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The Pathway of Safety; or, Counsel to the Awakened By the Right Rev. Ashton Oxenden, D.D. CHAPTER IV HELPS BY THE WAY: PRIVATE PRAYER AND PRAISE Besides those Public Helps which our heavenly Father has provided for His children, He has also furnished other methods of a more Private kind, which they must diligently use, if they would grow in grace. One of these, and perhaps the lost important, is PRIVATE PRAYER. We are again and again charged, in God’s word, to engage in this holy exercise. Our Lord Himself says, to each of His followers, ‘But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.’ (Matt. vi. 6) When a person is first awakened, there is, as I have said, generally a hungering for public ordinances, especially preaching. But perhaps it is closet work that we most need—drawing near to God in secret, and telling out to Him our many wants and deficiencies. Doubtless, you have often said your prayers. You have, perhaps, been accustomed all your life regularly to say prayers morning and evening; but can you now look back and see that it was but a cold, formal service—the repeating a string of holy words, and but little more? It was lip-work, and not heart-work. You used words of prayer, but you did not pray. You went through the ceremony of certain devotions, as a soldier goes regularly through his exercises, but the spirit of prayer was altogether wanting. Alas! You have reason, indeed, to ask God to pardon this among other sins—to forgive the sin you have so often committed on your knees. If, however, you have now a new life within you, Prayer will be one sure sign of the change. If the Holy Spirit is at work in your soul, you cannot but pray. When a child is first born, we know that it is a living child, because it breathes. When a man has been nearly drowned, one of the first symptoms of returning life is that his bosom heaves. And so, if your soul has been quickened by the Spirit of God, and ‘is passed from death unto life,’ you will surely breathe the breath of prayer. God has no dumb children: they all cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ You may remember that it was said of Saul, when he was converted, ‘Behold! He is praying.’ (Acts 9.11) Others might not have seen him pray, but his God did. There he was, concealed from the eyes of men, pouring out his soul before the Lord. Like you, it may be, he had used prayers all his life; day after day he had offered up words to God; but never till then did he put up real prayer—prayer that came from his heart, prayer that burst forth from a soul deeply conscious of its wants. Mark this—if you are a true Christian, you will be a praying Christian. Many a one has gone to heaven without the advantage of public ordinances; for he may have lain for years on a sick bed, and so have been debarred from them altogether. Some have reached that happy place, without ever being able to read a single page in a book. But never has any Christian struggled through this world, and gained the victory at last, without prayer; no, not one. Prayer is absolutely essential to the Christian’s life. It is the key, as it were, by which the door of heaven is unlocked. It is the watchword of every Christian soldier. Christians may differ from one another on many points. Some Christians are rich, and some poor; some are learned, and some have little or no learning; some have many trials, and some have few. But all true Christians are alike in this one thing—they love prayer; they feel the value of it; they pray constantly, and from the heart. A man need not be a scholar to pray. It is not learning that is needed, but spiritual life and earnestness. It is very possible to have much knowledge of worldly things—yes, and even a head knowledge of religion too—and yet a praying heart may be altogether wanting. It is not so much the words that God regards, as it is the heart that utters them. A cold prayer will be a rejected prayer. There must be fire in the sacrifice; otherwise it will not mount upwards. Earnest cries—heart cries—these take the Lord’s ear, and move His compassion; for these are the voice and cries of His own children. A little girl once beautifully described prayer by saying that it was ‘the heart talking to God;’ and Luther tells us that it is ‘the mind mounting up to Him.’ Our fluent language, or our well-chosen words, will do but little to recommend our devotions to God; it is their being breathed out from the heart. Then every groan speaks, and every word is winged, and reaches the throne on high. ‘It is not the composition of prayer,’ says Archbishop Leighton, ‘or the eloquence of expression, that is the sweetness of it in God’s sight, and makes it a sacrifice of a sweet savor to Him, but the breathing forth of the desire of the heart. This it is that makes it a spiritual sacrifice; otherwise, it is as carnal, and dead, and worthless, as the carcasses of beasts. Therefore David says, “Let my prayer be set forth as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.”’ (Ps. 141.2) The man spoken of in the second chapter, the man who had fallen into a pit, would not require learning to enable him to ask for help. The feeling of his danger, and of his wants, would put words into his mouth, and make him earnest in his cries. And so, if you have a pressing sense of your need, you will and must pray. Depend on it, dear friend, you cannot love God, and become really acquainted with Him, without often speaking to Him; neither can you overcome the many difficulties of your Christian course, without His help; you cannot win heaven without it. How is it that we sometimes see so great a difference even among Christians? We see one growing in the knowledge and love of God; making rapid strides towards heaven; meek, and gentle, and Christ-like in his conduct; walking humbly and closely with his God; and recommending religion to others by his holy and happy life. And we see another, perhaps with more talk and profession, but harsh and unloving in his spirit; with a great deal of knowledge, and quick in detecting the wrong in others, but unwatchful and inconsistent in his own walk. He makes no progress in the path of holiness. There is no real growth in grace. But hi state to-day is much what it was a year ago. How is this? What makes the difference between these two? They are both perhaps looking to Christ alone to save them; they both come regularly to God’s house, and to God’s table; they both choose God’s people as their companions; they both pass for religious persons. What can be the reason then that the one is so true and bright a Christian, and the other is so deficient? Is it that the one is a praying Christian; the other too often neglects prayer. The one lives to God, and holds daily and hourly intercourse with Him: the other knows of Him, but lives at a distance from Him. What unspeakable strength will prayer bring to you! Utterly weak in yourself, you will thus become ‘strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.’ ‘A man of prayer,’ says one who is now with God, ‘is a man of power. A praying soul is a thriving soul. Our great adversary, the devil, is aware of this; he knows full well the secret of our strength. Hence the closet is the Christian’s battle-field. There he conquers. Satan aims at this fortress. He triumphs when he has succeeded in baffling prayer: but he “trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees.”’ Make it your practice never to rise in the morning without kneeling down, and engaging, at least for a few minutes, in heartfelt prayer. And never think of going to rest at night without doing the same. I put in the words ‘kneeling down,’ because I know that some have the bad habit of saying their prayers in bed. But surely this does not look like drawing near to a great and holy God; this is not the posture in which a sinner should approach Him. I trust that a mere hint on this point will be sufficient. But prayer twice a-day will not satisfy an earnest soul. The Christian, who is seeking heaven with all their heart, needs to put himself oftener in his Father’s presence. He feels that, between morning and evening, the gap is too wide. Hear what David’s resolution was—‘Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud; and He shall hear my voice.’ Such, too, was Daniel’s habit—‘He kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed and gave thanks before God.’ Possibly you may be so placed, that it may be exceedingly difficult for you to practice such a habit, but make an effort to do so if you can; and you will, indeed, reap a blessing from it. Whether you are in your house, or in the fields, get alone, if possible, for a few minutes, and pour out a word or two of secret prayer to Him, who is watching over you with a Father’s love, and is ever ready to meet you with a Father’s blessing. But the Bible bids us ‘Pray without ceasing.’ (1 Thess. 5.17) This means that we should always be in a prayerful frame: not always upon our knees; but always waiting upon God, and constantly looking up to Him for grace, guidance, and protection. I was once asked by a sick person if it was necessary to pray with a loud voice, to show our earnestness. Surely not. A child of God may offer up an acceptable prayer, though he may not be able to speak a word. As in Hannah’s case, there may be no utterance, and yet we may pray inwardly. (1 Sam. 1.13) It is the heart that prays—not the knees, nor the hands, nor even the lips. Have you not seen a dumb man, who stood with his back to the wall, beg as well with his imploring eye and open hand, as one that had a tongue to speak? Our prayers must be as arrows shot from the heart’ for none but these will reach the throne of God. ‘Prayer (says an old writer) is the soul’s desire, which God may hear, though it be not expressed in words, for He knows the heart. “Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble,” says David. A Christian’s desire is a real prayer; and words are but the outward clothing of it.’ The habit of lifting up our hearts to God often during the day is very beneficial, whether this is done silently with our hearts only, or whether we give actual utterance with our lips. Our prayers on these occasions may be short; but God will hear them. Are we, for instance, plunged into some sudden and unexpected danger? We may pray, like the disciples, ‘Lord, save me; I perish.’ (Matt. 8.25) Are we in any difficulty? We may act like good Nehemiah, who, when spoken to by his sovereign, lifted up his heart to God for direction as to the answer he should give. (Neh. 2.4) Or do we at any moment specially feel our weakness? We may use David’s words, ‘Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe.’ (Ps. 119.117) Or, are we oppressed with an overpowering feeling of our guilt? The Publican’s prayer will suit us, ‘God be merciful to me a sinner.’ (Luke 18.13) This kind of prayer is called ‘ejaculatory prayer.’ And I am sure you will find that the habit of thus darting up short petitions frequently during the day will bring a great blessing with it. It will relieve the soul of its burden. It will call down help when you most need it. It will bring God to your side. It will keep up a constant intercourse between you and your Lord. It will lighten the toils and trials of this world, and sweeten its joys. It will enable you to pass over its rough waves with calmness and safety. But remember this, that ‘if the arrow of prayer is to enter heaven, it must be drawn from a heart fully bent.’ Again, it is important that you should learn to bring every want you have, and every little difficulty that perplexes you, before your heavenly Father. Hear the direction which St. Paul gives us in this point, ‘Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.’ (Phil. 4:6) No want can be too great to bring Him, and no want too small to keep back from Him. A person was once asked by a learned infidel, ‘How great is your God?’ She beautifully replied, ‘He is so great that the heavens cannot contain Him, and yet so small that He will condescend to dwell in my heart.’ Of God it may be said, that there is nothing too great for Him to perform, and nothing too small for Him to notice. We know that, while He made the stars, and guides them in their courses, He shapes the little dewdrop, and marks even a sparrow’s fall. It has been said, ‘If our cares are too trifling to be carried to God, they are too trifling to be cares at all.’ Look upon Him, then, as your loving Father; and be often running to Him to tell him all that concerns you, and to beg Him to guide, direct, strengthen, and help you. This is living a life of prayer. This is the way to know God, to walk with Him, to live upon Him. Hast thou within a care so deep It chases from thine eyelids sleep? To Thy Redeemer take that care, And change anxiety to Prayer.
