,,iv ,,moses1 ,,the ,,mighty ,,intercessor #cc ,v ,,elijah1 ,,the ,,praying ,,prophet #db ,,vi ,,hezekiah1 ,,the ,,praying ,,king #ed ,,vii ,,ezra1 ,,the ,,praying ,,reformer #ff ,,viii ,,nehemiah1 ,,the ,,praying ,,builder #gb ,,ix ,,samuel1 ,,the ,,child ,,of ,,prayer #hj ,x ,,daniel1 ,,the ,,praying ,,captive #hi ,,xi ,,faith ,,of ,,sinners ,,in ,,prayer #ig ,,xii ,,paul1 ,,the ,,teacher ,,of ,,prayer #ajg ,,xiii ,,paul ,,and ,,his ,,praying #aba ,,xiv ,,paul ,,and ,,his ,,praying 7continued7 #aca ,,xv ,,paul ,,and ,,his ,,requests ,,for ,,prayer #adb ,,xvi ,,paul ,,and ,,his ,,requests ,,for ,,prayer 7continued7 #aej ,,prayer ,,and ,,praying ,,men ,,prayer ,,and ,,praying ,,men ,,chapter ,i ,,praying ,,saints ,,of ,,the ,,old ,,testaments ,the ,holy ,spirit will give to the praying saint the brightness of an immortal hope1 the music of a deathless song1 in ,his baptism and communion with the heart4 ,he will give sweeter and more enlarged visions of heaven until the taste for other things will pall1 and other visions will grow dim and distant4 ,he will put notes of other worlds in human hearts until all earth's music is discord and songless4--,,rev4 ,e4 ,m4 ,,bounds4 ,old ,testament history is filled with accounts of praying saints4 ,the leaders of ,israel in those early days were noted for their praying habits4 ,prayer is the one thing which stands out prominently in their lives4 ,to begin with1 note the incident in ,joshua1 #ajth chapter1 where the very heavenly bodies were made subject to prayer4 ,a prolonged battle was on between the ,israelites and their enemies1 and when night was rapidly coming on1 and it was discovered that a few more hours of daylight were needful to ensure victory for the ,lord's hosts1 ,joshua1 that sturdy man of ,god1 stepped into the breach1 with prayer4 ,the sun was too rapidly declining in the west for ,god's people to reap the full fruits of a noted victory1 and ,joshua1 seeing how much depended upon the occasion1 cried out in the sight and in the hearing of ,israel1 8,sun1 stand thou still upon ,gideon1 and thou moon in the ,valley of ,ajalon40 ,and the sun actually stood still and the moon stopped on her course at the command of this praying man of ,god1 till the ,lord's people had avenged themselves upon the ,lord's enemies4 ,jacob was not a strict pattern of righteousness1 prior to his all-night praying4 ,yet he was a man of prayer and believed in the ,god of prayer4 ,so we find him swift to call upon ,god in prayer when he was in trouble4 ,he was fleeing from home fearing ,esau1 on his way to the home of ,laban1 a kinsman4 ,as night came on1 he lighted on a certain place to refresh himself with sleep1 and as he slept he had a wonderful dream in which he saw the angels of ,god ascending and descending on a ladder which stretched from earth to heaven4 ,it was no wonder when he awoke he was constrained to exclaim1 8,surely the ,lord is in this place and ,i knew it not40 ,then it was he entered into a very definite covenant with ,almighty ,god1 and in prayer vowed a vow unto the ,lord1 saying1 8,if ,god will be with me1 and will keep me in this way that ,i go1 and will give me bread to eat and raiment to put on1 so that ,i come again to my father's house in peace2 and shall the ,lord be my ,god1 and this stone which ,i have set for a pillar shall be ,god's house2 and of all that thou shalt give me1 ,i will surely give one-tenth unto thee40 ,with a deep sense of his utter dependence upon ,god1 and desiring above all the help of ,god1 ,jacob conditioned his prayer for protection1 blessing and guidance by a solemn vow4 ,thus ,jacob supported his prayer to ,god by a vow4 ,twenty years had passed while ,jacob tarried at the house of ,laban1 and he had married two of his daughters and ,god had given him children4 ,he had increased largely in wealth1 and he resolved to leave that place and return home to where he had been reared4 ,nearing home it occurred to him that he must meet his brother ,esau1 whose anger had not abated notwithstanding the passage of many years4 ,god1 however1 had said to him1 8,return to thy father's house and to thy kindred1 and ,i will be with thee40 ,in this dire emergency doubtless ,god's promise and his vow made long ago came to his mind1 and he took himself to an all-night season of prayer4 ,here comes to our notice that strange1 inexplicable incident of the angel struggling with ,jacob all night long1 till ,jacob at last obtained the victory4 8,i will not let thee go except thou bless me40 ,and then and there1 in answer to his earnest1 pressing and importunate praying1 he was richly blessed personally and his name was changed4 ,but even more than that1 ,god went ahead of ,jacob's desire1 and strangely moved upon the angry nature of ,esau1 and lo and behold1 when ,jacob met him next day1 ,esau's anger had entirely abated1 and he vied with ,jacob in showing kindness to his brother who had wronged him4 ,no explanation of this remarkable change in the heart of ,esau is satisfactory which leaves out prayer4 ,samuel1 the mighty intercessor in ,israel and a man of ,god1 was the product of his mother's prayer4 ,hannah is a memorable example of the nature and benefits of importunate praying4 ,no son had been born to her and she yearned for a man child4 ,her whole soul was in her desire4 ,so she went to the house of worship1 where ,eli1 the priest of ,god1 was1 and staggering under the weight of which bore down on her heart she was beside herself and seemed to be really intoxicated4 ,her desires were too intense for articulation4 8,she poured out her soul in prayer before the ,lord40 ,insuperable natural difficulties were in the way1 but she 8multiplied her praying10 as the passage means1 till her ,god-lightened heart and her bright face recorded the answer to her prayers1 and ,samuel was hers by a conscious faith and a nation was restored by faith4 ,samuel was born in answer to the vowful prayer of ,hannah1 for the solemn covenant which she made with ,god if ,he would grant her request must not be left out of the account in investigating this incident of a praying woman and the answer she received4 ,it is suggestive in ,james #e3ae that 8,the prayer of faith shall save the sick10 the word translated means a vow4 ,so that prayer in its highest form of faith is that prayer which carries the whole man as a sacrificial offering4 ,thus devoting the whole man himself1 and his all1 to ,god in a definite1 intelligent vow1 never to be broken1 in a quenchless and impassioned desire for heaven--such an attitude of self-devotement to ,god mightily helps praying4 ,samson is somewhat of a paradox when we examine his religious character4 ,but amid all his faults1 which were grave in the extreme1 he knew the ,god who hears prayer and he knew how to talk to ,god4 ,no farness to which ,israel had gone1 no depth to which ,israel had fallen1 no chains however iron with which ,israel was bound but that their cry to ,god easily spanned the distance1 fathomed the depths1 and broke the chains4 ,it was the lesson they were ever learning and always forgetting1 that prayer always brought ,god to their deliverance1 and that there was nothing too hard for ,god to do for ,his people4 ,we find all of ,god's saints in straits at different times in some way or another4 ,their straits are1 however1 often the heralds of their great triumphs4 ,but for whatever cause their straits come1 or of what kind soever1 there is no strait of any degree of direness or from any source whatsoever of any nature whatsoever1 from which prayer could not extricate them4 ,the great strength of ,samson does not relieve him nor extricate him out of his straits4 ,read what the ,scriptures say3 8,and when he came unto ,lehi1 the ,philistines shouted against him2 and the ,spirit of the ,lord came mightily upon him1 and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire1 and his bands loosed from off his hands4 8,and he found a new jawbone of an ass1 and put forth his hand1 and took it1 and slew a thousand men therewith4 8,and ,samson said1 ,with the jawbone of an ass1 heaps upon heaps1 with the jawbone of an ass have ,i slain a thousand men4 8,and it came to pass when he had made an end of speaking1 that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand1 and called that place ,ramath-,lehi4 8,and he was sore athirst1 and called on the ,lord1 and said1 ,thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant1 and now shall ,i die of thirst1 and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised8 8,but ,god clave a hollow place that was in the jaw1 and there came water thereout2 and when he had drunk1 his spirit came again and he revived40 ,we have another incident in the case of this strange ,old ,testament character1 showing how1 when in great straits1 their minds involuntarily turned to ,god in prayer4 ,however irregular in life they were1 however far from ,god they departed1 however sinful they might be when trouble came upon these men1 they invariably called upon ,god for deliverance1 and1 as a rule1 when they repented ,god heard their cries and granted their requests4 ,this incident comes at the close of ,samson's life1 and shows us how his life ended4 ,read the record as found in ,judges1 #afth chapter4 ,samson had formed an alliance with ,delilah1 a heathen woman1 and she1 in connivance with the ,philistines1 sought to discover the source of his immense strength4 ,three successive times she failed1 and at last by her persistence and womanly arts persuaded ,samson to divulge to her the wonderful secret4 ,so in an unsuspecting hour he disclosed to her the fact that the source of his strength was in his hair which had never been cut2 and she deprived him of his great physical power by cutting off his hair4 ,she called for the ,philistines1 and they came and put out his eyes and otherwise mistreated him4 ,on an occasion when the ,philistines were gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to ,dagon1 their idol god1 they called for ,samson to make sport for them4 ,and the following is the account as he stood there presumably the laughing-stock of these enemies of his and of ,god4 8,and ,samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand1 ,suffer me that ,i may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth1 that ,i may lean upon them4 8,now the house was full of men and women2 and all the lords of the ,philistines were there2 and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women1 that beheld while ,samson made sport4 8,and ,samson called unto the ,lord and said1 ,o ,lord ,god1 remember me1 ,i pray thee1 and strengthen me1 ,i pray thee1 only this once1 my ,god1 that ,i may be at once avenged of the ,philistines for my two eyes4 ,and ,samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood1 and on which it was borne up1 of the one with his right hand and of the other with his left4 8,and ,samson said1 ,let me die with the ,philistines4 ,and he bowed himself with all his might1 and the house fell upon the lords1 and upon all the people that were there within4 ,so the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life40 ,,chapter ,,ii ,,praying ,,saints ,,of ,,the ,,old ,,testaments 7,continued7 ,bishop ,lambeth and ,wainwright had a great ,m4 ,e4 ,mission in ,osaka1 ,japan4 ,one day the order came from high up that no more meetings would be allowed in the city by ,protestants4 ,lambeth and ,wainwright did all they could but the high officials were obstinate and unrelenting4 ,they then retired to the room of prayer4 ,supper time came and the ,japanese girl came to summon them to their meal1 but she fell under the power of prayer4 ,mrs4 ,lambeth came to find what the matter was and fell under the same power4 ,they then rose and went to the mission hall and opened it3 and at once commenced meeting4 ,god fell upon the assembly and two of the sons of the city officials came to the altar and were saved4 ,next morning one of the officials in authority came to the mission and said1 8,go on with your meetings1 you will not be interrupted40 ,the ,osaka daily paper came out with box car letters saying1 8,,the ,,christian',s ,,god ,,came ,,to ,,town ,,last ,,night40--,,rev4 ,h4 ,c4 ,,morrison4 ,jonah1 the man who prayed in the fish's belly1 brings to view another remarkable instance of these ,old ,testament worthies who were given to prayer4 ,this man ,jonah1 a prophet of the ,lord1 was a fugitive from ,god and from the place of duty4 ,he had been sent on a mission of warning to wicked ,nineveh1 and had been commanded to cry out against them1 8for their wickedness is come up before me10 said ,god4 ,but ,jonah1 through fear or otherwise1 declined to obey ,god1 and took passage on a ship for ,tarshish1 fleeing from ,god4 ,he seems to have overlooked the plain fact that the same ,god who had sent him on that alarming mission had ,his eye upon him as he hid himself on board that vessel4 ,a storm arose as the vessel was on its way to ,tarshish1 and it was decided to throw ,jonah overboard in order to appease ,god and to avert the destruction of the boat and of all on board4 ,but ,god was there as ,he had been with ,jonah from the beginning4 ,he had prepared a great fish to swallow ,jonah1 in order to arrest him1 to defeat him in his flight from the post of duty1 and to save ,jonah that he might help to carry out the purposes of ,god4 ,it was ,jonah who was in the fish's belly1 in that great strait1 and passing through a strange experience1 who called upon ,god1 who heard him and caused the fish to vomit him out on dry land4 ,what possible force could rescue him from this fearful place8 ,he seemed hopelessly lost1 in 8the belly of hell10 as good as dead and damned4 ,but he prays--what else can he do8 ,and this is just what he had been accustomed to do when in trouble before4 8,i cried by reason of my affliction unto the ,lord1 and he heard me2 out of the belly of hell cried ,i1 and thou heardst my voice40 ,and the ,lord spake unto the fish1 and it vomited out ,jonah upon the dry land4 ,like others he joined prayer to a vow he had made1 for he says in his prayer1 8,but ,i will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving2 ,i will pay that that ,i have vowed4 ,salvation is of the ,lord40 ,prayer was the mighty force which brought ,jonah from 8the belly of hell40 ,prayer1 mighty prayer1 has secured the end4 ,prayer brought ,god to the rescue of unfaithful ,jonah1 despite his sin of fleeing from duty1 and ,god could not deny his prayer4 ,nothing is too hard for prayer because nothing is too hard for ,god4 ,that answered prayer of ,jonah in the fish's belly in its mighty results became an ,old ,testament type of the miraculous power displayed in the resurrection of ,jesus ,christ from the dead4 ,our ,lord puts ,his seal of truth upon the fact of ,jonah's prayer and resurrection4 ,nothing can be simpler than these cases of ,god's mighty deliverance4 ,nothing is plainer than that prayer has to do with ,god directly and simply4 ,nothing is clearer than that prayer has its only worth and significance in the great fact that ,god hears and answers prayer4 ,this the ,old ,testament saints strongly believed4 ,it is the one fact that stands out continuously and prominently in their lives4 ,they were essentially men of prayer4 ,how greatly we need a school to teach the art of praying6 ,this simplest of all arts and mightiest of all forces is ever in danger of being forgotten or depraved4 ,the further we get away from our mother's knees1 the further do we get away from the true art of praying4 ,all our after-schooling and our after-teachers unteach us the lessons of prayer4 ,men prayed well in ,old ,testament times because they were simple men and lived in simple times4 ,they were childlike1 lived in childlike times and had childlike faith4 ,in citing the ,old ,testament saints noted for their praying habits1 by no means must ,david be overlooked1 a man who preminently was a man of prayer4 ,with him prayer was a habit1 for we hear him say1 8,evening and morning and at noon will ,i pray and cry aloud40 ,prayer with the ,sweet ,psalmist of ,israel was no strange occupation4 ,he knew the way to ,god and was often found in that way4 ,it is no wonder we hear his call so clear and impressive1 8,o come1 let us worship and bow down2 let us kneel before the ,lord our ,maker40 ,he knew ,god as the one being who could answer prayer3 8,o thou that hearest prayer1 to thee shall all flesh come40 ,when ,god smote the child born of ,bathsheba1 because ,david had by his grievous sins given occasion of the enemies of ,god to blaspheme1 it is no surprise that we find him engaged in a week's praying1 asking ,god for the life of the child4 ,the habit of his life asserted itself in this great emergency in his home1 and we find him fasting and praying for the child to recover4 ,the fact that ,god denied his request does not at all affect the question of ,david's habit of praying4 ,even though he did not receive what he asked for1 his faith in ,god was not in the least affected4 ,the fact is that while ,god did not give him the life of that baby boy1 ,he afterward gave him another son1 even ,solomon4 ,so that possibly the latter son was a far great blessing to him than would have been the child for whom he prayed4 ,in close connection with this season of prayer1 we must not overlook ,david's penitential praying when ,nathan1 by command of ,god1 uncovered ,david's two great sins of adultery and murder4 ,at once ,david acknowledged his wickedness1 saying unto ,nathan1 8,i have sinned40 ,and as showing his deep grief over his sin1 his heart-broken spirit1 and his genuine repentance1 it is only necessary to read ,psalm #ea where confession of sin1 deep humiliation and prayer are the chief ingredients of the ,psalm4 ,david knew where to find a sin-pardoning ,god1 and was received back again and had the joys of salvation restored to him by earnest1 sincere1 penitential praying4 ,thus are all sinners brought into the divine favor1 thus do they find pardon1 and thus do they find a new heart4 ,the entire ,book of ,psalms brings prayer to the front1 and prayer fairly bristles before our eyes as we read this devotional book of the ,scriptures4 ,nor must even ,solomon be overlooked in the famous catalogue of men who prayed in ,old ,testament times4 ,whatever their faults1 they did not forget the ,god who hears prayer nor did they cease to seek the ,god of prayer4 ,while this wise man in his later life departed from ,god1 and his sun set under a cloud1 we find him praying at the commencement of his reign4 ,solomon went to ,gibeon to offer sacrifice1 which always meant that prayer went in close companionship with sacrifice1 and while there1 the ,lord appeared to ,solomon in a vision by night1 saying unto him1 8,ask what ,i shall give thee40 ,the sequel shows the material out of which ,solomon's character was formed4 ,what was his request8 8,o ,lord my ,god1 thou hast made thy servant king instead of my father2 and ,i am but a little child2 ,i know not how to go out or to come in4 8,and thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen1 a great people1 that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude4 8,give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people1 that ,i may discern between good and bad2 for who is able to judge this thy so great a people80 ,we do not wonder that it is recorded as a result of such praying3 8,and the speech pleased the ,lord1 that ,solomon had asked this thing4 8,and ,god said unto him1 ,because thou hast asked this thing1 and hast not asked for thyself long life2 neither hast asked riches for thyself1 nor hast asked the life of thy enemies1 but has asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment2 8,behold ,i have done according to thy word2 ,lo1 ,i have given thee a wise and understanding heart2 so that there was none like thee before thee1 neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee4 8,also ,i have given thee that which thou hast not asked1 both riches and honor2 so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days40 ,what praying was this6 ,what self-deprecation and simplicity6 8,i am but a little child40 ,how he specified the one thing needful6 ,and see how much more he received than that for which he asked6 ,take the remarkable prayer at the dedication of the temple4 ,possibly this is the longest recorded prayer in ,god's ,word4 ,how comprehensive1 pointed1 intensive1 it is6 ,solomon could not afford to lay the foundations of ,god's house in anything else but in prayer4 ,and ,god heard this prayer as he heard him before1 8,and when ,solomon had made an end of his praying1 the fire came down from heaven1 and the glory of the ,lord filled the house10 thus ,god attested the acceptance of this house of worship and of ,solomon1 the praying king4 ,the list of these ,old ,testament saints given to prayer grows as we proceed1 and is too long to notice at length all of them4 ,but the name of ,isaiah1 the great evangelical prophet1 and that of ,jeremiah1 the weeping prophet1 must not be left out of the account4 ,still others might be mentioned4 ,these are sufficient1 and with their names we may close the list4 ,let careful readers of the ,old ,scriptures keep the prayer question in mind1 and they will see how great a place prayer occupied in the minds and lives of the men of those early days4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,,abraham1 ,,the ,,man ,,of ,,prayer ,oh for determined men and women1 who will rise early and really burn out for ,god4 ,oh for a faith that will sweep into heaven with the early dawning of the morning and have ships from a shoreless sea loaded in the soul's harbor ere the ordinary laborer has knocked the dew from his scythe or the huckster has turned from his pallet of straw to spread nature's treasures of fruit before the early buyers4--,,rev4 ,,homer ,w4 ,,hodge4 ,abraham1 the friend of ,god1 was a striking illustration of one of the ,old ,testament saints who believed strongly in prayer4 ,abraham was not a shadowy figure by any means4 ,in the simplicity and dimness of the patriarchal dispensation1 as illustrated by him1 we learn the worth of prayer1 as well as discover its antiquity4 ,the fact is1 prayer reaches back to the first ages of man on earth4 ,we see how the energy of prayer is absolutely required in the simplest as well as in the most complex dispensations of ,god's grace4 ,when we study ,abraham's character1 we find that after his call to go out into an unknown country1 on his journey with his family and his household servants1 wherever he tarried by the way for the night or longer1 he always erected an altar1 and 8called upon the name of the ,lord40 ,and this man of faith and prayer was one of the first to erect a family altar1 around which to gather his household and offer the sacrifices of worship1 of praise and of prayer4 ,these altars built by ,abraham were1 first of all1 essentially altars about which he gathered his household1 as distinguished from secret prayer4 ,as ,god's revelations became fuller and more perfect1 ,abraham's prayerfulness increased1 and it was at one of these spiritual eras that 8,abraham fell on his face and ,god talked with him40 ,on still another occasion we find this man1 8the father of the faithful10 on his face before ,god1 astonished almost to incredulity at the purposes and revelations of ,almighty ,god to him in promising him a son in his old age1 and the wonderful engagements which ,god made concerning his promised son4 ,even ,ishmael's destiny is shaped by ,abraham's prayer when he prayed1 8,o that ,ishmael might live before thee60 ,what a remarkable story is that of ,abraham's standing before ,god repeating his intercessions for the wicked city of ,sodom1 the home of his nephew ,lot1 doomed by ,god's decision to destroy it6 ,sodom's fate was for a while stayed by ,abraham's praying1 and was almost entirely relieved by the humility and insistence of the praying of this man who believed strongly in prayer and who knew how to pray4 ,no other recourse was opened to ,abraham to save ,sodom but prayer4 ,perhaps the failure to ultimately rescue ,sodom from her doom of destruction was due to ,abraham's optimistic view of the spiritual condition of things in that city4 ,it might have been possible1--who knows8--that if ,abraham had entreated ,god once more1 and asked ,him to spare the city if even one righteous man was found there1 for ,lot's sake1 ,he might have heeded ,abraham's request4 ,note another instance in the life of ,abraham as showing how he was a man of prayer and had power with ,god4 ,abraham had journeyed to and was sojourning in ,gerar4 ,fearing that ,abimelech might kill him and appropriate ,sarah his wife to his own lustful uses1 he deceived ,abimelech by claiming that ,sarah was his sister4 ,god appeared unto ,abimelech in a dream and warned him not to touch ,sarah1 telling him that she was the wife of ,abraham1 and not his sister4 ,then he said unto ,abimelech1 8,now restore therefore the man his wife2 for he is a prophet1 and he shall pray for thee1 and thou shalt live40 ,and the conclusion of the incident is thus recorded3 8,so ,abraham prayed unto ,god1 and ,god healed ,abimelech and his wife1 and his maid servants1 and they bare children4 ,for the ,lord had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of ,abimelech because of ,sarah1 his wife40 ,this was a case somewhat on the line of that of ,job at the close of his fearful experience and his terrible trials1 when his friends1 not understanding ,job1 neither comprehending ,god's dealings with this servant of ,his1 falsely charged ,job with being in sin as the cause of all his troubles4 ,god said to these friends of ,job1 8,my servant ,job shall pray for you1 for him will ,i accept4 ,and the ,lord turned the captivity of ,job when he had prayed for his friends40 ,almighty ,god knew ,his servant ,job as a man of prayer1 and ,he could afford to send these friends of ,job to him to pray in order to carry out and fulfill ,his plans and purposes4 ,it was ,abraham's rule to stand before the ,lord in prayer4 ,his life was surcharged with prayer and ,abraham's dispensation was sanctified by prayer4 ,for wherever he halted in his pilgrimage1 prayer was his inseparable accompaniment4 ,side by side with the altar of sacrifice was the altar of prayer4 ,he got up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the ,lord in prayer4 ,,chapter ,,iv ,,moses1 ,,the ,,mighty ,,intercessor ,intercessory ,prayer is a powerful means of grace to the praying man4 ,martyn observes that at times of inward dryness and depression1 he had often found a delightful revival in the act of praying for others for their conversion1 or sanctification1 or prosperity in the work of the ,lord4 ,his dealings with ,god for them about these gifts and blessings were for himself the divinely natural channel of a renewed insight into his own part and lot in ,christ1 into ,christ as his own rest and power1 into the 8perfect freedom0 of an entire yielding of himself to his ,master for ,his work4--,,bishop ,,handley ,c4 ,g4 ,,moule4 ,prayer unites with the purposes of ,god and lays itself out to secure those purposes4 ,how often would the wise and benign will of ,god fail in its rich and beneficent ends by the sins of the people if prayer had not come in to arrest wrath and make the promise sure6 ,israel as a nation would have met their just destruction and their just fate after their apostasy with the golden calf had it not been for the interposition and unfainting importunity of ,moses' forty days' and forty nights' praying6 ,marvelous was the effect of the character of ,moses by his marvelous praying4 ,his near and sublime intercourse with ,god in the giving of the law worked no transfiguration of character like the tireless praying of those forty days in prayer with ,god4 ,it was when he came down from that long struggle of prayer that his face shone with such dazzling brightness4 ,our mounts of transfiguration and the heavenly shining in character and conduct are born of seasons of wrestling prayer4 ,all-night praying has changed many a ,jacob1 the supplanter1 into ,israel1 a prince1 who has power with ,god and with men4 ,no mission was more majestic in purpose and results than that of ,moses1 and none was more responsible1 diligent and difficult4 ,in it we are taught the sublime ministry and rule of prayer4 ,not only is it the medium of supply and support1 but it is a compassionate agency through which the pitying long-suffering of ,god has an outflow4 ,prayer is a medium to restrain ,god's wrath1 that mercy might rejoice against judgment4 ,moses himself and his mission were the creation of prayer4 ,thus it is recorded3 8,when ,jacob was come into ,egypt1 and your fathers cried unto the ,lord1 then the ,lord sent ,moses and ,aaron1 who brought your fathers out of ,egypt1 and made them dwell in this place40 ,this is the genesis of the great movement for the deliverance of the ,hebrews from ,egyptian bondage4 ,the great movements of ,god have had their origin and energy in and were shaped by prayers of men4 ,prayer has directly to deal with ,god4 ,other ends1 collateral and incidental1 are secured by prayer1 but mainly1 almost solely1 prayer has to deal with ,god4 ,he is pleased to order ,his policy1 and base ,his action on the prayers of ,his saints4 ,prayer influences ,god greatly4 ,moses cannot do ,god's great work1 though ,god-commissioned1 without praying much4 ,moses cannot govern ,god's people and carry out the divine plans1 without having his censer filled full of the incense of prayer4 ,the work of ,god cannot be done without the fire and fragrance are always burning1 ascending and perfuming4 ,moses' prayers are often found relieving the terrible stroke of ,god's wrath4 ,four times were the prayers of ,moses solicited by ,pharaoh to relieve him of the fearful stroke of ,god's wrath4 8,entreat the ,lord10 most earnestly begged ,pharaoh of ,moses1 while the loathsome frogs were upon him4 ,and 8,moses cried unto the ,lord because of the frogs which ,god had brought against the land of ,egypt1 and the ,lord did according to the word of ,moses40 ,when the grievous plague of flies had corrupted the whole land1 ,pharaoh again piteously cried out to ,moses1 8,entreat for me40 ,moses went out from ,pharaoh and entreated the ,lord1 and the ,lord again did according to the word of ,moses4 ,the mighty thunderings and hail in their alarming and destructive fury extorted from this wicked king the very same earnest appeal to ,moses1 8,entreat the ,lord40 ,and ,moses went out from the city into privacy1 and alone with ,almighty ,god1 he 8spread abroad his hands unto the ,lord1 and the thunderings and hail ceased1 and the rain was not poured out upon the earth40 ,though ,moses was the man of law1 yet with him prayer asserted its mighty force4 ,with him1 as in the more spiritual dispensation1 it could have been said1 8,my house is the house of prayer40 ,moses accepts at its full face value the foundation principle of praying that prayer has to do with ,god4 ,with ,abraham we saw this clearly and strongly enunciated4 ,with ,moses it is clearer and stronger still if possible4 ,it declared that prayer affected ,god1 that ,god was influenced in ,his conduct by prayer1 and that ,god hears and answers prayer even when the hearing and answering might change ,his conduct and reverse ,his action4 ,stronger than all other laws1 and more inflexible than any other decree1 is the decree1 8,call upon me and ,i will answer you40 ,moses lived near ,god1 and had the freest and most unhindered and boldest access to ,god1 but this1 instead of abating the necessity of prayer1 made it more necessary1 obvious and powerful4 ,familiarity and closeness to ,god gives relish1 frequency1 point and potency to prayer4 ,those who know ,god the best are the richest and most powerful in prayer4 ,little acquaintance with ,god1 and strangeness and coldness to ,him1 make prayer a rare and feeble thing4 ,there were conditions of extremity to which ,moses was reduced which prayer did not relieve1 but there is no position of extremity which baffles ,god1 when prayer puts ,god into the matter4 ,moses' mission was a divine one4 ,it was ordered1 directed and planned by ,god4 ,the more there is of ,god in a movement1 the more there is of prayer1 conspicuous and controlling4 ,moses' prayer rule of the church illustrates the necessity of courage and persistence in prayer4 ,for forty days and forty nights was ,moses pressing his prayer for the salvation of the ,lord's people4 ,so intense was his concern for them which accompanied his long season of praying1 that bodily infirmities and appetites were retired4 ,how strangely the prayers of a righteous man affect ,god is evident from the exclamation of ,god to ,moses1 8,now1 therefore1 let me alone1 that my wrath may wax hot against them1 that ,i may consume them2 and ,i will make of thee a great nation40 ,the presence of such an influence over ,god fills us with astonishment1 awe and fear4 ,how lofty1 bold and devoted must be such a pleader6 ,read this from the divine record3 8,and ,moses returned unto the ,lord1 and said1 ,oh1 this people have sinned a great sin1 and have made them gods of gold6 8,yet now if thou wilt forgive their sin--and if not1 blot me1 ,i pray thee1 out of thy book which thou hast written4 8,and the ,lord said unto ,moses1 ,whosoever hath sinned against me1 him will ,i blot out of my book4 8,therefore now go1 and lead the people unto the place of which ,i have spoken unto thee4 ,behold my angel shall go before thee40 ,the rebellion of ,korah was the occasion of ,god's anger flaming out against the whole congregation of ,israel1 who sympathized with these rebels4 ,again ,moses appears on the stage of action1 this time having ,aaron to join him in intercession for these sinners against ,god4 ,but it only shows that in a serious time like this ,moses knew to whom to go for relief1 and was encouraged to pray that ,god would stay ,his wrath and spare ,israel4 ,here is what is said about the matter3 8,and the ,lord spake unto ,moses and ,aaron1 saying1 8,separate yourselves from among this congregation1 that ,i may consume them in a moment4 8,and they fell on their faces1 and said1 ,o ,god1 the ,god of the spirits of all flesh1 shall one man sin1 and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation80 ,the assumption1 pride and rebellion of ,miriam1 sister of ,moses1 in which she had the presence and sympathy of ,aaron1 put the praying and the spirit of ,moses in the noblest and most amiable light4 ,because of her sin ,god smote her with leprosy4 ,but ,moses made tender and earnest intercession for his sister who had so grievously offended ,god1 and his prayer saved her from the fearful and incurable malady4 ,the record is intensely interesting1 and follows just here3 8,and the anger of the ,lord was kindled against them and the cloud departed from off the tabernacle and behold1 ,miriam became leprous1 white as snow2 and ,aaron looked upon ,miriam1 and behold she was leprous4 8,and ,aaron said unto ,moses1 ,alas1 my ,lord1 ,i beseech thee1 lay not the sin unto us1 wherein we have done foolishly1 and wherein we have sinned4 8,let her not be as one dead1 of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother's womb4 8,and ,moses cried unto the ,lord1 saying1 ,heal her1 ,o ,god1 ,i beseech thee4 8,and the ,lord said unto ,moses1 ,if her father had but spit in her face1 should she not be ashamed seven days8 ,let her be shut out from the camp seven days1 and after that let her be received again40 ,the murmurings of the children of ,israel furnished conditions which called into play the full forces of prayer4 ,they impressively bring out the intercessory feature of prayer and disclose ,moses in his great office as an intercessor before ,god in behalf of others4 ,it was at ,marah1 where the waters were bitter and the people grievously murmured against ,moses and ,god4 ,here is the ,scripture account3 8,and when they came to ,marah1 they could not drink of the waters of ,marah2 for they were bitter2 therefore the name of it was called ,marah4 8,and the people murmured against ,moses1 saying1 ,what shall we drink8 8,and ,moses cried unto the ,lord2 and the ,lord showed him a tree1 which when he had cast into the waters1 the waters were made sweet2 there he made for them a statute and an ordinance1 and there he proved them40 ,how many of the bitter places of the earth have been sweetened by prayer the records of eternity alone will disclose4 ,again at ,taberah the people complained1 and ,god became angry with them1 and ,moses came again to the front and stepped into the breach and prayed for them4 ,here is the brief account3 8,and when the people complained1 it displeased the ,lord2 and the ,lord heard it2 and his anger was kindled2 and the fire of the ,lord burnt among them1 and consumed them that were in the uttermost part of the camp4 8,and the people cried unto ,moses1 and when ,moses prayed unto the ,lord1 the fire was quenched40 ,moses got what he asked for4 ,his praying was specific and ,god's answer was likewise specific4 ,always was he heard by ,almighty ,god when he prayed1 and always was he answered by ,god4 ,once the answer was not specific4 ,he had prayed to go into ,canaan4 ,the answer came but not what he asked for4 ,he was given a vision of the ,promised ,land1 but he was not allowed to go over ,jordan into that land of promise4 ,it was a prayer on the order of ,paul's when he prayed three times for the removal of the thorn in the flesh4 ,but the thorn was not removed4 ,grace1 however1 was vouchsafed which made the thorn a blessing4 ,it must not be thought that because the #ijth ,psalm is incorporated with what is known as the 8,psalms of ,david10 that ,david was the author of it4 ,by general consent it is attributed to ,moses1 and it gives us a sample of the praying of this giver of the law of ,god to the people4 ,it is a prayer worth studying4 ,it is sacred to us because it has been the requiem uttered over our dead for years that are past and gone4 ,it has blessed the grave of many a sleeping saint4 ,but its very familiarity may cause us to lose its full meaning4 ,wise will we be if we digest it1 not for the dead1 but for the living1 that it may teach us how to live1 how to pray while living1 and how to die4 8,so teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom4 ,establish thou the work of our hands1 yea1 the work of our hands establish thou it40 ,,chapter ,v ,,elijah1 ,,the ,,praying ,,prophet 8,i have known men10 says ,goodwin--it must have been himself--8who came to ,god for nothing else but just to come to ,him1 they so loved ,him4 ,they scorned to soil ,him and themselves with any other errand than just purely to be alone with ,him in ,his presence4 ,friendship is best kept up1 even among men1 by frequent visits2 and the more free and defecate those frequent visits are1 and the less occasioned by business1 or necessity1 or custom they are1 the more friendly and welcome they are40--,,rev4 ,,alexander ,,whyte4 ,elijah is preminently the elder of the prophets4 ,the crown1 the throne and the scepter are his4 ,his garments are white with flame4 ,he seems exalted in his fiery and prayerful nature1 as a being seemingly superhuman1 but the ,new ,testament places him alongside of us as man of like nature with us4 ,instead of placing himself outside the sphere of humanity1 in the marvelous results of his praying1 it points to him as an example to be imitated and as inspiration to stimulate us4 ,to pray like ,elijah1 and to have results like ,elijah1 is the crying need of the times4 ,elijah had learned the lesson of prayer1 and had graduated in that divine school ere we know him4 ,somewhere in the secret places1 on mountain or in plain1 he had been alone with ,god1 an intercessor against the debasing idolatry of ,ahab4 ,mightily had his prayers prevailed with ,god4 ,how confidently and well assured were the answers to his praying4 ,he had been talking with ,god about vengeance4 ,he was the embodiment of his times4 ,those times were times of vengeance4 ,the intercessor was not to be clothed with an olive branch with its fillet of wood1 the symbol of a suppliant for mercy1 but with fire1 the symbol of justice and the messenger of wrath4 ,how abruptly does he come before us in the presence of ,ahab6 ,well assured and with holy boldness does he declare before the astonished1 cowering king his message of fearful import1 a message gained by his earnest praying1--8in praying he prayed that it might not rain10 and ,god did not deny his prayer4 8,as the ,lord ,god of ,israel liveth1 before whom ,i stand1 there shall not be dew nor rain these years but according to my word40 ,the secret of his praying and the character of the man are found in the words1 8,before whom ,i stand40 ,we are here reminded of ,gabriel's words to ,zacharias in informing this priest of the coming of a son to him and his wife in their old age3 8,i am ,gabriel that standeth in the presence of ,god40 ,the archangel ,gabriel had scarcely more unflinching devotion1 more courage1 and more readiness of obedience1 and more jealousy of ,god's honor1 than ,elijah4 ,what projecting power do we see in his prayer6 8,and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months40 ,what omnipotent forces which can command the powers of nature6 8,not dew nor rain40 ,what man is this who dares utter such a claim or assert such a power8 ,if his claim be false1 he is a fanatic or a madman4 ,if his claim be true1 he has stayed the benevolent arm of ,omnipotence1 and put himself1 by ,god's leave1 in ,god's place4 ,the accursed and burnt-up land and the fiery1 rainless and dewless days and nights1 attest the truth of his saying1 and prove the sternness1 strength1 firmness and passion of the man who holds back the clouds and stays the blessed visitation of the rain4 ,elijah is his name1 and this attests the truth of that name1 8,my ,god is ,jehovah40 ,his prayers have the power to stay the benignant course of nature4 ,he stands in ,god's stead in this matter4 ,the sober1 passionless1 unimaginative ,james1 the brother of our ,lord1 in his ,epistle1 says to us3 8,see what prayer can do1 by ,elijah6 ,pray as ,elijah prayed4 ,let the righteous man put forth to its fullest extent the energy of prayer4 ,let saints and sinners1 angels and devils1 see and feel the mighty potencies of prayer4 ,see how the prayer of a good man has power and influence1 and avails with ,god60 ,no sham praying was that of ,elijah1 no mere performance1 no spiritless1 soulless1 official praying was it4 ,elijah was in ,elijah's praying4 ,the whole man1 with all his fiery forces1 was in it4 ,almighty ,god to him was real4 ,prayer to him was the means of projecting ,god in full force on the world1 in order to vindicate ,his name1 establish ,his own being1 to avenge ,his blasphemed name and violated law1 and to vindicate ,his servants4 ,instead of 8prayed earnestly10 in ,james #e3ag1 the ,revised ,version has it1 8,in his prayer he prayed10 or 8with prayer he prayed40 ,that is1 with all the combined energies of prayer he prayed4 ,elijah's praying was strong1 insistent1 and resistless in its elements of power4 ,feeble praying secures no results and brings neither glory to ,god nor good to man4 ,elijah learned new and higher lessons of prayer while hidden away by ,god and with ,god when he was by the brook ,cherith4 ,he was doubtless communing with ,god while ,ahab was searching all lands for him4 ,after a while he was ordered to ,sarepta1 where ,god had commanded a widow to sustain him4 ,he went there for the widow's good as well as for his own4 ,a benefit to ,elijah and a signal good to the widow were the results of ,elijah's going4 ,while this woman provided for him1 he provided for the woman4 ,elijah's prayers did more for the woman than the woman's hospitality did for ,elijah4 ,great trials awaited the widow and great sorrows too4 ,her widowhood and her poverty tell of her struggles and her sorrows4 ,elijah was there to relieve her poverty and to assuage her griefs4 ,here is the interesting account3 8,and it came to pass that after these things1 the son of the woman1 the mistress of the house1 fell sick2 and his sickness was sore1 that there was no breath left in him4 8,and she said unto ,elijah1 ,what have ,i to do with thee1 ,o thou man of ,god8 ,art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance and to slay my son8 8,and he said unto her1 ,give me thy son4 ,and he took him out of her bosom1 and carried him up into a loft1 where he abode1 and laid him upon his own bed4 8,and he cried unto the ,lord1 and said1 ,o ,lord my ,god1 hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom ,i sojourn by slaying her son8 8,and he stretched himself upon the child three times1 and cried unto the ,lord1 and said1 ,o ,lord my ,god1 ,i pray thee let this child's soul come into him again4 8,and the ,lord heard the voice of ,elijah1 and the soul of the child came into him again1 and he revived4 8,and ,elijah took the child and brought him down out of the chamber into the house1 and delivered him unto his mother4 ,and ,elijah said1 ,see1 thy son liveth4 8,and the woman said to ,elijah1 ,now by this ,i know that thou art a man of ,god1 and that the word of the ,lord in thy mouth is truth40 ,elijah's prayer enters regions where prayer had never gone before4 ,the awful1 mysterious and powerful regions of the dead are now invaded by the presence and demands of prayer4 ,jesus ,christ refers to ,elijah's going to this widow as mainly1 if not solely1 for her good4 ,elijah's presence and praying keep the woman from starving and brings her son back from death4 ,surely no sorrow is like the bitterness of the loss of an only son4 ,with what assured confidence ,elijah faces the conditions6 ,there is no hesitancy in his actions1 and there is no pause in his faith4 ,he takes the dead son to his own room1 and alone with ,god he makes the issue4 ,in that room ,god meets him and the struggle is with ,god alone4 ,the struggle is too intense and too sacred for companionship or for spectator4 ,the prayer is made to ,god and the issue is with ,god4 ,the child has been taken by ,god1 and ,god rules in the realms of death4 ,in ,his hands are the issues of life and death4 ,elijah believed that ,god had taken the child's spirit1 and that ,god could as well restore that spirit4 ,god answered ,elijah's prayer4 ,the answer was the proof of ,elijah's mission from ,god1 and of the truth of ,god's ,word4 ,the dead child brought to life was a sure conviction of this truth3 8,now by this ,i know that thou art a man of ,god1 and that the word of the ,lord in thy mouth is truth40 ,answers to prayer are the evidences of the being of ,god and of the truth of ,his ,word4 ,the immortal test of ,elijah made in the presence of an apostate king1 and in the face of a back-slidden nation and an idolatrous priesthood on ,mount ,carmel1 is a sublime exhibition of faith and prayer4 ,in the contest the prophets of ,baal had failed4 ,no fire from heaven falls from heaven in answer to their frantic cries4 ,elijah1 in great quietness of spirit and with confident assurance1 calls ,israel to him4 ,he repairs the wasted altar of ,god1 the altar of sacrifice and of prayer1 and puts the pieces of the bullock in order on the altar4 ,he then uses every preventive against any charge of deception4 ,everything is flooded with water4 ,then ,elijah prays a model prayer1 remarkable for its clearness1 its simplicity and its utmost candor4 ,it is noted for its brevity and its faith4 ,read the account given in the ,scriptures3 8,and it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice1 that ,elijah the prophet came near and said1 ,lord ,god of ,abraham1 ,isaac and of ,israel1 let it be known this day that thou