Whate’er the care that breaks thy rest, Whate’er the wish that swells thy breast, Spread before God that wish, that care, And change anxiety to Prayer. Are there not times when you fell, ‘Oh, that I had a friend, into whose ear I could pour out all my wants, who would feel for me, and wisely counsel me in my various difficulties!’ I have shown you that you have such a one—a loving, tender, wise, powerful Friend, who is ever near you, and who is always ready to hearken to you. No human voice may cheer thee, No earthly listener hear thee; But, oh, one Friend is near thee, The kindest and the best; Whose smile can banish sadness, Whose presence fills with gladness The solitary breast. And does it not often happen, that you are in great difficulty how to act in some particular case? Your course is not plain. Your way is not open. Each side seems equally balanced, and you cannot tell which to choose. Your wishes, perhaps, point one way, and your fears another. You are afraid lest you should decide wrongly; lest you should take what may in the end prove hurtful to you, and turn out to be poison; lest the blossoming rod should change into a serpent. It is very trying to be brought into this painful conflict. And it adds to our distress if we are forced to go forward at once, and take one course or the other. Shall I tell you what to do in such a case? Shall I tell you how you may be sure to find unspeakable relief? Go and lay the matter before the Lord, as Hezekiah did with the King of Assyria’s letter. (Isa. 37.14) Do not, however, deceive yourself, as many do, and seek counsel of God, having already determined to act according to your own will, and not according to His. But simply and honestly ask that He would guide you. Commit the case to your Father in Heaven; and surrender yourself, as a little child, to be led as He pleases. This is the way to be guided aright, and to realize the blessing of having a heavenly Counselor.
In connection with prayer, it is no small encouragement to know and feel, that we have an Almighty Pleader, an Advocate, an Intercessor, speaking for us to our heavenly Father. When you pray, Jesus prays for you. When your poor lisping words go up to Heaven, your petitions pass, as it were, through His hands and are accepted for His sake. ‘He ever lives to make intercession for you;’ and ‘Whatsoever you shall ask of the Father, in His name, He will give it to you.’ (Heb. 7.25; John 15.16) But are we not told that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us also? What then is the difference between His intercession and Christ’s? There is this difference—Jesus intercedes for us in Heaven; the Holy Spirit intercedes for us within our own hearts. Jesus pleads our cause in the courts above: the Spirit makes us feel our wants, and fills us with right desires, and thus puts forth His earnest pleadings within our souls. Perhaps you have found that it is a hard thing to pray aright. It is easy to talk about prayer—easy to urge it upon others—but most difficult to engage in it as I have recommended. I know of nothing which more painfully shows us our infirmity than this, or makes us feel more keenly that we want a helper. We need to be daily taught how to pray. And this is what the Holy Spirit does, by His heavenly influence in our souls. Hear what the apostle says, ‘In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.’ (Rom. 8:26) Entreat the Holy Spirit to do this for you. Beg of Him, again and again, to show you your wants, to give you grace to draw near to God in a right frame, and to enable you to seek only for right things. And here the question may be asked, ‘Is it right for a Christian to pray for temporal blessings?’ Surely it is. Our Lord, in the prayer which He has taught us, has shown us that this is lawful: for He would have us ask for ‘our daily bread.’ But when we ask for any temporal blessing, we should ask for it in submission to God’s will. Do we, for instance, pray for health? We should at the same time express our willingness to receive sickness, if God should see fit to send it. Or, if we ask that our worldly undertakings may prosper, we should put it in some such way as this—‘Give me. O lord, success, if it be for my good, and for Thy glory.’ Ask almost what you will, with this proviso, and you will not be likely to ask amiss. Another question too may possibly have perplexed you a little—‘Is it best to use extempore prayer, or a form?’ I have shown that for public prayer there is a great advantage in a form; for thus all are aware beforehand what petitions they are about to offer. But in private devotion it may well be left to the feeling and judgment of individual Christians. We should approach our heavenly Fathers in the simplest way, and in a childlike spirit. We should tell out all our wants to Him, and divulge the hidden secrets of our hearts. Now, many feel that this can best be done in their own words. For since no one can repent for another, or believe for another, or know his exact feelings, so no one can supply him with just the words that are suitable to his particular case. Each one has his own special business to transact with God, and no one else can do it for him. But others again have experienced so much difficulty in utterance, that they have found it more profitable to use the words of other men, which, in a general way