art ,god in ,israel1 and that ,i am thy servant1 and that ,i have done all these things at thy word4 8,hear me1 ,o ,lord1 hear me1 that this people may know that thou art the ,lord ,god1 and that thou hast turned their heart back again4 8,then the fire of the ,lord fell1 and consumed the burnt sacrifice1 and the wood1 and the stones1 and the dust1 and licked up the water that was in the trench4 8,and when all the people saw it1 they fell on their faces2 and they said1 ,the ,lord1 he is ,god2 ,the ,lord1 he is ,god40 ,elijah had been dealing directly with ,god as before4 ,true prayer always deals with ,god4 ,this prayer of ,elijah was to determine the existence of the true ,god1 and the answer direct from ,god settles the question4 ,the answer is also the credentials of ,elijah's divine mission and the evidence that ,god deals with men4 ,if we had more of ,elijah's praying1 marvels would not be the marvels that they are now to us4 ,god would not be so strange1 so far away in being and so feeble in action4 ,everything is tame and feeble because our praying is so tame and feeble4 ,god said to ,elijah1 8,go show thyself to ,ahab1 and ,i will send rain on the earth40 ,elijah acted promptly on the divine order1 and showed himself to ,ahab4 ,he had made his issue with ,ahab1 ,israel and ,baal4 ,the whole current of national feeling had turned back to ,god4 ,the day was fading into the evening shades4 ,no rain had come4 ,but ,elijah did not fold his arms and say the promise had failed1 but gave point and fulfilment to the promise4 ,here is the ,scripture record with the result given3 8,and ,elijah said unto ,ahab1 ,get thee up1 eat and drink1 for there is a sound of abundance of rain4 8,so ,ahab went up to eat and to drink4 ,and ,elijah went up to the top of ,carmel4 ,and he cast himself down upon the earth1 and put his face between his knees4 8,and said to his servant1 ,go up now1 look toward the sea4 ,and he went up and looked1 and said1 ,there is nothing4 ,and he said1 ,go again seven times4 8,and it came to pass at the seventh time that he said1 ,behold there riseth a little cloud out of the sea1 like a man's hand4 ,and he said1 ,go up1 say unto ,ahab1 ,prepare thy chariot1 and get thee down1 that the rain stop thee not4 8,and it came to pass in the meanwhile1 that the heaven was black with clouds and wind1 and there was a great rain4 ,and ,ahab rode and went to ,jezreel4 8,and the hand of the ,lord was on ,elijah40 ,then it was1 as ,james records1 8,and he prayed again1 and the heaven gave rain1 and the earth brought forth her fruit40 ,elijah's importunate1 fiery praying and ,god's promise brought the rain4 ,prayer carries the promise to its gracious fulfillment4 ,it takes persistent and persevering prayer to give to the promise its largest and most gracious results4 ,in this instance it was expectant prayer1 watchful of results1 looking for the answer4 ,elijah had the answer in the small cloud like a man's hand4 ,he had the inward assurance of the answer even before he had the rain4 ,how ,elijah's praying shames our feeble praying6 ,his praying brought things to pass4 ,it vindicated the existence and being of ,god1 brought conviction to dull and sluggish consciences1 and proved that ,god was still ,god in the nation4 ,elijah's praying turned a whole nation back to ,god1 ordered the moving of the clouds1 and directed the falling of the rain4 ,it called down fire from heaven to prove the existence of ,god or to destroy ,god's enemies4 ,the praying of the ,elder ,prophet of ,israel was clothed in his robes of fire4 ,the golden crown was on his head1 and his censer was full and fragrant with the flame1 the melody and the perfume of prayer4 ,what wonderful power clothed him on this occasion6 ,it was no wonder that ,elisha cried out as he saw this fiery prophet of the ,lord enter the chariot for his heavenly ride1 8,my father6 my father6 ,the chariot of ,israel and the horsemen thereof60 ,but chariots and armies could not begin to do as much for ,israel as did this praying ,elijah4 ,prayers are omnipotent forces1 world-wide and heaven-reaching4 ,where are the praying ones of modern times of fiery faith who can incense ,elijah's prayers8 ,we need at this time rulers in the ,church who can add to the force1 flame and fragrance of ,elijah's praying by their own prayers4 ,elijah could touch nothing but by prayer4 ,god was with him mightily because he was mighty in prayer4 ,in the contest with the prophets of ,baal1 he makes the issue clearly and positively to determine the true ,god1 as one to be made by prayer4 ,does ,god live8 ,is the ,bible a revelation from ,him8 ,how often in these days are those questions rising8 ,how often do they need to be settled8 ,an appeal by prayer is the only settlement to them4 ,where is the trouble8 ,not in ,god1 but in our praying4 ,the proof of ,god and of ,his being is that ,he answers prayer4 ,it takes the faith and prayer of ,elijah to settle the question4 ,where are the ,elijahs in the ,church of the present day8 ,where are the men of like passions as he1 who can pray as he prayed8 ,we have thousands of men of like passions1 but where are the men of like praying as he was8 ,notice with what calm1 assured confidence he stakes the issue and builds the altar4 ,how calm and pointed is his prayer on that occasion6 ,instead of such praying being out of the range of ,new ,testament principles and moderation1 this very praying of ,elijah is pressed as an example to be imitated and as an illustration of what prayer is and what prayer can do when performed by the right men in the right way4 ,elijah's results could be secured if we had more ,elijah men to do the praying4 ,elijah prayed really1 truly and earnestly4 ,how much of praying there is at the present time which is not real praying1 but is a mere shell1 shucks1 and mere words6 ,much of it might well be termed non-praying4 ,the world is full of such praying4 ,it goes nowhere1 it avails nothing1 it brings no returns4 ,in fact1 no returns nor results are expected4 ,the requisites of true prayer are the requisites of scriptural1 vital1 personal religion4 ,they are the requisites of real religious service in this life4 ,primary among these requisites is that in serving1 we serve4 ,so in praying1 we must pray4 ,truth and heart reality1 these are the core1 the substance1 the sum1 the heart of prayer4 ,there are no possibilities in prayer without we really pray in all simplicity1 reality and trueness4 ,prayerless praying--how common1 how popular1 how delusive and vain6 ,,chapter ,,vi ,,hezekiah1 ,,the ,,praying ,,king ,one can form a habit of study until the will seems to be at rest and only the intellect is engaged1 the will having retired altogether from exercise4 ,this is not true of real praying4 ,if the affections are laggard1 cold1 indifferent1 if the intellect is furnishing no material to clothe the petition with imagery and fervor1 the prayer is a mere vaporing of intellectual exercise1 nothing being accomplished worth while4--,,rev4 ,,homer ,w4 ,,hodge4 ,the great religious reformation under ,king ,hezekiah and the prophet ,isaiah was thoroughly impregnated with prayer in its various stages4 ,king ,hezekiah1 of ,judah1 will serve as an illustration of a praying elder of ,god's ,church1 white-robed and gold-crowned4 ,he had genius and strength1 wisdom and piety4 ,he was a statesman1 a general1 a poet and a religious reformer4 ,he is a distinct surprise to us1 not so much because of his strength and genius--they were to be expected--but in his piety1 under all the circumstances connected with him4 ,the rare statement1 8,he did that which was right in the sight of the ,lord10 is a glad and thrilling surprise when we consider all his antecedents and his environments4 ,where did he come from8 ,under what circumstances was his childhood life spent8 ,who were his parents and what were their religious character8 ,worldliness1 half-heartedness and utter apostasy marked the reign of his father1 grandfather and his great-grandfather4 ,his home surroundings as he grew up were far from being favorable to godliness and faith in ,god4 ,one thing1 however1 favored him4 ,he was fortunate in having ,isaiah for his friend and counselor when he assumed the crown of ,judah4 ,how much there is in a ruler's having a ,god-fearing man for a counselor and an associate6 ,with what familiar and successful praying did he intercede with ,god is seen in the ,passover feast1 in which a number of the people were unfitted to participate4 ,they had not prepared themselves by the required ceremonial cleansing1 and it was important that they be allowed to eat the ,passover feast with all the others4 ,here is the brief account with special reference to the praying of ,hezekiah and the result3 8,for there were many in the congregation that were not sanctified2 therefore the ,levites had the charge of the killing of the passover for every one that was not clean1 to sanctify them unto the ,lord4 8,for a multitude of the people had not cleansed themselves yet did they eat the passover otherwise than it was written4 ,but ,hezekiah prayed for them saying1 ,the ,good ,lord pardon every one4 8,that prepareth his heart to seek ,god1 the ,lord ,god of his fathers1 though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary4 8,and the ,lord hearkened to ,hezekiah1 and healed the people40 ,so the ,lord heard him as he prayed1 and even the violation of the most sacred law of the ,passover was forgiven in answer to the prayer of this praying1 ,god-fearing king4 ,law must yield its scepter to prayer4 ,the strength1 directness and foundation of his faith and prayer are found in his words to his army4 ,memorable words are they1 stronger and mightier than all the hosts of ,sennacherib3 8,be strong and courageous2 be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of ,assyria1 nor for all the multitude that is with him2 for there be more with us than with him4 8,with him is an arm of flesh2 but with us is the ,lord our ,god to help us1 and to fight our battles4 ,and the people rested themselves upon the words of ,hezekiah1 king of ,judah40 ,his defense against the mighty enemies of ,god was prayer4 ,his enemies quailed and were destroyed by his prayers when his own armies were powerless4 ,god's people were always safe when their princes were princes in prayer4 ,an occasion of serious import came to the people of ,god during his reign which was to test his faith in ,god and furnish opportunity to try the prayer agency to obtain deliverance4 ,judah was sorely pressed by the ,assyrians1 and1 humanly speaking1 defeat and captivity seemed imminent4 ,the ,king of ,assyria sent a commission to defy and blaspheme the name of ,god and to insult ,king ,hezekiah1 and they uttered their insults and blasphemy publicly4 ,note what ,hezekiah immediately did without hesitation3 8,and it came to pass when ,king ,hezekiah heard it1 that he rent his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth1 and went into the house of the ,lord40 ,his very first impression was to turn to ,god by going to the 8house of prayer40 ,god was in his thoughts1 and prayer was the first thing to be done4 ,and so he sent messengers to ,isaiah to join him in prayer4 ,in such an emergency ,god must not be left out of the account4 ,god must be appealed to for deliverance from these blasphemous enemies of ,god and ,his people4 ,just at this particular juncture the forces of the ,king of ,assyria1 which were besieging ,hezekiah1 were diverted from an immediate attack on ,jerusalem4 ,the ,king of ,assyria1 however1 sent to ,hezekiah a defaming and blasphemous letter4 ,for the second time1 as he is insulted and beset by the forces of this heathen king1 he enters the house of the ,lord1 the 8house of prayer40 ,where else should he go8 ,and to whom should he appeal but unto the ,god of ,israel8 8,and ,hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers1 and read it2 and ,hezekiah went up to the house of the ,lord1 and spread it before the ,lord4 8,and ,hezekiah prayed unto the ,lord3 ,o ,lord of hosts1 the ,god of ,israel that dwellest between the cherubim1 ,thou art the ,god1 even thou alone1 of all the kingdoms of the earth4 ,thou hast made heaven and earth4 8,now1 therefore1 ,o ,lord our ,god1 save us from his hand1 that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the ,lord1 even thou only40 ,and note the speedy answer and the marvelous results of such praying by this ,god-fearing king4 ,first1 ,isaiah gave the ,king full assurance that he need fear nothing4 ,god had heard the prayer1 and would give a great deliverance4 ,then secondly1 the angel of the ,lord came with swift wings and smote #ahe1jjj ,assyrians4 ,the king was vindicated1 ,god was honored1 and the people of ,god were saved4 ,the united prayers of the praying king and of the praying prophet were almighty forces in bringing deliverance and destroying ,god's enemies4 ,armies lay at their mercy1 defenceless2 and angels1 swift-winged and armed with almighty power and vengeance1 were their allies4 ,hezekiah had ministered in prayer in destroying idolatry and in reforming his kingdom4 ,in meeting his enemies1 prayer had been his chief weapon4 ,he now comes to try its efficiency against the set and declared purposes of ,almighty ,god4 ,will it avail in this new field of action8 ,let us see4 ,hezekiah was very sick1 and ,god sends his own familiar friend and wise counselor and prophet1 ,isaiah1 to warn him of his approaching end1 and to tell him to arrange all his affairs for his final departure4 ,this is the ,scriptural statement3 8,in those days was ,hezekiah sick unto death4 ,and the ,prophet ,isaiah1 the son of ,amoz1 came to him1 and said unto him1 ,thus saith the ,lord3 ,set thy house in order1 for thou shalt die and not live40 ,the decree came direct from ,god that he should die4 ,what can set aside or reverse that ,divine decree of heaven8 ,hezekiah had never been in a condition so insuperable with a decree so direct and definite from ,god4 ,can prayer change the purposes of ,god8 ,can prayer snatch from the jaws of death one who has been decreed to die8 ,can prayer save a man from an incurable sickness8 ,these were the questions with which his faith had now to deal4 ,but his faith does not seem to pause one moment4 ,his faith is not staggered one minute at the sudden and definite news conveyed to him by the ,lord's prophet4 ,no such questions which modern unbelief or disbelief would raise are started in his mind4 ,at once he gives himself to prayer4 ,immediately without delay he applies to ,god who issued the edict4 ,to whom else could he go8 ,cannot ,god change ,his own purposes if ,he chooses8 ,note what ,hezekiah did in this emergency1 sorely pressed1 and see the gracious result3 8,then he turned his face to the wall and prayed unto the ,lord1 saying1 8,i beseech thee1 ,o ,lord1 remember now how ,i have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart1 and have done that which is good in thy sight4 ,and ,hezekiah wept sore40 ,it was no self-righteous plea which he offered to ,god for recovery4 ,he was only pleading his fidelity1 just as ,christ did in after years3 8,father1 ,i have glorified thee on earth40 ,he is the ,lord's reminder1 and is putting ,him in mind as to his sincerity1 fidelity and service1 which was in every way legitimate4 ,this prayer was directly in line with that of ,david in ,psalm #bf3a1 8,judge me1 ,o ,lord1 for ,i have walked in my integrity40 ,this is not a prayer test with ,hezekiah1 nor is it a faith cure1 but it is a testing of ,god4 ,it must be ,god's cure if a cure comes at all4 ,hezekiah had hardly finished his prayer1 and ,isaiah was just about to go home when ,god gave him another message for ,hezekiah1 this time one more pleasant and encouraging4 ,the mighty force of prayer had affected ,god1 and had changed ,his edict and reversed ,him in ,his purpose concerning ,hezekiah4 ,what is that which prayer cannot do8 ,what is it which a praying man cannot accomplish through prayer8 8,and it came to pass before ,isaiah had gone out into the middle court1 that the word of the ,lord came to him1 saying1 8,turn again1 and tell ,hezekiah1 the captain of my people1 ,thus1 saith the ,lord1 the ,god of ,david thy father1 ,i have heard thy prayer2 ,i have seen thy tears2 ,behold1 ,i will heal thee2 on the third day thou shalt go up to the house of the ,lord4 8,and ,i will add unto thy days fifteen years1 and ,i will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the ,king of ,assyria2 and ,i will defend this city for my own sake1 and for ,david1 my servant's sake40 ,the prayer was to ,god4 ,it was that ,god should reconsider and change ,his mind4 ,doubtless ,isaiah returned to his house with a lighter heart than he did when he delivered his original message4 ,god had been prayed to by this sick king1 and had been asked to revoke ,his decree1 and ,god had condescended to grant the request4 ,god sometimes changes ,his mind4 ,he has a right to do so4 ,the reasons for ,him to change ,his mind are strong reasons4 ,his servant ,hezekiah wants it done4 ,hezekiah had been a dutiful servant and had done much for ,god4 ,truth1 perfection and goodness have been the elements of ,hezekiah's service and the rule of his life4 ,hezekiah's tears and prayer are in the way of ,god's executing ,his decree to take away the life of ,his servant4 ,prayer and tears are mighty things with ,god4 ,they are to ,him much more than consistency and much more to ,him than decrees4 8,i have heard thy prayer2 ,i have seen thy tears2 behold ,i will heal thee40 ,sickness dies before prayer4 ,health comes in answer to prayer4 ,god answered more than ,hezekiah asked for4 ,hezekiah prayed only for his life1 and ,god gave him life1 and in addition promised him protection and security from his enemies4 ,but ,isaiah had something to do with the recovery of this praying king4 ,there was something more than prayer in it4 ,isaiah's praying was changed into the skill of the physician4 8,and ,isaiah said1 ,take a lump of figs4 ,and they took and laid it on the boil1 and he recovered40 ,god often uses remedies in answering prayer4 ,it frequently takes a stronger faith to rise above means and not to trust in them1 than it does to wholly reject all means4 ,here was a simple remedy that all might know that it did not cure the deadly disease1 and yet a means to aid or to test faith4 ,but still more praying was to be done4 ,isaiah and ,hezekiah could not do things without much praying3 8,and ,hezekiah said unto ,isaiah1 ,what shall be the sign that the ,lord will heal me1 and that ,i shall go up into the house of the ,lord the third day8 8,and ,isaiah said1 ,this sign shalt thou have of the ,lord1 that the ,lord will do the thing that he hath spoken3 ,shall the shadow go forward ten degrees1 or go back ten degrees8 8,and ,hezekiah answered1 ,it is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees2 nay1 but let the shadow return backward ten degrees4 8,and ,isaiah the prophet cried unto the ,lord1 and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward1 by which it had gone down in the dial of ,ahaz40 ,hezekiah meets the occasion and covers the answer to his prayer with thanksgiving4 ,the fragrance of the sweet spices are there1 and the melody of the harp also4 ,four things let us ever keep in mind3 ,god hears prayer1 ,god heeds prayer1 ,god answers prayer1 and ,god delivers by prayer4 ,these things cannot be too often repeated4 ,prayer breaks all bars1 dissolves all chains1 opens all prisons and widens all straits by which ,god's saints have been holden4 ,life was sweet to ,hezekiah and he desired to live1 but what can brook ,god's decree8 ,nothing but the energy of faith4 ,hezekiah's heart was broken under the strain1 and its waters flowed and added force and volume to his praying4 ,he pleaded with great strivings and with strong arguments2 and ,god heard ,hezekiah praying1 saw his tears1 and changed his mind1 and ,hezekiah lived to praise ,god and to be an example of the power of mighty praying4 ,like ,hezekiah1 the decent1 soulless way of praying did not suit ,paul4 ,he puts himself in the attitude of a wrestler1 and charges his brethren to join him in the agony of a great conflict4 8,brethren1 ,i beseech you10 he says1 8for the ,lord ,jesus ,christ's sake1 and for the love of the ,spirit1 that ye strive together with me in your prayers to ,god for me40 ,he was too much in earnest to touch the praying business genteelly or with gloved hands4 ,he was in it as an agony1 and he desired his brethren to be his partners in this conflict and wrestling of his soul4 ,epaphras was doing this same kind of praying for the ,colossians3 8,always laboring fervently for you in prayers1 that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of ,god40 ,an end worth agonizing for always4 ,this kind of praying by these early pastors of the ,apostolic ,church was one secret of the purity1 one source of the power of the ,church4 ,and this was the kind of praying which was done by ,hezekiah4 ,here was prayer born in the fire of a great desire1 and pursued through the deepest agony of conflict and opposition to success4 ,our spiritual cravings are not strong enough to give life to the mighty conflicts of prayer8 ,they are not absorbing enough to stop business1 arrest worldly pursuits1 awaken us before day1 and send us to the closet1 to solitude1 and to ,god2 to conquer every opposing force and win our victories from the very jaws of hell4 ,we want preachers and men and women who can illustrate the uses1 the forces1 the blessing1 and the utmost limits of prayer4 ,isaiah laments that there was no one who stirred himself up to take hold of ,god4 ,much praying was done1 but it was too easy1 indifferent1 complacent4 ,there were no mighty movements of the soul toward ,god1 no array of all the sanctified energies to reach out and grapple ,god and draw out his treasures for spiritual uses4 ,forceless prayers have no power to overcome difficulties1 no power to win marked results1 or gain a complete and wonderful victory4 ,,chapter ,,vii ,,ezra1 ,,the ,,praying ,,reformer ,before the ,great ,war there were many signs of a new interest in ,,prayer and new hope from its exercise4 ,how these signs have multiplied is known to every one4 ,this one thing at least that is good the ,war has done for us already4 ,let us not miss our opportunity4 ,prayer is not an easy exercise4 ,it requires encouragement1 exposition1 and training4 ,there never was a time when men and women were more sincerely anxious to be told how to pray4 ,prayer is the mightiest instrument in our armory1 and if we are to use it as ,god has given the encouragement1 we must do everything in our power to bring it into exercise4--,,rev4 ,,james ,,hastings4 ,ezra1 the priest1 and one of ,god's great reformers1 comes before us in the ,old ,testament as a praying man1 one who uses prayer to overcome difficulties and bring good things to pass4 ,he had returned from ,babylon under the patronage of the ,king of ,babylon1 who had been strangely moved toward ,ezra and who favored him in many ways4 ,ezra had been in ,jerusalem but a few days when the princes came to him with the distressing information that the people had not separated themselves from the people of that country1 and were doing according to the abominations of the heathen nations about them4 ,and that which was worse than all was that the princes and rulers in ,israel had been chief in the trespass4 ,it was a sad state of affairs facing ,ezra as he found the ,church almost hopelessly involved with the world4 ,god demands of ,his ,church in all ages that it should be separated from the world1 a separation so sharp that it amounts to an antagonism4 ,to effect this very end1 ,he put ,israel in the ,promised ,land1 and cut them off from other nations by mountains1 deserts and seas1 and straightway charged them that they should not form any relation with alien nations1 neither marital1 social nor business4 ,but ,ezra finds the ,church at ,jerusalem1 as he returns from ,babylon1 paralyzed and hopelessly and thoroughly prostrated by the violation of this principle4 ,they had intermarried1 and had formed the closest and most sacred ties in family1 social and business life1 with the ,gentile nations4 ,all were involved in it1 priests1 ,levites1 princes and people4 ,the family1 the business1 and the religious life of the people was founded in this violation of ,god's law4 ,what was to be done8 ,what could be done8 ,here were the important questions which faced this leader in ,israel1 this man of ,god4 ,everything appeared to be against the recovery of the ,church4 ,ezra could not preach to them1 because the whole city would be inflamed1 and would hound him out of the place4 ,what force was there which could recover them to ,god so that they would dissolve business partnerships1 divorce wives and husbands1 cut acquaintances and dissolve friendships8 ,the first thing about ,ezra which is worthy of remark was that he saw the situation and realized how serious it was4 ,he was not a blind-eyed optimist who never sees anything wrong in the ,church4 ,by the mouth of ,isaiah ,god had propounded the very pertinent question1 8,who is blind but my servant80 ,but it could not possibly be made to apply to ,ezra4 ,nor did he minimize the condition of things or seek to palliate the sins of the people or to minimize the enormity of their crimes4 ,their offense appeared in his eyes to be serious in the extreme4 ,it is worth not a little to have leaders in ,zion who have eyes to see the sins of the ,church as well as the evils of the times4 ,one great need of the modern ,church is for leaders after the style of ,ezra1 who are not blind in their seeing department1 and who are willing to see the state of things in the ,church and who are not reluctant to open their eyes to the real situation4 ,very naturally1 seeing these dreadful evils in the ,church and in the society of ,jerusalem1 he was distressed4 ,the sad condition of things grieved him1 so much so that he rent his garments1 plucked his hair1 and sat down astonished4 ,all these things are evidences of his great distress of soul at the terrible state of affairs4 ,then it was in that frame of mind1 concerned1 solicitous and troubled in soul1 that he gave himself to prayer1 to confession of the sins of the people1 and to pleading for pardoning mercy at the hands of ,god4 ,to whom should he go in a time like this but unto the ,god who hears prayer1 who is ready to pardon and who can bring the unexpected thing to pass8 ,he was amazed beyond expression at the wicked conduct of the people1 was deeply moved and began to fast and pray4 ,prayer and fasting always accomplish something4 ,he prays with a broken heart1 for there is naught else that he can do4 ,he prays unto ,god1 deeply burdened1 prostrate on the ground and weeping1 while the whole city unites with him in prayer4 ,prayer was the only way to placate ,god1 and ,ezra became a great mover in a great work for ,god1 with marvelous results4 ,the whole work1 its principles and its results1 are summarized by just one verse in ,ezra #aj3a3 8,now when ,ezra had prayed1 and had confessed1 weeping and casting himself down before the house of ,god1 there assembled unto him out of ,israel a very great congregation of men and women and children1 for the people wept sore40 ,there had been mighty1 simple and persevering prayer4 ,intense and prevailing prayer had accomplished its end4 ,ezra's praying had brought into being and brought forth results in a great work for ,god4 ,it was mighty praying because it brought ,almighty ,god to do ,his own work1 which was absolutely hopeless from any other source save by prayer and by ,god4 ,but nothing is hopeless to prayer because nothing is hopelessly to ,god4 ,again we must say that prayer has only to do with ,god1 and is only resultful as it has to do with ,god4 ,whatever influence the praying of ,ezra had upon himself1 its chief1 if not its only1 results followed because it affected ,god1 and moved ,him to do the work4 ,a great and general repentance followed this praying of ,ezra1 and there occurred a wonderful reformation in ,israel4 ,and ,ezra's mourning and his praying were the great factors which had to do with bringing these great things to pass4 ,so thorough was the revival which occurred that as evidences of its genuineness it is noted that the leaders in ,israel came to ,ezra with these words3 8,we have trespassed against our ,god1 and have taken strange wives of the people of the land4 ,yet now there is hope in ,israel concerning this thing4 8,now therefore let us make a covenant with our ,god to put away all the wives1 and such as are born to them1 according to the counsel of my lord1 and of those that tremble at the commandment of our ,god2 and let it be done according to the law4 8,arise1 for this matter belongeth unto thee4 ,we also will be with thee2 be of good courage1 and do it40 ,,chapter ,,viii ,,nehemiah1 ,,the ,,praying ,,builder ,we care not for your splendid abilities as a minister1 or your natural endowment as an orator before men4 ,we are sure that the truth of the matter is this3 ,no one will or can command success and become a real praying soul unless intense application is the price4 ,i am even now convinced that the difference between the saints like ,wesley1 ,fletcher1 ,edwards1 ,brainerd1 ,bramwell1 ,bounds1 and ourselves is energy1 perseverance1 invincible determination to succeed or die in the attempt4 ,god help us4--,,rev4 ,,homer ,w4 ,,hodge4 ,in enumerating the praying saints of the ,old ,testament1 we must not leave out of that sacred catalogue ,nehemiah1 the builder4 ,he stands out on an equal footing with the others who have been considered4 ,in the story of the reconstruction of ,jerusalem after the captivity1 he plays a prominent part1 and prayer is prominent in his life during those years4 ,he was a captive in ,babylon1 and had an important position in the palace of the king to whom he was cup bearer4 ,there must have been considerable merit in him to cause the king to take a ,hebrew captive and place him in such an office1 where he really had the life of the king in his charge1 because he was responsible for the wine which he drank4 ,it was while ,nehemiah was in ,babylon1 in the king's palace1 that one day his brethren came from ,jerusalem1 and very naturally ,nehemiah desired news from the people there and information concerning the city itself4 ,the distressing information was given him that the walls were broken down1 the gates were burned with fire1 and the remnant who were left there at the beginning of the captivity were in great affliction and reproach4 ,just one verse gives the effect of this sad news upon this man of ,god3 8,and it came to pass when ,i heard these words1 that ,i sat down and wept1 and mourned certain days and fasted1 and prayed before the ,god of heaven40 ,here was a man whose heart was in his own native land far away from where he now lived4 ,he loved ,israel1 was concerned for the welfare of ,zion1 and was true to ,god4 ,deeply distressed by the information concerning his brethren at ,jerusalem1 he mourned and wept4 ,how few the strong men in these days who can weep at the evils and abominations of the times6 ,how rare those who1 seeing the desolations of ,zion1 are sufficiently interested and concerned for the welfare of the ,church to mourn6 ,mourning and weeping over the decay of religion1 the decline of revival power1 and the fearful inroads of worldliness in the ,church are almost an unknown quantity4 ,there is so much of so-called optimism that leaders have no eyes to see the breaking down of the walls of ,zion and the low spiritual state of the ,christians of the present day1 and have less heart to mourn and cry about it4 ,nehemiah was a mourner in ,zion4 ,and possessing this state of heart1 distressed beyond measure1 he does that which other praying saints had done--he goes to ,god and makes it a subject of prayer4 ,the prayer is recorded in ,nehemiah1 #ast chapter1 and is a model after which to pattern our prayers4 ,he begins with adoration1 makes confession of the sins of his nation1 pleads the promises of ,god1 mentions former mercies1 and begs for pardoning mercy4 ,then with an eye to the future--for unquestionably he had planned1 the next time he was summoned into the ,king's presence1 to ask permission to visit ,jerusalem and to do there what was possible to remedy the distressing state of affairs--we hear him pray for something very special3 8,and prosper thy servant this day1 ,i pray thee1 and grant him mercy in the sight of this man4 ,for10 he adds by way of explanation1 8,i was the king's cup bearer40 ,it seemed all right to pray for his people1 but how was a heathen king1 with possibly no sympathy whatever for the sad condition of his city and his people in a captive land1 and who had no interest in the matter1 to be so favorably affected that he would consent to give up his faithful cup bearer and allow him to be gone for months8 ,but ,nehemiah believed in a ,god who could touch even the mind of a heathen ruler and move him favorably toward the request of his praying servant4 ,nehemiah was summoned into the king's presence1 and ,god used even the appearance of ,nehemiah's countenance as an entering wedge to gain the consent of ,artaxerxes4 ,this started the inquiry of the king as to its cause1 and the final result was that the king not only permitted ,nehemiah to go back to ,jerusalem but furnished him with everything needful for the journey and for the success of the enterprise4 ,nor did ,nehemiah rest his case when he first prayed about this matter1 but he stated this significant fact as he was talking to the king3 8,so ,i prayed unto the ,god of heaven80 leading out the impression that while the king was inquiring about his request and the length of time he would be gone1 he was then and there talking to ,god about the matter4 ,the intense1 persistent praying of ,nehemiah prevailed4 ,god can even affect the mind of a heathen ruler1 and this he can do in answer to prayer without in the least overturning his free agency or forcing his will4 ,it was a parallel case with that of ,esther when she called upon her people to fast and pray for her as she went uninvited into the king's presence4 ,as a result1 his mind at a very critical moment was touched by the ,spirit of ,god1 and he was favorably moved toward ,esther and held out to her the golden scepter4 ,nor did the praying of ,nehemiah cease when he had succeeded thus far4 ,in building the wall of ,jerusalem1 he met with great opposition from ,sanballat and ,tobiah1 who ridiculed the efforts of the people to rebuild the city's walls4 ,unmoved by these revilings and the intense opposition of these wicked opponents of that which was for ,god's cause1 he pursued the task which he had undertaken4 ,but he mixes prayer with all he does3 8,hear1 ,o our ,god1 for we are despised2 and turn their reproach upon their own head1 and give them for a prey in the land of our captivity40 ,and in continuing the account he says1 8,nevertheless we made our prayer unto our ,god40 ,all along in the accounts of the high and noble work he was doing1 we find prayer comes out prominently to the front4 ,even after the walls were completed1 these same enemies of his and of the people of ,god again opposed him in his task4 ,but he renews his praying1 and he himself records this significant prayer3 8,now there1 ,o ,god1 strengthen my hands40 ,still further on1 when ,sanballat and ,tobiah had hired an emissary to frighten and hinder ,nehemiah1 we find him setting himself directly against this new attack1 and then again he turns to ,god in prayer3 8,my ,god1 think thou upon ,tobiah and ,sanballat according to these their works and on the prophetess ,noadiah1 and the rest of the prophets1 that would have put me in fear40 ,and ,god answered his faithful laborer1 and defeated the counsels and the plans of these wicked opponents of ,israel4 ,nehemiah discovered to his dismay that the portions of the ,levites had not been given them1 and as a result the house of ,god was forsaken4 ,he took steps to see that the lawful tithes were forthcoming so that ,god's house should be opened to all religious services1 and appointed treasurers to give attention to this business4 ,but prayer must not be overlooked1 so we find his prayer recorded at this time3 8,remember me1 ,o my ,god1 concerning this1 and wipe not out my good deeds that ,i have done for the house of my ,god1 and for the offices thereof40 ,let it not be thought that this was the plea of self-righteousness as was that of the ,pharisee in our ,lord's time who professedly went up to the temple to pray1 who paraded his self-righteous claims in ,god's sight4 ,it was a prayer after the fashion of ,hezekiah1 who reminded ,god of his fidelity to ,him and of his heart's being right in his sight4 ,once more ,nehemiah finds evil among the people of ,god4 ,just as he corrected the evil which caused the closing of the house of ,god1 he discovers practices of ,sabbath breaking1 and here he has not only to counsel the people and seek to correct them by mild means1 but he proposes to exercise his authority if they did not cease their buying and selling on the ,sabbath ,day4 ,but he must close this part of his work also with prayer1 and so he records his prayer on that occasion3 8,remember me1 ,o my ,god1 concerning this also1 and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy40 ,lastly1 as a reformer1 he discovers another great evil among the people4 ,they had intermarried with the men and women of ,ashdod1 ,ammon and ,moab4 ,contending with them1 he caused them to reform in this matter1 and the close of his record has a prayer in it3 8,remember me1 ,o my ,god1 because they have defiled the priesthood1 and the covenant of the priesthood1 and of the ,levites40 ,cleansing them from all strangers1 he appointed the wards of the priests1 and the ,levites1 and his recorded career closes with this brief prayer3 8,remember me1 ,o my ,god1 for good40 ,fortunate is that ,church whose leaders are men of prayer4 ,happy is that congregation who are contemplating the erection of a church to have leaders who will lay its foundations in prayer1 and whose walls go up side by side with prayer4 ,prayer helps to build churches and to erect the walls of houses of worship4 ,prayer defeats the opponents of those who are prosecuting ,god's enterprises4 ,prayer touches favorably the minds even of those not connected with the ,church1 and moves them toward ,church matters4 ,prayer helps mightily in all matters concerning ,god's cause and wonderfully aids and encourages the hearts of those who have ,his work in hand in this world4 ,,chapter ,,ix ,,samuel1 ,,the ,,child ,,of ,,prayer ,that was a grand action by ,jerome1 one of the ,roman fathers4 ,he laid aside all pressing engagements and went to fulfill the call ,god gave him1 viz41 to translate the ,holy ,scriptures4 ,his congregations were larger than many preachers of to-day but he said to his people1 8,now it is necessary that the ,scriptures be translated2 you must find you another minister3 ,i am bound for the wilderness and shall not return until my task is finished40 ,away he went and labored and prayed until he produced the ,latin ,vulgate which will last as long as the world stands4 ,so we must say to our friends1 8,i must away and have time for prayer and solitude40 ,and though we did not write ,latin ,vulgates yet our work will be immortal3 ,glory to ,god4--,,rev4 ,c4 ,h4 ,,spurgeon4 ,samuel came into this world and was given existence in direct answer to prayer4 ,he was born of a praying mother1 whose heart was full of earnest desire for a son4 ,he came into life under prayer surroundings1 and his first months in this world were spent in direct contact with a woman who knew how to pray4 ,it was a prayer accompanied by a solemn vow that if he should be given1 he should be 8lent unto the ,lord10 and true to that vow1 this praying mother put him directly in touch with the minister of the sanctuary and under the influence of 8the house of prayer40 ,it was no wonder he developed into a man of prayer4 ,we could not have expected otherwise with such a beginning in life and with such early environments4 ,such surroundings always make impressions upon children and tend to make character and determine destiny4 ,he was in a favorable place to hear ,god when ,he spoke to him1 and was in an atmosphere where it tended to his heeding the divine call which came to him4 ,it was the most natural thing in the world when at the third call from heaven1 when he recognized ,god's voice1 that his childish heart responded so promptly1 8,speak1 ,lord1 thy servant heareth40 ,quickly was there a response from his boyish spirit1 of submission1 willingness and prayer4 ,had he been born of a different sort of mother1 had he been placed under different surroundings1 had he spent his early days in contact with different influences1 does any one for one moment suppose he could have easily heard the voice of ,god calling him to ,his service1 and that he would have so readily yielded his young life to the ,god who brought him into being8 ,would a worldly home1 with worldly surroundings1 separated from the ,church of ,god1 with a worldly-minded mother1 have produced such a character as ,samuel8 ,it takes such influences and agencies in early life to produce such praying men as ,samuel4 ,would you have your child called early into divine service and separated from the world unto ,god8 ,would you have him so situated that he will be called in childhood by the ,spirit of ,god8 ,put him under prayer influences4 ,place him near to and directly under the influence of the ,man of ,god and in close touch with that house which is called 8the house of prayer40 ,samuel knew ,god in boyhood4 ,as a consequence he knew ,god in manhood4 ,he recognized ,god in childhood1 obeyed him and prayed unto him4 ,the result was that he recognized ,god in manhood1 obeyed him1 and prayed unto him4 ,if more children were born of praying mothers1 brought up in direct contact with 8the house of prayer10 and reared under prayer environments1 more children would hear the voice of ,god's spirit speaking to them1 and would more quickly respond to those divine calls to a religious life4 ,would we have praying men in our churches8 ,we must have praying mothers to give them birth1 praying homes to color their lives1 and praying surroundings to impress their minds and to lay the foundations for praying lives4 ,praying ,samuels come from praying ,hannahs4 ,praying priests come from 8the house of prayer40 ,praying leaders come from praying homes4 ,israel for years had been under bondage to the ,philistines and the ark was housed in the home of ,abinadab1 whose son ,eleazer was appointed to keep this sacred testimony of ,god4 ,the people had gone into idolatry and ,samuel was disturbed about the religious condition of the nation4 ,the ark of ,god was absent1 the people were given to the worship of idols1 and there had been a grievous departure from ,god4 ,calling upon them to put away their strange gods1 he urged them to prepare their hearts unto the ,lord and to begin again to serve ,him--promising them that the ,lord would deliver them out of the hands of the ,philistines4 ,his preaching thus plainly to them1 for with all else belonging to him1 ,samuel was a preacher of the times1 made a deep impression and bore rich fruits as such preaching always does4 8,then the children of ,israel did put away ,baalim and ,ashtoreth1 and served the ,lord only40 ,but this was not enough4 ,prayer must be mixed with and must accompany their reformation4 ,so ,samuel1 true to his convictions about prayer1 says to the people1 8,gather all ,israel to ,mizpeh1 and ,i will pray for you unto the ,lord40 ,while ,samuel was offering up prayer for these wicked ,israelites1 the ,philistines drew near to battle against the nation1 but the ,lord intervened at the critical moment and thundered with a great thunder1 and discomfited these enemies of ,israel1 8and they were smitten before ,israel40 ,the nation fortunately had a man who could pray1 who knew the place and the worth of prayer1 and a leader who had the ear of ,god and who could influence ,god4 ,but ,samuel's praying did not stop there4 ,he judged ,israel all the days of his life1 and had occasion from year to year to go in circuit to ,bethel1 ,gilgal and ,mizpeh4 ,then he returned home to ,ramah1 where he resided4 8,and there he built an altar unto the ,lord40 ,here was an altar of sacrifice but as well was it an altar of prayer4 ,and while it may have been for the benefit of the community where he lived1 after the fashion of a town church1 yet it must not be overlooked that it must have been a family altar1 a place where the sacrifice for sin was offered but at the same time where his household gathered for worship1 praise and prayer4 ,here ,almighty ,god was acknowledged in the home1 here was the advertisement of a religious home1 and here father and mother called upon the name of the ,lord1 differentiating this home from all the worldly and idolatrous homes about them4 ,here is an example of a religious home1 the kind so greatly needed in this irreligious1 godless age4 ,blessed is that home which has in it an altar of sacrifice and of prayer1 where daily thanksgivings ascend to heaven and where morning and night praying is done4 ,samuel was not only a praying priest1 a praying leader and a praying teacher and leader1 but he was a praying father4 ,and any one who knows the situation so far as family religion is concerned knows full well that the great demand of these modern times is religious homes and praying fathers and mothers4 ,here is where the breakdown in religion occurs1 where the religious life of a community first begins to decay1 and where we must go first to beget praying men and women in the ,church of ,god4 ,it is in the home that the revival must commence4 ,a crisis came in the history of this nation4 ,the people were infatuated by the glory of a kingdom with a human king1 and was prepared to reject ,god as their king1 as ,he had always been4 ,so they came to ,samuel with the bold request1 8,make us a king to judge us like all the nations40 ,the thing displeased this man of ,god1 who was jealous for the name1 the honor and the pleasure of the ,lord ,god4 ,how could it be otherwise8 ,who would not have been likewise displeased if he were built after the pattern of ,samuel8 ,it grieved him in soul4 ,the ,lord1 however1 came to him just at that time with the comforting assurance so far as he was personally concerned in the transaction1 that 8they have not rejected thee1 but they have rejected me1 that ,i should not reign over them4 ,hearken unto the voice of the people1 in all that they say unto thee40 ,then it was that ,samuel followed the bent of his mind1 8,and ,samuel prayed unto the ,lord40 ,it seemed that in every matter concerning this people1 with which ,samuel was connected1 he must pray over it4 ,how much more now when there was to be an entire revolution in the form of government1 and ,god was to be displaced as the ruler of the people1 and a human king was to be set up8 ,national affairs need to be prayed over4 ,praying men are demanded to carry to ,god in prayer the affairs of government4 ,lawmakers1 law judges1 and law executives need leaders in ,israel to pray for them4 ,how much fewer the mistakes if there was more praying done in civil matters8 ,but this was not to be the end of this matter4 ,god must show so definitely and plainly ,his displeasure at such a request as had been made for a human king1 that the people might know what a wicked thing they had done1 even though ,god acceded to their request4 ,they must know ,god still existed and had to do with this people1 and