at least, express their own wants and desire. In either case, we must try and specify every sin for which we need pardon—such as our unbelief and hardness of heart; our want of love to Christ and His people; our uncurbed passions; our unsubdued will; the lustfulness of our thoughts; our hastiness of spirit; the many sins of our tongue; the greediness of our appetite; the peevishness of our temper; our dullness and weariness in the things of God; our want of charity; our evil surmisings, and our evil reportings; and a hundred other sins which, alas! Beset us day by day. We should mention also each particular want that we desire to have relieved. And let me again remind you that that prayer is only acceptable to God, which comes direct from the heart, and is offered up in the name of Jesus Christ, the great Intercessor. Upon the whole, I feel disposed to recommend the following plan—Get a few Headings for Prayer, either written or printed, suitable for each day. And then clothe them in your own words, and enlarge upon them as you may require. I ought perhaps to say a word or two here about answers to our prayers. God’s people sometimes pray for spiritual blessings, and then they are disappointed if they are not bestowed. They are almost tempted to think that God has not heard them. But we should never forget, that prayer form the heart is always heard; and if the answer is delayed, there is some good reason for it. It is either to humble us more, or to make us value what we ask for, or to try our faith. Then too we should bear in mind that our prayers are often answered, but the answer is overlooked, because it does not come just as we would have it come. ‘An answer to prayer’ (says a quaint old writer) ‘does not always come in the way we expect it. We look for it at the fore door, and it comes in at the back door; and while we are still expecting the friend we look for, he is in the house.’ The mercy we desired is received; only it comes in a way we thought not of, and consequently we are apt to overlook it. Therefore, take heed of confining God to your way, or limiting Him to your time. His ways are not our ways. You ask, perhaps, for grace to become holy; and God sends you affliction. Here your petition is granted, but not in the way you looked for. You ask, again, for the removal of some trial; but, instead of taking it away, God deals with you as He did St. Paul; He gives you—what is equally good for you—grace to bear the trial. But I must not enlarge upon this.
There is one delightful exercise connected with prayer, which I cannot omit to notice; namely, THANKSGIVING. It may almost be called a part of prayer. This is the apostle’s direction, ‘In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.’ (Phil. 4.6) Praise is far the happiest and pleasantest part of our devotions. No one knew its sweetness better than David. It is remarkable that, out of the one hundred and fifty Psalms, no less that sixty-six are Psalms of praise. The five last begin and end with the words, ‘Praise the Lord.’ It is sad to think how much more ready we are to sue for blessings, than to express our thankfulness when the boon is granted. We receive the gift, but forget to thank the great and gracious Giver. In the time of trouble, for instance, we go and seek God with some degree of earnestness; but when His heavy hand is taken off us, and the light of His countenance shines once more upon us, then we forget to praise Him. Alas! May it not be said of us, as it was of Israel, ‘In their affliction they will seek Me early?’ (Hos. 5.15) And yet how much it becomes the children of God to be thankful. What! Shall He show us daily tokens of His love? Shall He strew our path with blessings? Shall He withhold no good thing from us, not even the gift of His Son? And have we no words of thankfulness to utter His praise? Like the nine Lepers, shall we receive benefits at the hands of Christ, and then return not to give glory to God? If your conscience tells you that you have been wanting in the work of praise, tune up your heart anew for this most sweet and pleasant duty. Try and thank God daily for some one thing at least. Get into the way of daily ‘counting up Your mercies.’ The very habit will conduce not a little to your happiness. You will be honoring God. And you will be entering upon that which will be your blessed occupation I Heaven.
Dear reader, I would earnestly counsel you to make a firm stand in the duty of secret prayer. Let nothing tempt you ever to neglect it. Never put it by for something else. Never hurry over it, and shorten it, as though you felt that any one thing could be more important than the season of communion with God. It is of all seasons the most precious. ‘From the few hours we spend in prayer’ (says Bishop Taylor), ‘the return is great and profitable; and what we sow in the minutes and spare portions of a few years, grows up to crowns and scepters in a happy and glorious eternity. May you ‘pray in the Spirit!’ May you feel prayer to be more and more delightful to you! May He, who has an ear to hear, ever give you a heart to pray! And may yours indeed be accepted prayer. **************************************************** The Pathway of Safety; or, Counsel to the Awakened, Ashton Oxenden **************************************************** PREVIOUS CHAPTER -- NEXT CHAPTER ©God’sGWG |