with their king and the affairs of the government4 ,so the prayers of ,samuel must again be brought into play to carry out the divine purposes4 ,so ,samuel called upon the people to stand still1 and he would show them what the ,lord would do before their eyes4 ,so he called upon ,god1 and in answer ,god sent a tremendous storm of thunder and rain1 which exceedingly terrified the people1 and caused them to acknowledge their great sin in asking for a king4 ,so afraid were the people that they hastily called upon ,samuel to pray for them and to spare them from what seemed to be destruction4 ,samuel again prayed1 and ,god heard and answered1 and the thunder and rain ceased4 ,one more incident in the prayer life of ,samuel is worth noticing4 ,king ,saul had been ordered to destroy all the ,amalekites1 root and branch1 and all their stuff1 but ,saul1 contrary to divine instructions1 had spared ,king ,agag and the best of the sheep and the cattle1 and had justified it because he claimed that the people wanted it done4 ,god brought this message to ,samuel at this time3 8,it repenteth me that ,i have set up ,saul to be king2 for he is turned back from following me1 and hath not performed my commandments40 8,and it grieved ,samuel1 and he cried all night unto the ,lord40 ,such a sudden declaration was enough to produce grief of soul in a man like ,samuel1 who loved his nation1 who was true to ,god1 and who above everything else desired the prosperity of ,zion4 ,such grief of soul over the evils of the ,church and at the sight of the abominations of the times always drives a man to his knees in prayer4 ,of course ,samuel carried the case to ,god4 ,it was a time for prayer4 ,the case was too serious for him not to be deeply moved to pray4 ,so greatly was the inner soul of ,samuel disturbed that he prayed all night about it4 ,too much was at stake for him to shut his eyes to the affair1 to treat it indifferently1 and to let it pass without taking ,god into the matter1 for the future welfare of ,israel was in the balance4 ,,chapter ,x ,,daniel1 ,,the ,,praying ,,captive ,it is a wonderful historical fact that the men of prayer have always been the men of power in the world4 ,i want to convince you about this4 ,some of you men--and ,i am glad to see such a large number of men here to-night--if you are arguing with some friend in the workshop1 be sure and ask him why it is that the men of power in the world have been the men of prayer4 ,take only one instance3 ,where did they go always to find men for the forlorn hope in ,havelock's days8 ,they went to ,havelock's prayer meeting2 that is where they found men who had courage to come out for the forlorn hope4--,,bishop ,,winnington ,,ingram4 ,that was a notable experience in the life of ,daniel when he was ordered by the king while in ,babylon not to ask any petition of any ,god or king for thirty days1 under penalty of being cast into the lions' den4 ,he paid no attention to the edict1 for it is recorded1 8,now when ,daniel knew that the writing was signed1 he went into his house1 and his windows being opened in his chamber toward ,jerusalem1 he kneeled upon his knees three times a day1 and prayed and gave thanks before his ,god1 as he did aforetime40 ,do not forget that this was the regular habit of this man of ,god4 8,he kneeled upon his knees and prayed as he did aforetime40 ,what was the result8 ,just as expected4 ,god sent an angel into the den of lions with ,daniel and locked their mouths so that not a hair on his head was touched1 and he was wonderfully delivered4 ,even so to-day deliverance always come to ,god's saints who tread the path of prayer as the saints of old did4 ,daniel did not forget his ,god while in a foreign land1 away from the house of ,god and its religious services1 and deprived as he was of many religious privileges4 ,he was a striking illustration of a young man who was decidedly religious under the most unfavorable surroundings4 ,he proved conclusively that one could be definitely a servant of ,god though his environments were anything else than religious4 ,he was among heathens so far as a ,god-fearing nation was concerned4 ,there was no temple worship1 no ,sabbath ,day1 no ,word of ,god to be read4 ,but he had one help there which remained with him1 and of which he could not be deprived1 and that was his secret prayers4 ,purposing in his heart without debating the question one moment or compromising at any one point1 that he would not eat of the king's meat nor drink the king's wine1 he stood out in that ungodly country a striking illustration of a young man1 fearing ,god first of all1 and resolving to be religious1 cost what it may4 ,but he was not to have a flowery bed on which to rest nor a smooth road on which to travel4 ,the whimsical1 tyrannical and unreasonable king1 ,nebuchadnezzar1 was to put him to the test1 and his praying qualities were to be proved4 ,this king had a strange dream1 the particular items of which passed from his memory1 but the fact of the dream remained4 ,so troubled was he about the dream1 he called for all the soothsayers1 astrologers and sorcerers to call the dream to mind1 an impossible task1 humanly speaking1 and then to interpret it4 ,he classed ,daniel and his three companions1 ,shadrach1 ,meshach and ,abednego1 with these men1 though there really was nothing in them in common with the two classes of men4 ,being informed that it was impossible to discover a dream like that1 and at their saying if the king would tell the dream to them1 they would interpret it1 the king became very angry1 and ordered them to be put to death4 ,this sentence of death was against ,daniel and his three companions4 ,but ,daniel appeared upon the stage of action4 ,at his suggestion the execution of the rash edict was held up1 and he immediately called his three companions into counsel1 and he urged them to unite with him in a concert of prayer that ,god would discover to ,daniel the dream with the interpretation thereof4 ,in answer to this united praying1 it is recorded3 8,then was the secret revealed unto ,daniel in a night vision4 ,then ,daniel blessed the ,god of heaven40 ,as a sequel to this incident of the praying of these four men1 ,daniel revealed to the king his dream and its interpretation1 and as a final result the king acknowledged the ,god of ,daniel and elevated to high positions ,daniel and his three associates4 ,and it all came about because there was a praying man there just at a critical time4 ,blessed is that nation which has praying men who can come to the help of civil rulers who are greatly perplexed and in great difficulties1 and who can be depended upon to pray for rulers of state and ,church4 ,years afterward1 while still in a foreign land1 he still had not forgotten the ,god of his fathers1 and to him was given the noted vision of the 8,ram and the ,he ,goat40 ,but ,daniel did not comprehend this strange vision1 and yet he knew it was from ,god and had a deep and future meaning for nations and people4 ,so1 of course1 he followed the bent of his religious mind and prayed about it4 8,and it came to pass when ,i even ,i ,daniel1 had seen the vision1 and sought for the meaning1 then behold there stood before me as the appearance of a man4 8,and ,i heard a man's voice which called1 and said1 ,gabriel1 make this man to understand the vision40 ,and so ,gabriel made him understand the full meaning of this remarkable vision4 ,but it came in answer to ,daniel's praying4 ,so puzzling questions may often find an answer in the closet4 ,and as elsewhere1 ,god employs angelic intelligences to convey information as to prayer answers4 ,angels have much to do with prayer4 ,praying men and the angels of heaven are in close touch with each other4 ,some years thereafter1 ,daniel was studying the records of the nation1 and he discovered that it was about time for the seventy years of captivity of his people to end4 ,so he gave himself to prayer3 8,and ,i set my face to seek by prayer and supplications1 with fasting and sackcloth and ashes4 ,and ,i prayed unto the ,lord1 and made confession40 ,then follows the record in those ,old ,testament ,scriptures of ,daniel's prayer1 so full of meaning1 so simple in its utterances1 so earnest in its spirit1 so direct in its confession and requests1 worthy of being patterned after4 ,and it was while he was speaking in prayer that the same archangel ,gabriel1 who seemed to have a direct interest in the praying of this man of ,god1 8being caused to fly swiftly1 touched me about the time of the evening sacrifice1 and he informed me and talked with me10 and then gave him much desired information valuable to ,daniel4 ,the angels of ,god are much nearer us in our seasons of prayer than we imagine4 ,god employs these glorious heavenly intelligences in the blessed work of hearing and answering prayer1 when the prayer1 as in the case of ,daniel on this occasion1 has to do with the present and future welfare of ,his people4 ,one other incident on the prayer line in the life of this captive man in ,babylon4 ,another revelation was made to ,daniel1 but the time of its fulfillment appeared to be far in the future4 8,in those days1 ,i ,daniel was mourning three full weeks4 ,i ate no pleasant bread1 neither came flesh nor wine into my mouth till the three whole weeks were fulfilled40 ,it was then that he had a very strange experience and a still stranger revelation was made to him by some angelic being4 ,it is worth while to read the scripture account3 8,and behold a hand touched me1 which set me on my knees1 and upon the palms of my hands4 8,and he said unto me1 ,o ,daniel1 a man greatly beloved1 understand the words that ,i speak unto thee1 and stand upright1 for unto thee am ,i now sent4 ,and when he had spoken this word unto me1 ,i stood trembling4 8,then he said unto me1 ,fear not1 ,daniel2 for from the first day that thou didst set thy heart to understand and to chasten thyself before thy ,god1 thy words were heard1 and ,i am come for thy words4 8,but the ,prince of the ,kingdom of ,persia withstood me one and twenty days2 but lo1 ,michael1 one of the chief princes1 came to help me1 and ,i remained there with the kings of ,persia40 ,what all this means is difficult to comprehend1 but enough appears on its face to lead us to believe that the angels in heaven are deeply interested in our praying1 and are sent to tell us the answers to our prayers4 ,further1 it is very clear that some unseen forces or invisible spirits are operating to hinder the answers to our prayers4 ,who the ,prince of ,persia was who withstood this great angelic being is not divulged1 but enough is revealed to know that there must be a contest in the unseen world about us between those spirits sent to minister to us in answer to our prayers and the devil and his evil spirits who seek to defeat these good spirits4 ,the passage furthermore gives us some intimation as to the cause of delayed answers to prayer4 ,for 8three full weeks0 ,daniel mourned and prayed1 and for 8one and twenty days0 the divinely appointed angel was opposed by the 8,prince of the ,kingdom of ,persia40 ,well was it for praying ,daniel that he had the courage1 fortitude and determination to persist in his praying for three weeks while the fearful conflict between good and bad spirits was going on about him unseen by mortal eyes4 ,well will it be for us if we do not give up in our praying when ,god seems not to hear and the answer is not immediate4 ,it takes time to pray1 and it takes time to get the answer to prayer4 ,delays in answering prayer are not denials4 ,failure to receive an immediate answer is no evidence that ,god does not hear prayer4 ,it takes not only courage and persistence to pray successfully1 but it requires much patience4 8,wait on the ,lord and be of good courage2 and he shall strengthen thy heart2 wait1 ,i say1 on the ,lord40 ,,chapter ,,xi ,,faith ,,of ,,sinners ,,in ,,prayer ,a certain preacher whose sermons converted many souls received a revelation from ,god that it was not his sermons or works by all means but the prayers of an illiterate lay brother who sat on the pulpit steps pleading for the success of the sermon4 ,it may be in the all-revealing day so with us4 ,we may believe after laboring long and wearily that all honor belongs to another builder whose prayers were gold1 silver1 and precious stones1 while our sermonizings being apart from prayer are but hay and stubble4--,,rev4 ,c4 ,h4 ,,spurgeon4 ,one of the peculiar features of prayer as we study the ,old ,testament on this subject is the faith of unrighteous and back-slidden men in prayer1 and the great confidence they had in the prayers of praying men of that day4 ,they knew certain men as men of prayer1 who believed in ,god1 who were favored of ,god and who prayed unto ,god4 ,they recognized these men as having influence with ,god in averting wrath and in giving deliverance from evil4 ,frequently when in trouble1 when ,god's wrath was threatened and even when there were visitations of evil upon them for their iniquities1 they showed their faith in prayer by appealing to the men who prayed1 to beg ,god to avert ,his displeasure and turn aside ,his wrath against them4 ,recognizing the value of prayer as a divine agency to save men1 they made application to the men who prayed1 to intercede with ,god for them4 ,it is one of the strange paradoxes of those early days that while people departed from ,god1 and went into grievous sin1 they did not become either atheists nor unbelievers when it came to the question of the existence of a prayer-answering ,god4 ,wicked men held fast to a belief in ,god's existence1 and to faith in the power of prayer to secure pardon for sin and to deliver them from ,god's wrath4 ,it is worth something as showing the influence of the ,church on sinners1 when the latter believe in prayer and beg ,christian people to pray for them4 ,it is an item of interest and an event of importance when a sinner on a dying bed calls for a praying man to come to his bedside to pray for him4 ,it means something when penitent sinners1 under a sense of their guilt1 feeling the displeasure of ,god1 approach a church altar and say1 8,pray for me1 ye praying men and women40 ,little does the ,church understand its full import1 and still less does the ,church appreciate and take in the full import of praying1 especially for the unsaved men and women who ask them to pray for their immortal souls4 ,if the ,church was fully alive to ,god and awake to the real peril of the unconverted all about it1 and was in a thriving state1 more sinners would be found seeking the altars of the ,church and crying out to praying people1 8,pray for my soul40 ,much so-called praying for sinners there may be1 but it is cold1 formal1 official praying1 which goes nowhere1 never reaches ,god1 and accomplishes nothing4 ,revivals begin when sinners seek the prayers of praying people4 ,several things stand out in bold relief as we look at those ,old ,testament days3 ,first1 the disposition of sinners against ,god to almost involuntarily turn to praying men for help and refuge when trouble draws near1 and to invoke their prayers for relief and deliverance4 8,pray for us0 was their cry4 ,second1 the readiness with which those praying men responded to these appeals and prayed to ,god for those who desired this thing4 ,moreover1 we are impressed with the fact that these praying men were always in the spirit of prayer and ready at any time to inquire of ,god4 ,they were always keyed up on prayer4 ,third1 we note the wonderful influence these men of prayer had with ,god whenever they made their appeal to ,him4 ,god nearly always quickly responded and heard their praying for others4 ,so intercessory prayer predominated in those early days of the ,church4 ,it is a question worthy of earnest consideration1 how far the present-day ,church is responsible for the unbelief of sinners of these modern times in the value of prayer as an agency in averting ,god's wrath1 in sparing barren lives and in giving deliverance4 ,how far is the ,church responsible for the precious few mourners in ,zion in these times1 who ignore your altar calls and treat with indifference your appeals to come and be prayed for8 ,the first illustration we notice as showing the faith of wicked men in prayer and their appeal for a man of ,god to intercede for them is the case of the fiery serpents sent upon the ,israelites4 ,they were journeying from ,mount ,hor by way of the ,red ,sea1 seeking to compass the land of ,edom1 when they spoke against ,god and ,moses1 after this fashion3 8,wherefore have ye brought us up out of ,egypt to die in the wilderness8 for there is no bread1 neither is there any water2 and our soul loatheth this light bread40 ,the thing so sorely displeased ,god that ,he sent fiery serpents among the people1 and many of the people of ,israel died4 8,therefore the people came to ,moses1 and said1 ,we have sinned because we have spoken against the ,lord1 and against thee2 pray unto the ,lord1 that ,he take away the serpents from us40 ,and ,moses prayed for the people4 ,as far as these people had departed from ,god1 and as great as was their sin in complaining against ,god's dealings with them1 they had not lost faith in prayer1 neither did they forget that there was a leader in ,israel who had influence with ,god in prayer1 and who could by that means avert disaster and bring deliverance to them4 ,jeroboam1 first ,king of the ten tribes when the kingdom was divided1 was another case in point4 ,this was a most noted case because of the notoriety of his departure from ,god1 which was often referred to in the after history of ,israel1 as 8the sin of ,jeroboam1 the son of ,nebat10 and shows that despite his great wickedness in the sight of ,god1 he did not lose his faith in the efficacy of prayer4 ,this king on one occasion presumed to take the place of the high priest1 and stood by the altar to burn incense4 ,a man of ,god came out of ,judah and cried against the altar and proclaimed1 8,behold the altar shall be rent1 and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out40 ,this angered ,jeroboam1 who saw that it was intended as a public rebuke for him1 who had undertaken contrary to the ,levitical law to assume the office of ,god's priest1 and the king put forth his hand with the apparent purpose of arresting or doing violence to the man of ,god1 saying1 at the same time to those about him1 8,lay hold upon him40 ,immediately ,god smote the king with leprosy1 so that he could not pull his hand back again1 and at the same time the altar was rent4 ,astonished beyond measure at this sudden retribution for his sin1 coming like lightning from heaven1 and very much afraid1 he cried out to the man of ,god1 8,entreat now the face of the ,lord thy ,god for me1 that my hand may be restored again40 ,and it is recorded that 8the man of ,god besought the ,lord1 and the king's hand was restored him again1 and became as it was before40 ,let us keep in mind that we are not now considering the praying habits of the man of ,god nor the possibilities of prayer1 though both face us here4 ,but rather we are finding just here that a ruler in ,israel1 guilty of a grievous sin1 and departing from ,god1 when ,god's wrath falls upon him1 he immediately calls upon a praying man to intercede with ,god in his behalf4 ,it is but another case where a sinner against ,god showed his faith in the virtue of the prayers of a man of ,god4 ,sad is the day in a ,christian land1 not only where there is the decay of prayer in the ,church1 but where sinners are so unaffected by the religion of the ,church that they have no faith in prayer and care little about the prayers of praying men4 ,another illustration follows this case very quickly4 ,the son of ,king ,jeroboam fell sick1 and was about to die4 ,and this wicked1 indifferent king1 posted his wife off to ,ahijah1 the prophet of ,god1 to ask him to say what would be the result of the illness of the child4 ,she attempted to practice a deception upon the old prophet who was nearly blind1 intending not to make herself known to him4 ,but he had the vision of a prophet even though dim in sight1 and immediately revealed to her that she was known to him4 ,after telling her many things of vast importance concerning the kingdom and charging her husband that he had not kept ,god's commandments1 but had gone into idolatry1 he said to her3 8,arise1 therefore1 and get thee down to thy house2 and when thy feet enter into the city1 the child shall die40 ,how natural for a father in trouble to appeal to a praying prophet for relief8 ,and as in the first mentioned case1 his sin did not blind his eyes to the value of having a man of ,god intercede for him4 ,it availed nothing as was proved1 but it did prove our contention that in ,old ,testament times sinners1 while they were not themselves praying men1 believed strongly in the prayers of praying men4 ,take the instance of ,johanan1 just as the ,children of ,israel began their life of captivity in ,babylon4 ,johanan and ,jeremiah1 with a small company1 had been left in their native land1 and ,ishmael had conspired against ,gedaliah1 the appointed governor of the country1 and had slain him4 ,johanan came to the rescue and delivered the people from ,ishmael who was taking them away from their land4 ,but ,johanan wanted to flee down into ,egypt1 which was contrary to the ,divine plan4 ,at this particular juncture of affairs1 he assembled all the people1 and they went to ,jeremiah with the earnest appeal3 8,we beseech thee1 let our supplication be accepted before thee1 and pray for us unto the ,lord thy ,god1 that the ,lord thy ,god may show us the way wherein we may walk1 and the thing that we may do40 ,like all other appeals to good men for prayer1 ,jeremiah interceded for these inquirers after the right way1 and after ten days the answer came1 and they were informed by ,jeremiah what ,god would have them do4 ,this was to the effect that they should not go down to ,egypt1 but remain in and about ,jerusalem1 but the people and ,johanan played ,jeremiah false1 and refused to do as ,god had told them in answer to prayer4 ,but it did not disprove the fact that they had faith in prayer and in praying men4 ,another case may be noticed as showing the truth of our proposition that sinners had faith in prayer in the ,old ,testament dispensation1 thus indirectly proving the preminence of prayer in those days1 for certainly prayer must have had a prominent place and its necessity must have received general recognition1 when even sinners by their actions give endorsement to its virtue and necessity4 ,surely if sinners bore testimony to its worth1 and at that time displayed their need of prayer1 even by the prayers of some one else1 ,church people of this day ought to have a deep sense of its need1 and should have strong faith in prayer and its virtue4 ,and certainly if the men of ,old ,testament times were such men of prayer1 and had such a reputation as praying men1 then in this favored day1 ,christian men should be so given to prayer that they also would have a wide reputation as praying men4 ,zedekiah was king of ,judah just as the captivity of ,god's people began4 ,he was in charge of the kingdom when ,jerusalem was besieged by the ,king of ,babylon4 ,and it was just about this time that ,zedekiah sent two chosen men unto ,jeremiah saying3 8,inquire1 ,i pray thee1 of the ,lord for us2 for ,nebuchadnezzar1 king of ,babylon1 maketh war against us2 if so be that the ,lord will deal with us according to all his wondrous works1 that he may go up from us40 ,and ,god told ,jeremiah in answer to this inquiry what to do1 and what would occur1 but as in another case1 that of ,johanan1 ,zedekiah proved false1 and would not do as ,god instructed ,jeremiah to tell him4 ,at the same time it proved conclusively that ,zedekiah had not lost his faith in prayer as a means of finding out the mind of ,god1 nor did it affect him in his belief in the virtue of the prayers of a praying man4 ,verily1 prayer must have had a preminent place in all ,old ,testament history when not only the men of ,god were noted for their praying habits1 but even men who departed from ,god and proved false bore testimony to its virtue by appealing to the men of prayer to make intercessions for them4 ,this is so notorious in ,old ,testament history that no careful reader of these old scriptures can fail to discover and notice it4 ,,chapter ,,xii ,,paul1 ,,the ,,teacher ,,of ,,prayer ,fletcher of ,madeley1 a great teacher of a century and a half ago1 used to lecture to the young theological students4 ,he was one of the fellow-workers with ,wesley and a man of most saintly character4 ,when he had lectured on one of the great topics of the ,word of ,god1 such as the ,fullness of ,god's ,holy ,spirit or on the power and blessing that ,he meant ,his people to have1 he would close the lecture and say1 8,that is the theory2 now will those who want the practice come along up to my room80 ,and again and again they closed their books and went away to his room1 where the hour's theory would be followed by one or two hours of prayer4--,,rev4 ,,hubert ,,brooke4 ,how instant1 strenuous1 persistent1 and pathetic was ,paul's urgency of prayer upon those to whom he wrote and spoke6 8,i exhort10 says he1 writing to ,timothy1 8first of all1 that supplications1 prayers1 intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men40 ,this he meant was to be the prime deposit and truth for the ,church4 ,first of all1 before all things1 to the front of all things1 the ,church of ,christ was to be a praying ,church1 was to pray for men1 was to pray for all men4 ,he charged the ,philippians to this effect3 8,be careful for nothing1 but in everything1 by prayer and supplication1 with thanksgiving1 let your requests be made known unto ,god40 ,the ,church must be anxious about nothing4 ,in everything prayer must be made4 ,nothing was too small about which to pray4 ,nothing was too great for ,god to overcome4 ,paul lays it down as a vital1 all-essential injunction in writing to the ,church at ,thessalonica1 8,rejoice evermore4 ,pray without ceasing4 ,in everything give thanks4 ,for this is the will of ,god concerning you40 ,the ,church must give itself to unceasing prayer4 ,never was prayer to cease in the ,church4 ,this was the will of ,god concerning ,his ,church on earth4 ,paul was not only given to prayer himself1 but he continually and earnestly urged it in a way that showed its vital importance4 ,he was not only insistent in urging prayer upon the ,church in his day1 but he urged persistent praying4 8,continue in prayer and watch in the same10 was the keynote of all his exhortations on prayer4 8,praying always with all prayer and supplication10 was the way he pressed this important matter upon the people4 8,i will1 therefore10 ,i exhort1 this is my desire1 my mind upon this question1 8that men pray everywhere1 without wrath and doubting40 ,as he prayed after this fashion himself1 he could afford to press it upon those to whom he ministered4 ,paul was a leader by appointment and by universal recognition and acceptance4 ,he had many mighty forces in this ministry4 ,his conversion1 so conspicuous and radical1 was a great force1 a perfect magazine of aggressive and defensive warfare4 ,his call to the apostleship was clear1 luminous and convincing4 ,but these forces were not the divinest energies which brought forth the largest results to his ministry4 ,paul's course was more distinctly shaped and his career rendered more powerfully successful by prayer than by any other force4 ,it is no surprise then that he should give such prominence to prayer in his preaching and writing4 ,we could not expect it to be otherwise4 ,as prayer was the highest exercise in his personal life1 so also prayer assumed the same high place in his teaching4 ,his example of prayer added force to his teaching on prayer4 ,his practice and his teaching ran in parallel lines4 ,there was no inconsistency in the two things4 ,paul was the chiefest of the apostles as he was chief in prayer4 ,if he was the first of the apostles1 prayer conspired to that end4 ,hence he was all the better qualified to be a teacher on prayer4 ,his praying fitted him to teach others what prayer was and what prayer could do4 ,and for this reason he was competent to urge upon the people that they must not neglect prayer4 ,too much depended upon it4 ,he was first in prayer for this cause4 ,for the reason that on him centered more saintly praying than on any one else1 he became the first in apostleship4 ,the crown of martyrdom was the highest crown in the royalty of heaven1 but prayer put this crown of martyrdom on his head4 ,he who would teach the people to pray must first himself be given to prayer4 ,he who urges prayer on others must first tread the path of prayer himself4 ,and just in proportion as preachers pray1 will they be disposed to urge prayer upon those to whom they preach4 ,moreover1 just in proportion as preachers pray1 will they be fitted to preach on prayer4 ,if that course of reasoning be true1 would it be legitimate to draw the conclusion that the reason why there is so little preaching on prayer in these modern times is because preachers are not praying men8 ,we might stake the whole question of the absolute necessity and the possibilities of prayer in this dispensation on ,paul's attitude toward prayer4 ,if personal force1 if the energy of a strong will1 if profound convictions1 if personal culture and talents1 and if the ,divine call and the ,divine empowerment1--if any one of these1 or all of them united1 could direct the ,church of ,god without prayer1 then logically prayer would be unnecessary4 ,if profound piety and unswerving consecration to a high purpose1 if impassioned loyalty to ,jesus ,christ1 if any or all of these could exist without devoted prayer1 or lift a ,church leader above the necessity of prayer1 then ,paul was above its use4 ,but if the great and gifted1 the favored and devoted ,paul felt the necessity of unceasing prayer1 and realized that it was urgent and pressing in regard to its claims and necessity1 and if he felt that it was clamorous and insistent that the ,church should pray without ceasing1 then he and his brethren in the apostolate should be aided by universal and mighty praying4 ,paul's praying and his commands and the urgency with which he pressed upon the ,church to pray1 is the most convincing proof of the absolute necessity of prayer as a great moral force in the world1 an indispensable and inalienable factor in the progress and spread of the ,gospel1 and in the development of personal piety4 ,in ,paul's view1 there was no ,church success without prayer1 and no piety without prayer1 in fact without much prayer4 ,a ,church out of whose life streams prayer as the incense flames went out of the censer1 and a leadership out of whose character1 life and habits flames prayer as imposing1 conspicuous and spontaneous as the fragrant incense flamed1 this was the leadership for ,god4 ,to pray everywhere1 to pray in everything1 to continue instant in prayer1 and to pray without ceasing1 thus ,paul spoke as a commentator on the ,divine uses and the nature of prayer4 ,timothy was very dear to ,paul1 and the attachment was mutual and intensified by all their affinities4 ,paul found in ,timothy those elements which fitted him to be his spiritual successor1 at least the depository and the leader of the great spiritual principles and forces which were essential to the establishment and prosperity of the ,church4 ,these primary and vital truths he would enforce on and radicate in ,timothy4 ,paul regarded ,timothy as one to whom fundamental and vital truths might be committed1 who would preserve them truly1 and who would commit them inviolate to the future4 ,so he gives to ,timothy this deposit of prayer for all ages as found in #ast ,timothy #b3a4 ,let it be noted before we go any further that ,paul wrote directly under the superintendency of the ,holy ,spirit1 who guarded ,paul against error1 and who suggested the truths which ,paul taught4 ,we hold definitely without compromise in the least to the plenary inspiration of the ,scriptures1 and as ,paul's writings are part and parcel of those ,sacred ,writings1 then ,paul's ,epistles are portions of the ,scriptures or the ,word of ,god4 ,this being true1 the doctrine of prayer which ,paul affirmed is the doctrine of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,his ,epistles are of the ,word of ,god1 inspired1 authentic and of ,divine authority4 ,so that prayer as taught by ,paul is the doctrine which ,almighty ,god would have ,his ,church accept1 believe1 and practice4 ,these words to ,timothy1 therefore1 were divinely inspired words4 ,this section of ,holy ,writ is much more than merely suggestive1 and is far more than a broad1 bare outline on prayer4 ,it is so instructive about prayer1 about how men ought to pray1 how business men should pray1 and so forceful about the reasons why men ought to pray1 that it needs to be strongly and insistently pressed4 ,here are ,paul's words to ,timothy on prayer3 8,i exhort1 therefore1 that1 first of all1 supplications1 prayers1 intercessions and giving of thanks1 be made for all men2 8,for kings and all that are in authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty4 8,for this is good and acceptable in the sight of ,god1 our ,saviour2 8,who will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth4 8,for there is one ,god1 and one ,mediator between ,god and men1 the man ,christ ,jesus2 8,who gave himself a ransom for all1 to be testified in due time4 ,i will therefore that men pray everywhere1 lifting up holy hands1 without wrath and doubting40 ,in this prayer section we have set forth by ,paul the inheritance and practice of every ,christian in all ages4 ,it is a vade mecum in the great business of praying4 ,it gives us a view of the energy and many-sidedness of prayer4 ,first in point of time in all excellence of all duties is prayer4 ,it must be first in all occupations4 ,so exacting and imperative in its import and power is prayer that it stands first among spiritual values4 ,he that prays not1 is not at all4 ,he is naught1 less than naught4 ,he is below zero1 so far as ,christ and ,god and heaven are concerned4 ,not simply among the first things does prayer stand on a level with other things1 but first of the first1 to the very forefront1 does ,paul put prayer with all his heart4 8,i exhort that first of all40 ,his teaching is that praying is the most important of all things on earth4 ,all else must be restrained1 retired1 to give it primacy4 ,put it first1 and keep its primacy4 ,the conflict is about the primacy of prayer4 ,defeat and victory lie in this one thing4 ,to make prayer secondary is to discrown it4 ,it is to fetter and destroy prayer4 ,if prayer is put first1 then ,god is put first1 and victory is assured4 ,prayer must either reign in the life or must abdicate4 ,which shall it be8 ,according to ,paul1 8supplications1 prayers1 intercessions and giving of thanks0 all these elements of prayer and forms of prayer are to be offered for men4 ,prayer is offered for things1 for all things1 for all temporal good1 and for all spiritual good and grace1 but in these directions ,paul rises to the highest results and purposes of prayer4 ,men are to be affected by prayer4 ,their good1 their character1 conduct and destiny are all involved in prayer4 ,in this regard prayer moves along the highest way1 and pursues its loftiest end4 ,we are cognizant and consonant with things1 with blessings1 and bestowments1 with matters and things which touch men1 but men themselves are here set forth as the objects of prayer4 ,this broadens and ennobles prayer4 ,men1 through the whole sweep and range of their conditions1 are to be held in the mighty grasp of prayer4 ,paul's teaching is to the effect that prayer is essentially a thing of the inner nature4 ,the spirit within us prays4 ,so note ,paul's directions3 8,i will therefore that men pray everywhere1 without wrath40 8,wrath0 is a term which denotes the natural1 internal motion of plants and fruits1 swelling with juice4 ,the natural juices are warmed into life1 and rise by the warmth of ,spring4 ,man has in him natural juices which rise as does the sap4 ,warmth1 heat1 all stages of passions and desires1 every degree of feeling1 these spontaneously rise under provocation4 ,guard against and suppress them4 ,man cannot pray with these natural feelings rising in him1 cultivated1 cherished and continued there4 ,prayer is to be without these4 8,without wrath40 ,higher1 better1 nobler inspiration are to lift prayer upward4 8,wrath0 depresses prayer1 hinders it1 suppresses it4 ,the word 8without0 means making no use of1 having no association with1 apart from1 aloof from4 ,the natural1 unrenewed heart has no part in praying4 ,its heat and all its nature juices poison and destroy praying4 ,the nature of prayer is deeper than nature4 ,we cannot pray by nature1 even by the kindliest and the best nature4 ,prayer is the true test of character4 ,fidelity to our conditions and trueness to our relations are often evinced by our prayerfulness4 ,some conditions give birth to prayer4 ,they are the soil which germinates and perfects prayer4 ,to pray under some circumstances seems very fitting4 ,not to pray in some conditions seems heartless and discordant4 ,the great storms of life1 when we are helpless and without relief1 or are devoid of assuagement1 are the natural and providential conditions of prayer4 ,widowhood is a great sorrow4 ,it comes to saintly women as well as to others4 ,true widows there are who are saintly4 ,they are to be honored and their sorrow is divine4 ,their piety is aromatic and lightened by their bruised hearts4 ,here is ,paul's description of such widows3 8,now she that is a widow indeed and desolate1 trusteth in ,god1 and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day4 ,but she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth40 ,here is the striking contrast between two classes of women4 ,one gives herself to supplications night and day4 ,the other lives in pleasure and is spiritually dead4 ,so ,paul describes a true widow as being great in prayer4 ,her prayers1 born of her faith and desolation1 are a mighty force4 ,day and night her prayers go up to ,god unceasingly4 ,the widowhood heart is a mighty appeal to ,god when that heart is found in the way of prayer1 intense1 unwearied prayer4 ,one of ,paul's striking injunctions worthy of study is this one1 8continuing instant in prayer10 or as the ,revised ,version reads1 8,continuing steadfast in prayer10 which is his description of prayer4 ,the term means to tarry1 to remain1 to be steadfast and faithful in prayer1 to stick to it strong1 to stay at it with strength to the end1 to give attention to it with vigor1 devotion and constancy1 to give unremitting care to it4 ,praying is a business1 a life-long business1 one to be followed with diligence1 fervor and toil4 ,the ,christian's business by way of preminence is prayer4 ,it is his most engaging1 most heavenly1 most lucrative business4 ,prayer is a business of such high and deserved dignity and import that it is to be followed 8without ceasing40 ,that is1 with no let up nor break down1 followed assiduously and without intermission4 ,to prayer we are to give all strength4 ,it must cover all things1 be in every place1 find itself in all seasons1 and embrace everything1 always1 and everywhere4 ,in the remarkable prayer in ,ephesians1 #c;d chapter1 he is praying for wide reaches of religious experience4 ,he is there bowing his knees unto ,god1 in the name of ,jesus ,christ1 and asking that ,god would grant that these ,ephesian believers would in their experiences go far beyond the utmost stretches of past sainthood4 8,filled with all the fullness of ,god10 an experience so great and so glorious that it makes the head of the modern saint so dizzy that he is afraid to look up to those supernal heights or peer down into the fathomless depths4 ,paul just passes us on to ,him1 8who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think40 ,this is a specimen of his teaching on prayer4 ,in writing to the ,philippian ,church1 ,paul recounts the situation1 and shows the transmuting power of prayer as follows3 8,some indeed preach ,christ of envy and strife2 and some also of good will2 8,the one preach ,christ of contention1 not sincerely1 supposing to add affliction to my bonds2 8,but the other of love1 knowing that ,i am set for the defense of the ,gospel4 8,what then8 ,notwithstanding every way1 whether in pretense or in truth1 ,christ is preached2 and ,i therein do rejoice1 yea1 and will rejoice4 8,for ,i know that this shall turn to my salvation through our prayer and the supply of the ,spirit of ,jesus ,christ4 8,according to my earnest expectation and my hope2 that in nothing shall ,i be ashamed1 but that with all boldness1 as always1 so now also ,christ shall be magnified in my body1 whether it be by life or death40 ,boldness was to be secured by him and discomfiture and shame prevented by their prayers1 and ,christ was to be gloriously magnified by and through ,paul1 whether he lived or died4 ,it is to be remarked that in all these quotations in ,corinthians1 ,ephesians or ,philippians1 the ,revised ,version gives us the most intense form of prayer1 8supplications40 ,it is the intense1 personal1 strenuous1 persistent praying of the saints1 that ,paul requests1 and they must give special strength1 interest1 time and heart to their praying to make it bear its largest golden fruit4 ,the general direction about prayer to the ,colossian ,christians is made specific and is sharpened to the point of a personal appeal3 8,continue in prayer and watch in the same1 with thanksgiving2 withal praying also for us1 that ,god would open unto us a door of utterance1 to speak the mystery of ,christ1 for which ,i am also in bonds2 that ,i make it manifest as ,i ought to speak40 ,paul is accredited with the authorship of the ,epistle to the ,hebrews4 ,we have it in a reference to the character of ,christ's praying1 which is illustrative1 directory and authentative as to the elements of true praying4 ,how deep tones are his words6 ,how heart-affecting and how sublime was ,his praying who prayed as never man prayed before1 and yet prayed in order to teach man how to pray1 8who in the days of ,his flesh1 when ,he had offered prayers and supplications1 with strong crying and tears1 to ,him that was able to save ,him from death1 and was heard in that ,he feared40 ,the praying of ,jesus ,christ drew on the mightiest forces of ,his being4 ,his prayers were ,his sacrifices1 which ,he offered before ,he offered ,himself on the cross for the sins of mankind4 ,prayer-sacrifice is the forerunner and pledge of self-sacrifice4 ,we must die in our closets before we can die on the cross4 ,,chapter ,,xiii ,,paul ,,and ,,his ,,praying ,in the life of ,frank ,crossley it is told how one day in #ahhh he had said good-bye at the station to his friends1 ,general and ,mrs4 ,booth2 but before they steamed out he handed a letter to them giving details of a sacrifice he had resolved to make for the ,army4 ,he came home and was praying alone4 8,as ,i was praying10 he said1 8there came over me the most extraordinary sense of joy4 ,it was not exactly in my head1 nor in my heart1 it was almost a grasping of my chest by some strange hand that filled me with an ecstasy ,i never had before4 ,it was borne in on me that this was the joy of the ,lord40 ,so this servant of ,god made in his pilgrimage to ,god an advance from which he never fell back4 ,he thought it likely at the time that the ,booths had read this letter in the train and this was an answer to prayer of theirs2 afterwards he heard they had prayed for him in the train just after getting well out of ,manchester4--,,rev4 ,,edward ,,shillito4 ,he who studies ,paul's praying1 both his prayers and his commands about prayer1 will find what a wide1 general1 minute1 and diversified area it covers4 ,it will appear that these men like ,wesley1 ,brainerd1 ,luther1 and all their holy successors in the spiritual realms1 were not guilty of fanaticism nor superstition when they ordered all things by prayer great and small1 and committed all things1 secular and religious1 natural and spiritual1 to ,god in prayer4 ,in this they were but following the great exemplar and authority of the ,apostle ,paul4 ,to seek ,god as ,paul did by prayer1 to commune with ,god as ,paul did1 to supplicate ,jesus ,christ as ,paul did1 to seek the ,holy ,spirit by prayer as ,paul did1 to do this without ceasing1 to be always a racer1 and to win ,christ as ,paul did by prayer--all this makes a saint1 an apostle1 and a leader for ,god4 ,this kind of a life engages1 absorbs1 enriches1 and empowers with ,god and for ,god4 ,prayer1 if successful1 must always engage and absorb us4 ,this kind of praying brings ,pauline days and secures ,pauline gifts4 ,pauline days are good1 ,pauline gifts are better1 but ,pauline praying is best of all1 for it brings ,pauline days1 and secures ,pauline gifts4 ,pauline praying costs much1 is death to self1 the flesh and the world4 ,pauline praying is worth all it costs4 ,prayer which costs nothing gets nothing4 ,it is beggarly business at best4 ,paul's estimate of prayer is seen and enforced by the fact that ,paul was a man of prayer4 ,his high position in the ,church was not one of dignity and position to enjoy and luxuriate in4 ,it was not one of officialism1 nor was it one of arduous and exhaustless toil1 for ,paul was preminently a praying man4 ,he began his great career for ,christ in the great struggle and school of prayer4 ,god's convincing and wonderful argument to assure ,ananias was1 8,behold he prayeth40 ,three days was he without sight1 neither eating nor drinking1 but the lesson was learned well4 ,he went out on his first great missionary trip under the power of fasting and prayer1 and they1 ,paul and ,barnabas1 established every ,church by the very same means1 by fasting and prayer4 ,he began his work in ,philippi 8where prayer was wont to be made40 ,as 8they went to prayer10 the spirit of divination was cast out of the young woman4 ,and when ,paul and ,silas were put in prison1 at midnight they prayed and sang praises to ,god4 ,paul made praying a habit1 a business and a life4 ,he literally gave himself to prayer4 ,so with him praying was not an outer garb1 a mere coloring1 a paint1 a polish4 ,praying made up the substance1 the bone1 the marrow1 and the very being of his religious life4 ,his conversion was a marvel of grace and power4 ,his apostolic commission was full and royal4 ,but he did not vainly expect to make full proof of his ministry1 by the marvels of conditions and by wonderful results in the conversion1 nor by the apostolic commission signed and sealed by ,divine authority1 and carrying with it all highest gifts and apostolic enrichments1 but by prayer1 by ceaseless1 wrestling1 agonizing and ,holy ,spirit praying4 ,thus did ,paul work his work1 and crown his work1 his life and the death with martyr principles and with martyr glory4 ,paul had a spiritual trait which was very marked and especially promised1 and it was that of prayer4 ,he had a profound conviction that prayer was a great as well as a solemn duty2 that prayer was a royal privilege2 that prayer was a mighty force2 that prayer gauges piety1 makes faith mighty and mightier2 that much prayer was necessary to ,christian success2 that prayer was a great factor in the ongoing of ,god's kingdom on earth2 and that ,god and heaven expected to pray4 ,somehow we are dependent on prayer for great triumphs of holiness over sin1 of heaven over hell1 and of ,christ over ,satan4 ,paul took it for granted that men who knew ,god would pray2 that men who lived for ,god would pray much1 and that men could not live for ,god who did not pray4 ,so ,paul prayed much4 ,he was in the habit of praying4 ,he was used to praying1 and that formed the habit of prayer4 ,he estimated prayer so greatly that he fully knew its value1 and that fastened the habit on him4 ,paul was in the habit of praying because he loved ,god1 and such love in the heart always finds its expression in regular habits of prayer4 ,he felt the need of much grace1 and of more and more grace1 and grace only comes through the channels of prayer1 and only abounds more and more as prayer abounds more and more4 ,paul was in the habit of praying1 but he prayed not by mere force of habit4 ,man is such a creature of habit that he is always in danger of doing things simply by heart1 in a routine1 perfunctory manner4 ,paul's habit was regular and hearty4 ,to the ,romans he writes1 8,for ,god is my witness1 that without ceasing1 ,i make mention of you always in my prayers40 ,prison doors are opened and earthquakes take place by such praying as ,paul did1 even by such melodious ,pauline praying4 ,all things are opened to the kind of praying which was done by ,paul and ,silas4 ,all things are opened by prayer4 ,they could shut up ,paul from preaching1 but this could not shut him up from praying4 ,and the ,gospel could win its way by ,paul's praying as well as by ,paul's preaching4 ,the apostle might be in prison1 but the ,word of ,god was free1 and went like the mountain air1 while the apostle is bound in prison and abounds in prayer4 ,how profound their joy in ,jesus which expressed itself so happily and so sweetly in praise and prayer1 under conditions so painful and so depressing6 ,prayer brought them into full communion with ,god which made all things radiant with the ,divine presence which enabled them to 8rejoice that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for ,his name1 and to count it all joy when they fell into divers trials40 ,prayer sweetens all things and sanctifies all things4 ,the prayerful saint will be a suffering saint4 ,suffering prayerfully he will be a sweet saint4 ,a praying saint will be a praising saint4 ,praise is but prayer set to music and song4 ,after that notable charge to the elders at ,ephesus1 as he tarried there while on his way to ,jerusalem1 this characteristic record is made in ,acts3 8,and when he had thus spoken1 he kneeled down and prayed with them4 ,and they all wept sore1 and fell on ,paul's neck and kissed him40 8,he kneeled down and prayed40 ,note those words4 ,kneeling in prayer was ,paul's favorite attitude1 the fitting posture of an earnest1 humble suppliant4 ,humility and intensity are in such a position in prayer before ,almighty ,god4 ,it is the proper attitude of man before ,god1 of a sinner before a ,saviour1 and of a beggar before his benefactor4 ,to seal his sacred and living charge to those ,ephesian elders by prayer was that which made the charge efficient1 benignant and abiding4 ,paul's religion was born in the throes of that three days' struggle of prayer1 while he was in the house of ,ananias1 and there he received a divine impetus which never slackened till it brought him to the gates of the eternal city4 ,that spiritual history and religious experience projected along the line of unceasing prayer1 brought him to the highest spiritual altitudes and yields the largest spiritual results4 ,paul lived in the very atmosphere of prayer4 ,his first missionary trip was projected by prayer4 ,it was by prayer and fasting that he was called into the foreign missionary field1 and by the same means the ,church at ,antioch was moved to send forth ,paul and ,barnabas on their first missionary journey4 ,here is the ,scripture record of it3 8,now there were in the ,church which was at ,antioch certain prophets and teachers1 as ,barnabas and ,simeon1 that was called ,niger2 and ,lucius of ,cyrene1 and ,manean1 which had been brought up with ,herod the tetrarch1 and ,saul4 8,and as they ministered to the ,lord1 and fasted1 the ,holy ,ghost said1 ,separate me ,barnabas and ,saul for the work whereunto ,i have called them4 8,and when they had fasted and prayed1 and had laid their hands on them1 they sent them away40 ,here is a model for all missionary outgoings1 a presage of success4 ,here was the ,holy ,spirit directing a prayerful ,church obedient to the ,divine leadership1 and this condition of things brought forth the very largest possible results in the mission of these two men of ,god4 ,we may confidently assert that no ,church in which ,paul was prominent would be a prayerless ,church4 ,paul lived1 toiled and suffered in an atmosphere of prayer4 ,to him1 prayer was the very heart and life of religion1 its bone and marrow1 the motor of the ,gospel1 and the sign by which it conquered4 ,we are not left in ignorance1 for that spirit established churches1 putting in them the everlasting requisite of self-denial1 in the shape of fasting1 and in the practice of prayer4 ,here is the ,divine record of ,paul's work on this line3 8,confirming the souls of the disciples1 and exhorting them to continue in the faith1 and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of ,god4 8,and when they had ordained them elders in every ,church1 and had prayed with fasting1 they commended them to the ,lord1 on whom they believed40 ,in obedience to a heavenly vision1 ,paul lands in ,europe1 and finds himself at ,philippi4 ,there is no synagogue1 and few if any ,jews are there4 ,a few pious women1 however1 have a meeting place for prayer1 and ,paul is drawn by spiritual attraction and spiritual affinities to the place 8where prayer is wont to be made40 ,and ,paul's first planting of the ,gospel in ,europe is at that little prayer meeting4 ,he is there the chief pray-er and the leading talker4 ,lydia was the first convert at that prayer meeting4 ,they protracted the meeting4 ,they called it a meeting for prayer4 ,it was while they were going to that protracted prayer meeting that ,paul performed the miracle of casting the devil of divination out of a poor demon-possessed girl1 who had been made a source of gain by some covetous men1 the results of which1 by the magistrate's orders1 were his scourging and imprisonment4 ,the result by ,god's orders was the conversion of the jailer and his whole household4 ,to the praying apostle no discouragements are allowed4 ,a few praying women are enough for an apostolical field of labor4 ,in this last incident we have a picture of ,paul at midnight4 ,he is in the inner prison1 dark and deadly4 ,he has been severely and painfully scourged1 his clothing is covered with blood1 while there are blood clots on his gnashed and torn body4 ,his feet are in the stocks1 every nerve is feverish and swollen1 sensitive and painful4 ,but we find him under these very unfavorable and suffering conditions at his favorite pursuit4 ,paul is praying with ,silas1 his companion1 in a joyous1 triumphant strain4 8,and at midnight1 ,paul and ,silas prayed and sang praises unto ,god1 and the prisoners heard them4 ,and suddenly there was an earthquake1 so that the foundation of the prison was shaken1 and immediately all the doors were shaken2 and every one's ban was loosed4 ,and the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep1 and seeing the prison doors opened1 he drew out his sword1 and would have killed himself1 supposing that the prisoners had been fled4 8,but ,paul cried out with a loud voice saying1 ,do thyself no harm2 for we are all here40 ,never was prayer so beautiful1 never more resultful4 ,paul was an adept at prayer1 a lover of prayer1 a wondrous devotee of prayer1 who could pursue it with such joyous strains1 under such conditions of despondency and despair4 ,what a mighty weapon of defense was prayer to ,paul6 ,how songful6 ,the angels doubtless stilled their highest and sweetest notes to listen to the music which bore those prayers to heaven4 ,the earthquake trod along the path made by the mighty forces of ,paul's praying4 ,he did not go out when his chains were loosed1 and the stocks fell off4 ,his praying taught him that ,god had nobler purposes that night than his own individual freedom4 ,his praying and the earthquake alarm were to bring salvation to that prison1 freedom from the thraldom and prison house of sin which was prefigured to him by his body emancipation4 ,god's mighty providence had opened his prison door and had broken his prison bonds1 not to give freedom1 but to give freedom to the jailer4 ,god's providential openings are often to test our ability to stay rather than to go4 ,it tested ,paul's ability to stay4 ,,chapter ,,xiv ,,paul ,,and ,,his ,,praying 7,continued7 ,william ,law has this very pertinent word in his 8,devout ,life03 8,when you begin your petitions use such various expressions of the attributes of ,god as may make you most sensible of the greatness and power of the ,divine nature40 ,and then ,william ,law gives various examples1 which ,i am bound to say would not be helpful to me1 as they would imprison my spirit in a coat of mail4 ,but ,i want to emphasize and commend the principle of it1 which is1 that our fellowship should begin with the primary elements of adoration and praise4--,,rev4 ,j4 ,h4 ,,jowett4 ,there are two occasions with wonderful results where the statement is not explicit that ,paul was in prayer1 but the circumstances and the results1 and ,paul's universal and intense praying habit1 make it most evident that the key to the results of both occasions is prayer4 ,the first occasion is when ,paul sailed away from ,philippi and came to ,troas1 where he abode seven days4 ,on the first day of the week1 when the disciples came together to break bread1 ,paul preached unto them1 expecting to depart on the morrow1 and continued his preaching till late in the night4 ,there was sitting in the window a young man named ,eutychus1 who naturally fell asleep1 and as ,paul was rather long in speaking1 the young man fell out of the high window1 and was taken up for dead4 ,paul went down to the place where the young man had fallen1 and embracing him1 told the people about him that they need not be troubled1 for life was still in the body4 ,paul returned to the upper room1 where he had been preaching1 and talked with the disciples till break of day4 ,and the young man was brought alive1 and as a consequence all were greatly comforted4 ,the very natural conclusion without the fact being specially stated is that ,paul must have prayed for the young man when he embraced him1 and his prayer was answered in the quick recovery of the young man4 ,the second occasion was in the perilous and protracted storm which overtook the vessel in which ,paul was being carried as a prisoner to ,rome4 ,they were being exceedingly tossed about with the great tempest1 and neither sun nor stars appeared as they were beset and struggled against wind and storm4 ,all hope that they would be saved seemed gone4 ,but after long abstinence1 ,paul stood in the midst of those on board1 and speaking more particularly to the officers of the vessel1 said1 8,sirs1 ye should have hearkened unto me1 and not have loosed from ,crete1 and to have gained this harm and loss4 ,and now ,i exhort you1 to be of good cheer1 for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you1 but of the ship4 ,for there stood by this night the angel of ,god1 whose ,i am and whom ,i serve1 saying1 ,fear not1 ,paul2 thou must be brought before ,csar1 and lo1 ,god hath given thee all them that sail with thee4 ,wherefore1 sirs1 be of good cheer2 for ,i believe ,god1 that it shall be even as ,god hath told me40 ,it requires no strained interpretation to read into this simple record the fact that ,paul must have been praying when the angel appeared unto him with that message of encouragement and assurance of safety4 ,paul's habit of prayer and his strong belief in prayer must have driven him to his knees4 ,such an emergency with him would necessarily move him to pray under such crucial circumstances4 ,after the shipwreck1 while on the island of ,melita1 we have another representation of ,paul at prayer4 ,he is at his work of praying for a very ill man4 ,while a fire was being made1 a deadly poisonous viper fastened itself on his hand1 and the barbarians immediately concluded it was a case of retribution for some crime ,paul had committed1 but they soon discovered that ,paul did not die1 and changed their minds and concluded that he was a sort of god4 ,in the same quarter at the time1 was the father of ,publius1 who was very ill of a fever1 and bloody flux1 approaching seemingly his end4 ,paul went to him1 and laid his hands upon him1 and with simple confidence in ,god he prayed1 and immediately the disease was rebuked1 and the man was healed4 ,when the natives of the island beheld this remarkable incident1 they brought others to ,paul1 and they were healed1 after the same fashion1 by ,paul's praying4 ,turning back in ,paul's life to the time he was at ,ephesus on his way to ,jerusalem1 we find him stopping at ,tyre after he departed from ,ephesus4 ,before leaving ,ephesus he had prayed with them all4 ,but he did not trust in his words howsoever strong1 fitting and solemn they might have been4 ,god must be recognized1 invoked and sought4 ,paul did not take it for granted1 after he had done his best1 that ,god as a matter of course would bless his efforts to do good1 but he sought ,god4 ,god does not do things in a matter-of-course sort of way4 ,god must be invoked1 sought unto1 and put into things by prayer4 ,following his visit to ,ephesus1 he arrived at ,tyre1 where he stopped a few days4 ,here he found some disciples1 who begged ,paul not to go to ,jerusalem1 saying through the ,spirit that he should not go up to that city4 ,but ,paul adhered to his original purpose to go to ,jerusalem4 ,the account says3 8,and when we had accomplished those days1 we departed1 and went our way2 and they all brought us on our way with their wives and children1 till we were out of the city2 and we kneeled down on the shore and prayed40 ,what a sight to behold on that seashore6 ,here is a family picture of love and devotion1 where husbands1 wives and even children are present1 and prayer is made out in the open air4 ,what an impression it must have made upon those children6 ,the vessel was ready to depart1 but prayer must cement their affections and sanctify wives and children1 and bless their parting--a parting which was to be final so far as this world was concerned4 ,the scene is beautiful and does honor to the head and heart of ,paul1 to his person and his piety1 and shows the tender affection in which he was held4 ,his devoted habit of sanctifying all things by prayer comes directly to the light4 8,we kneeled down on the shore and prayed40 ,never did sea strand see a grander picture or witness a lovelier sight--,paul on his knees on the sands of that shore1 invoking ,god's blessing upon these men1 women and children4 ,when ,paul was arraigned at ,jerusalem1 in making his public defense1 he refers to two instances of his praying4 ,one was when he was in the house of ,judas1 in ,damascus1 after he had been stricken to the earth and brought under conviction4 ,he was there three days1 and to him was ,ananias sent1 to lay his hand upon him1 at the time of his blindness and darkness4 ,it was during those three days of prayer4 ,this is the ,scriptural record1 and the words are those of ,ananias addressed to him3 8,and now why tarriest thou8 ,arise and be baptized1 and wash away thy sins1 calling on the name of the ,lord40 ,the ,lord had emboldened the timid ,ananias to go and minister to ,paul1 by telling him1 8,behold he prayeth40 ,and so we have in this reference ,paul's prayerfulness intensified by the exhortation of ,ananias4 ,prayer precedes pardon of sins4 ,prayer becomes those who seek ,god4 ,prayer belongs to the earnest1 sincere inquirer after ,god4 ,pardon of sin and acceptance with ,god always come at the end of earnest praying4 ,the evidence of sincerity in a true seeker of religion is that it can be said of him1 8,behold he prayeth40 ,the other reference in his defense lets us into the prayerful intenseness into which his whole religious life had been fashioned and shows us how in the absorbing ecstasy of prayer1 the vision came and directions were received by which his toilsome life was to be guided4 ,also we see the familiar terms on which he stood and talked with his ,lord3 8,and it came to pass when ,i was come again to ,jerusalem1 even while ,i prayed in the temple1 ,i was in a trance2 8,and saw him saying unto me1 ,make haste and get thee quickly out of ,jerusalem1 for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me4 8,and ,i said1 ,lord1 they know that ,i imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee4 8,and when the blood of thy martyr ,stephen was shed1 ,i also was standing by1 and consenting to his death1 and kept the raiment of them that slew him4 8,and he said unto me1 ,depart1 for ,i will send thee far hence unto the ,gentiles40 ,prayer always brings directions from heaven as to what ,god would have us to do4 ,if we prayed more and more directly1 we should make fewer mistakes in life as to duty4 ,god's will concerning us is revealed in answer to prayer4 ,if we prayed more and prayed better and sweeter1 then clearer and more entrancing visions would be given us1 and our intercourse with ,god1 would be of the most intimate1 free1 and bold order4 ,it is difficult to itemize or classify ,paul's praying4 ,it is so comprehensive1 so discursive1 and so minute1 that it is no easy task to do so4 ,paul teaches much about prayer in his didactics4 ,he specifically enforces the duty and necessity of prayer upon the ,church1 but that which was better for ,paul and better for us is that he himself prayed much and illustrated his own teaching4 ,he practiced what he preached4 ,he put to the test the exercise of prayer which he urged upon the people of his day4 ,to the ,church at ,rome he plainly and specifically asseverated with solemnity his habit of praying4 ,this he wrote to those ,roman believers3 8,for ,god is my witness1 whom ,i serve with my spirit in the ,gospel of ,his ,son1 that without ceasing ,i make mention of you always in my prayers40 ,paul not only prayed for himself4 ,he made a practice of praying for others4 ,he was preminently an intercessor4 ,as he urged intercessory prayer on others1 so he interceded himself for others beside himself4 ,he begins that remarkable ,epistle to the ,romans in the spirit of prayer3 ,he closes it with this solemn charge3 8,now ,i beseech you1 brethren1 for the ,lord ,jesus ,christ's sake1 and for the love of the ,spirit1 that ye strive with me in your prayers to ,god for me40 ,but this is not all4 ,in the very heart of that ,epistle1 he commands 8,continuing instant in prayer40 ,that is1 give constant attention to prayer4 ,make it the business of life4 ,be devoted to it4 ,just what he did himself1 for ,paul was a standing example of the doctrine of prayer which he advocated and pressed upon the people4 ,in his ,epistles to the ,thessalonians1 how all-inclusive and wonderful the praying6 ,says he in writing his ,first ,epistle to this ,church3 8,we give thanks to ,god always for you1 making mention of you in my prayers2 remembering without ceasing your work of faith1 and labor of love1 and patience of hope40 ,not to quote all he says1 it is worth while to read his words to this same ,church of true believers further on3 8,night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face1 and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith4 ,now ,god himself direct our way unto you4 ,and the ,lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another1 even as we do toward you1 to the end he may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before ,god1 even our ,father40 ,and this sort of praying for these ,thessalonian ,christians is in direct line with that closing prayer for these same believers in this ,epistle1 where he records that striking prayer for their entire sanctification3 8,and the very ,god of peace sanctify you wholly2 and ,i pray ,god your whole spirit1 and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ40 ,how ,paul did pray for those early ,christians6 ,they were in his mind and on his heart1 and he was continually at it1 8night and day praying exceedingly40 ,oh1 if we had a legion of preachers in these days of superficial piety and these times of prayerlessness1 who were given to praying for their churches as ,paul did for those to whom he ministered in his day6 ,praying men are needed4 ,likewise praying preachers are demanded in this age4 ,at the conclusion of that remarkable prayer in the third chapter of ,ephesians1 he declared that 8,god was able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we could ask or think10 now he declares he is praying exceeding abundantly1 striving after the most earnest order1 to have his prayers run parallel with ,god's power1 and that they may not limit that power nor exhaust that power1 but get all there is in it to bless and greatly enrich ,his ,church4 ,paul and his compeers prayed for the saints everywhere4 ,it may be referred to again4 ,with what solemnity does ,paul call the attention of the ,roman ,christians to the important fact of praying for them1 believers whom he had never seen6 8,god is my witness that without ceasing1 ,i make mention of you in my prayers40 ,to the churches he says1 8,praying always for you40 ,again on the same line1 we hear him articulating clearly1 8,always in every prayer of mine for you all1 making request with joy40 ,again he writes thus3 8,i do not cease to pray for you40 ,once more we read the record1 8,wherefore we pray always for you40 ,and again it is written1 8,cease not to give thanks for you1 making mention of you in my prayers40 ,and then he says1 8,remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day40 ,his declaration1 8night and day praying exceedingly10 is a condensed record of the engrossing nature of the praying done by this praying apostle4 ,it shows conclusively how important prayer was in his estimate and in his ministry1 and further shows how to him prayer was an agony of earnest striving in seeking from ,god blessings which could be secured in no other way4 ,the unselfishness of his praying is seen in his writing to the ,romans where he tells them1 8,making request if by any means ,i might have a prosperous journey to come to you4 ,for ,i long to see you that ,i may impart to you some spiritual gift to the end ye may be established40 ,the object of his desire to visit ,rome was not for selfish gratification1 the pleasure of a trip1 or for other reasons1 but that he might be the means under ,god of 8imparting to them some spiritual gift10 in order that they 8might be established0 in their hearts1 unblameably in love4 ,it was that his visit might give to them some spiritual gift which they had not received and that they might be established at those points where they needed to be rooted1 and grounded in faith1 in love1 and in all that made up ,christian life and character4 ,,chapter ,,xv ,,paul ,,and ,,his ,,requests ,,for ,,prayer ,i desire above all things to learn to pray4 ,we want to sound the reveille for the ,christian warriors4 ,we desire to find truth of the lack of real praying4 ,what is it8 ,why is it8 ,why so little time spent in prayer when ,christ1 who had command of ,his time1 chose to spend great part of it in ,,intercession8 8,he ever liveth to make intercession for us40 ,we believe the answer to be the desire is in the heart1 but the will is undisciplined1 the motive is present1 but the affections have not melted under hours of heavenly meditation2 the intellect is keen1 yet not for hours of tireless research4 ,the intellect and the affections have never been linked together by the sealing of the blessed ,holy ,ghost to do or die for ,god's glory in the secret places1 with doors shut1 lusts crucified4--,,rev4 ,,homer ,w4 ,,hodge4 ,the many requests of ,paul for prayer for himself1 made to those to whom he ministered1 put prayer to the front in ,paul's estimate of its possibilities4 ,paul prayed much himself1 and tried hard to arouse ,christians to the imperative importance of the work of prayer4 ,he so deeply felt the need of prayer that he was given to the habit of personal praying4 ,realizing this for himself1 he pressed this invaluable duty upon others4 ,intercessory prayer1 or prayer for others1 occupied a high place in his estimate of prayer4 ,it is no surprise1 therefore1 when we find him throwing himself upon the prayers of the churches to whom he wrote4 ,by all their devotion to ,jesus ,christ1 by all their interest in the advance of ,god's kingdom on earth1 by all the ardor of their personal attachment to ,jesus1 he charges them to pray much1 to pray unceasingly1 to pray at all times1 to pray in all things1 and to make praying a business of praying4 ,and then realizing his own dependence upon prayer for his arduous duties1 his sore trials and his heavy responsibilities1 he urges those to whom he wrote to pray especially for him4 ,the chief of the ,apostles needed prayer4 ,he needed the prayers of others1 for this he practically admitted in asking for their prayers4 ,his call to the apostleship did not lift him above this need4 ,he realized and acknowledged his dependence on prayer4 ,he craved and prized the prayers of all good people4 ,he was not ashamed to solicit prayers for himself nor to urge the brethren everywhere to pray for him4 ,in writing to the ,hebrews1 he bases his request for prayer on two reasons1 his honesty and his anxiety to visit them4 ,if he were insincere1 he could lay no claim to their prayers4 ,praying for him1 it would be a powerful agent in facilitating his visit to them4 ,they would touch the secret place of the wind and the waves1 and arrange all secondary agencies and make them minister to this end4 ,praying puts ,god in haste to do for us the things which we wish at ,his hands4 ,paul's frequent request of his brethren was that they would 8pray for him40 ,we are to judge of the value of a thing by the frequency of asking for it1 and by the special and urgent plea made for it4 ,if that be true1 then with ,paul the prayers of the saints were among his greatest assets4 ,by the urgency1 iteration and reiteration of the request1 8,pray for me10 ,paul showed conclusively the great value he put upon prayer as a means of grace4 ,paul had no need so pressing as the need of prayer4 ,there were no values so appreciated and appreciable as the prayers of the faithful4 ,paul put the great factor of prayer as the great factor in his work4 ,the most powerful and far-reaching energy in ,paul's estimate is prayer4 ,he covets it and hoards it as he seeks the prayers of ,god's people4 ,the earnestness of his soul goes out in these requests4 ,hear him in this entreaty for prayer he is writing to the ,romans3 8,i beseech you1 brethren1 for the ,lord ,jesus ,christ's sake1 and for the love of the ,spirit1 that ye strive together with me in your prayers for me40 ,prayers by others for ,paul were valuable because they helped him4 ,great helpers are prayers4 ,nothing gives so much aid to us in our needs as real prayers4 ,they supply needs and deliver from straits4 ,paul's faith1 so he writes to the ,corinthians1 had been much tried1 and he had been much helped and much strengthened by ,god's deliverance4 8,ye also helping by prayer40 ,what marvelous things has ,god done for ,his favored saints through the prayers of others6 ,the saints can help the saints more by fervent praying than in any other way4 ,in the midst of envy and detraction1 and in perils by false brethren1 he writes thus to the ,philippians3 8,for ,i know that this shall turn to my salvation though your prayer1 and the supply of the ,spirit of ,jesus ,christ4 8,according to my expectation1 and my hope1 that in nothing ,i shall be ashamed1 but with all boldness as always1 so now also ,christ shall be magnified in my body1 whether it be by life or death40 ,shame was taken away1 holy boldness secured1 and life and death made glorious by the prayers of the saints at ,philippi for ,paul4 ,paul had many mighty forces in his ministry4 ,his remarkable conversion was a great force1 a point of mighty projecting and propelling power1 and yet he did not in his ministry secure its results by the force of his epochal conversion4 ,his call to the apostleship was clear1 luminous1 and all-convincing1 but he did not depend on that for the largest results in his ministry4 ,paul's course was more clearly marked out and his career rendered more powerfully successful by prayer than by any other force4 ,paul urges the ,roman ,christians to pray for him that he may be delivered from unbelieving men4 ,prayer is a defense and protection against the malignity and machinations of evil men4 ,it can affect men because ,god can affect them4 ,paul had not only unbelieving enemies with whom to contend1 but many ,christians were prejudiced against him to an extent which rendered it questionable whether they would accept any ,christian service at his hands4 ,especially was this the case at ,jerusalem1 and so prayer1 powerful prayer1 must be used to remove the mighty and pernicious force of prejudice1 inflamed and deep-seated4 ,prayer on their part for him must be used for his safety1 and also that a prosperous journey and ,god's will might bring him speedily and surely to them1 in order to bless and refresh mutually the ,roman ,christians4 ,these prayer requests of ,paul are many-sided and all-comprehensive4 ,how many things does his request to the ,roman ,church include6 ,the request for their prayers1 like the ,church to whom it is directed1 is cosmopolitan4 ,he beseeches them1 entreats them1 a term indicating intensity and earnestness1 8for the sake of ,jesus ,christ1 to strive with him in their prayers for him40 ,this he desires that he may be delivered from evil and designing men1 who might hinder and embarrass him in his mission1 then further that his service for the poor saints might be accepted by the saints1 and that he might ultimately come unto them with joy that they might be refreshed4 ,how full of heart earnestness is his request6 ,how tender and loving is his appeal6 ,how touching and high is the motive to the highest and truest form of prayer1 8for the ,lord ,jesus ,christ's sake60 ,also for the love we bear to the ,spirit1 or for the love which the ,spirit bears to us2 by the ties of the holy brotherhood4 ,by these lofty and constraining motives does he urge them to pray for him and to 8strive with him0 in their mutual praying4 ,paul is in the great prayer struggle1 a struggle in which the mightiest issues are involved and imperiled2 and he is in the midst of this struggle4 ,he is committed to it because ,christ is in it4 ,he needs help1 help which comes alone through prayer4 ,so he pleads with his brethren to pray for him and with him4 ,by prayer enemies are to be swept out of the way4 ,by prayer prejudices are to be driven out of the hearts of good men4 ,his way to ,jerusalem would be cleared of difficulties1 the success of his mission would be secured1 and the will of ,god and the good of the saints would be accomplished4 ,all these marvelous ends would be secured by marvelous praying4 ,wonderful and world-wide are the results to be gained by mighty praying4 ,if all apostolic successors had prayed as ,paul did1 if all ,christians in all these ages had been one with apostolical men in the mighty wrestlings of prayer1 how marvelous and divine would have been the history of ,god's ,church6 ,how unparalleled would have been its success6 ,the glory of its millennium would have brightened and blessed the world ages ago4 ,we see in ,paul's requests his estimate of the far-reaching power of prayer4 ,not that prayer has in it any talismanic force1 nor that it is a fetish1 but that it moves ,god to do things that it nominates4 ,prayer has no magic1 potent charm in itself1 but is only all potent because it gets the ,omnipotent ,god to grant its request4 ,a precedent basis in all prayer as expressed or understood by ,paul is that 8,ye strive together with me in your prayers for me40 ,it is of the nature of a severe conflict in which ,paul's soul is engaged1 a wrestle1 a hand-to-hand fight4 ,the strain is severe and exhaustive to all the energies of the soul1 and the issue is tossed in uncertainty4 ,paul in this prayer struggle needs renforcements and divine help in his striving4 ,he is in the midst of the struggle1 and will bear the brunt1 but he solicits and pleads for the help of others4 ,their prayers are just now needed4 ,he needs help to offer intense prayers4 ,prayer is not inaptly called 8wrestling10 because it is a most intense struggle4 ,to prayer there are the greatest hindrances and the most inveterate foes4 ,mighty evil forces surge around the closets of prayer4 ,enemies strong and strongly entrenched are about the closets where praying is done4 ,no feeble1 listless act is this praying done by ,paul4 ,in this thing he has 8put away childish things40 ,the commonplace and the tame have been retired4 ,paul must do this praying mightily or not do it at all4 ,hell must feel and stagger under the mightiness of his prayer stroke1 or he strikes not at all4 ,the strongest graces and the manliest efforts are requisite here4 ,strength is demanded in the praying done by ,paul4 ,courage is at a premium in it4 ,timid touches and faint-hearted desires avail nothing in the mind of ,paul which we are considering4 ,enemies are to be faced and routed and fields are to be won4 ,the most unflagging and invincible bravery and the highest qualities of ,christian soldierhood are demanded for prayer4 ,it is a trumpet call to prayer1 a chieftain's clarion note1 sounded out for earnest1 persistent prayer as the great spiritual conflict rages4 ,,chapter ,,xvi ,,paul ,,and ,,his ,,requests ,,for ,,prayer 7,continued7 ,we announce the law of prayer as follows3 ,a ,christian's prayer is a joint agreement of the will and his cabinet1 the emotions1 the conscience1 the intellect1 working in harmony at white heat1 while the body co-operates under certain hygienic conditions to make the prayer long enough sustained at high voltage to insure tremendous results1 supernatural and unearthly4--,,rev4 ,,homer ,w4 ,,hodge4 ,we come to the request of ,paul made to the ,church at ,ephesus1 found in the latter part of chapter #f of the ,epistle to those ,christians3 8,praying always with all prayer and supplication in the ,spirit1 and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints2 8,and for me that utterance may be given unto me1 that ,i may open my mouth boldly1 to make known the mystery of the ,gospel1 8,for which ,i am an ambassador in bonds1 that therein ,i may speak boldly as ,i ought to speak40 ,for this ,church he had labored and prayed night and day1 with many watchings and tears and much humility4 ,as he drew a vivid picture of the ,christian soldier1 with his foes besetting him1 he gave them this charge of praying specially for him4 ,to these ,ephesian ,christians he gave a comprehensive statement of the necessity1 nature and special benefits of prayer4 ,it was to be urgent1 covering all times and embracing all manner of places4 ,supplication must give intensity1 the ,holy ,spirit must be invoked1 vigilance and perseverance must be added1 and the whole family of saints were involved4 ,the force of his request for prayer centered on him1 that he might be able to talk with force1 fluency1 directness and courage4 ,paul did not depend upon his natural gifts1 but on those which came to him in answer to prayer4 ,he was afraid he would be a coward1 a dull1 dry speaker1 or a hesitating stammerer1 and he urged these believers to pray that he might have courage1 not only to speak clearly1 but freely and fully4 ,he desired them to pray that he might have boldness4 ,no quality seems more important to the preacher than that of boldness4 ,it is that positive quality which does not reckon consequences1 but with freedom and fullness meets the crisis1 faces a present danger1 and discharges unawed a present duty4 ,it was one of the marked characteristics of apostolic preachers and apostolic preaching4 ,they were bold men1 they were bold preachers4 ,the reference to the manifestation of the principle by them is almost the record of their trials4 ,it is the applause of their faith4 ,there are many chains which enslave the preacher4 ,his very tenderness makes him weak4 ,his attachments to the people tend to bring him into bondage4 ,his personal intercourse1 his obligations to his people1 his love for them1 all tend to hamper his freedom and restrain his pulpit deliverances4 ,what great need to be continually praying for boldness to speak boldly as he ought to speak6 ,the prophets of old were charged not to be afraid of the faces of men4 ,unawed by the frowns of men1 they were to declare the truth of ,god without apology1 timidity1 hesitancy or compromise4 ,the warmth and freedom of conviction and of sincerity1 the fearlessness of a vigorous faith1 and above all the power of the ,holy ,ghost1 are all wonderful helpers and elements of boldness4 ,how all this should be coveted and sought with all earnestness by ministers of the ,gospel in this day6 ,meekness and humility are high virtues of the first importance in the preacher1 but these qualities do not at all militate against boldness4 ,this boldness is not the freedom of passionate utterances4 ,it is not scolding nor rashness4 ,it speaks the truth in love4 ,boldness is not rudeness4 ,roughness dishonors boldness4 ,it is as gentle as a mother with a babe1 but as fearless as a lion standing before a foe4 ,fear1 in the mild and innocent form of timidity1 or in the criminal form of cowardice1 has no place in the true ministry4 ,humble but holy boldness is of the very first importance4 ,what hidden1 mysterious mighty force can add courage to apostolical preaching1 and give bolder utterances to apostolic lips8 ,there is one answer1 and it is that prayer can do the deed4 ,what force can so affect and dominate evil that the very results of evil will be changed into good8 ,we have the answer in ,paul's words again1 in connection with prayers made for him3 8,who delivered us from so great a death1 and doth deliver2 in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us2 ,ye also helping together in prayer for us4 ,what then8 ,notwithstanding every way1 whether in pretense or in truth1 ,christ is preached1 and therein ,i do rejoice1 yea1 and will rejoice40 ,we can see how the promises of ,god are made real and personal by prayer4 8,all things work together for good to them that love ,god40 ,here is a jeweled promise4 ,paul loved ,god1 but he did not leave the promise alone1 as a matter of course1 to work out its blessed results4 ,so he wrote to the ,corinthians as we have before seen1 8,i am in trouble4 ,i trust in ,god to deliver4 ,ye also helping together by prayer40 ,helping me by prayer1 you help ,god to make the promise strong and rich in realization4 ,paul's prayer requests embraced 8supplication for all saints10 but especially for apostolic courage for himself4 ,how much he needed this courage just as all true preachers1 called of ,god1 need it6 ,prayer was to open doors for apostolical labors1 but at the same time it was to open apostolic lips to utter bravely and truly the apostolic message4 ,hear him as he speaks to the ,church at ,colosses3 8,withal praying also for us1 that ,god would open to us a door of utterance to speak the mystery of ,christ1 for which ,i am also in bonds2 8,that ,i may make it manifest as ,i ought to speak40 ,how appropriate such a request to be made by a present-day preacher to his congregation6 ,how great the need of those things by the present-day preacher which ,paul desired for himself6 ,as in the request to the ,ephesians1 ,paul wants a 8door of utterance0 given him1 that he may preach with the liberty of the ,spirit1 be delivered from being straitened in thought or hampered in delivery4 ,furthermore1 he desires the ability to make manifest in the clearest terms1 without confusion of thought1 and with force of utterance1 the ,gospel 8as he ought to speak10 and just as every preacher should speak4 ,happy that preacher who ministers to a people who pray thus for him6 ,and happier still if he inwardly feels1 as he faces his responsible task and realizes how much he needs these things to preach clearly1 forcibly and effectively1 that he has urged his people to pray for him6 ,prayer transmutes crosses1 trials and oppositions into blessings1 and causes them to work together for good4 8,these shall turn to my salvation through your prayers10 says ,paul4 ,just as the same things to-day in the life of the preacher are transmuted into gracious blessings in the end1 8ye also helping together by prayer40 ,saintly praying mightily helped ,apostolic preaching and rescued apostolic men from many sore straits4 ,so just such praying in these days will effect like results in faithful preaching done by brave1 fearless ministers4 ,prayer for the preacher avails just as prayer by the preacher avails4 ,two things are always factors in the life and work of a true preacher3 ,first when he prays constantly1 fervently and persistently for those to whom he preaches2 and secondly1 when those to whom he ministers pray for their preacher4 ,happy is the preacher so situated4 ,blessed is that congregation thus favored4 ,to the ,church at ,thessalonica ,paul sends this pressing request1 pointed1 clear1 and forcible3 8,finally1 brethren1 pray for us1 that the word of the ,lord may have free course1 and be glorified1 even as it is with you2 8,and that we may be delivered from wicked and unreasonable men40 ,he has in mind a race-course1 on which the racer is exerting himself to reach the goal4 ,hindrances are in the way of his success and must be removed1 so that the racer may finally succeed and obtain the reward4 ,the 8,word of the ,lord0 is this racer1 as preached by ,paul4 ,this ,word is personified and there are serious impediments which embarrass the running of the ,word4 ,it must have 8free course40 ,everything in the way and opposing its running must be taken out of its roadway4 ,these impediments in the way of the ,word of the ,lord 8running and being glorified0 are found in the preacher himself1 in the ,church to whom he ministers1 and in the sinners around him4 ,the ,word runs and is glorified when it has unobstructed access to the minds and hearts of those to whom it is preached1 when sinners are convicted for sin1 when they seriously consider the claims of ,god's ,word on them1 and when they are induced to pray for themselves1 asking for pardoning mercy4 ,it is glorified when saints are instructed in religious experience1 corrected of errors of doctrine and mistakes in practice1 and when they are led to seek for higher things and to pray for deeper experiences in the ,divine life4 ,mark you4 ,it is not when the preacher is glorified because of the wonderful success wrought by the ,word4 ,it is not when people praise him unduly1 and make much of him because of his wonderful sermons1 his great eloquence and his remarkable gifts4 ,the preacher is kept in the background in all this work of glorification1 even though he is foremost as being the object of all this praying4 ,prayer is to do all these things4 ,so ,paul urges1 entreats1 insists1 8,pray for us40 ,and it is not so much prayer for ,paul personally in his ,christian life and religious experience4 ,all this needed much prayer4 ,it was really for him officially1 prayer for him in the office and work of a ,gospel minister4 ,his tongue must be unloosed in preaching1 his mouth unstopped1 and his mind set free4 ,prayer must help in his religious life not so much because it would help to 8work out his own salvation10 but rather because right living would give strength to the ,word of the ,lord1 and would save him from being a hindrance to the ,word which he preached4 ,and as he desires that no hindrance should be in himself which would defeat his own preaching1 so he wants all hindrances taken away from the churches to whom he ministers that ,church people may not stand in the way or weigh down the ,word as it runs on the race-course attempting to reach the goal1 even the minds and hearts of the people4 ,furthermore1 he wishes hindrances in the unsaved to be set aside that ,god's ,word as preached by him may reach their hearts and be glorified in their salvation4 ,with all this before him1 ,paul sends this pressing request to these believers at ,thessalonica1 8,pray for us10 because praying by true ,christians would greatly help in the running of the ,word of the ,lord4 ,wise that preacher who has the eyes to see these things1 and who realizes that his success largely depends upon praying of this kind on the part of his people for him4 ,how much do we need churches now who1 having the preacher in mind and the preached ,word on their hearts1 pray for him that 8the ,word of the ,lord may have free course1 and be glorified40 ,one other item in this request is worth noting3 8,that we may be delivered from wicked and unreasonable men40 ,such men are hindrances in the way of the ,word of the ,lord4 ,few preachers but are harassed by them and need to be delivered from them4 ,prayer helps to bring such a deliverance to preachers from 8unreasonable and wicked men40 ,paul was annoyed by such characters1 and for this very reason he urged prayer for him that he might find deliverance from them4 ,summing it all up1 we find that ,paul feels that the success of the ,word1 its liberty and largeness1 are bound up in their prayers1 and that their failure to pray would restrict its influence and its glory4 ,his deliverance from unreasonable and wicked men as well as his safety1 he asserts1 are in some way dependent upon their prayers4 ,these prayers1 while they greatly helped him to preach1 would at the same time protect his person from the cruel purposes of wicked and unreasonable men4 ,in ,hebrews #ac3i1 ,paul thus opens his heart to those ,hebrew ,christians in asking them to pray for him3 8,pray for us1 for we trust we have a good conscience1 in all things willing to live honestly40 ,in this prayer request1 ,paul's inward consciousness of his integrity of heart and his internal witness to his personal honesty come out and are a basic truth of his ,christian character4 ,no room for blame does he find in himself4 8,pray for us40 ,your prayers for us will find in me honest integrity and honest execution and honest administration of all prayer results4 ,the request is intended to stir up the saints to more earnest praying1 more devotion to prayer1 and more urgency in prayer4 ,prayer must affect his visit to them1 would hasten it and enlarge its beneficial results4 ,paul is on the most cordial and freest terms with ,philemon4 ,he is anxious and expects to visit him at some future day and makes the appointment4 ,he takes it for granted that ,philemon is praying1 for as this man had been converted under his ministry1 it is assumed that he has been taught the ,pauline lesson of prayer4 ,he assumes also that prayer will open up the way for his visit1 remove the hindrances and bring them graciously together4 ,so he requests ,philemon to prepare a lodging place for him1 adding1 8,i trust through your prayers ,i shall be given to you40 ,paul had the idea that his movements were hindered or helped by the prayers of his brethren4 ,,the ,,end ,,transcriber',s ,,notes3 ,italicized text is surrounded by underscores3 italics4 ,obvious typographical errors have been corrected4 ,inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized4 ,archaic or variant spelling has been retained4 ,new original cover art included with this e,book is granted to the public domain4