Prayer

Ministers, in order to be burning and shining lights, should walk closely with God, and keep near to Christ; that they may ever be enlightened and enkindled by Him. And they should be much in seeking God, and conversing with Him by prayer, who is the fountain of light and love.

We must deliberately seek to meet with God absolutely alone, and to secure such aloneness with God we are bidden to ‘enter into the closet.’ God absolutely insists on this ‘closet’ communion with Himself. One reason, no doubt, that He demands it is to test our sincerity. There is no test for the soul like solitude. Do you shrink from solitude? Perhaps the cause for your neglect of the ‘closet’ is a guilty conscience? You are afraid to enter into the solitude. You know that however cheerful you appear to be you are not really happy. You surround yourself with company lest, being alone, truth should invade your delusion.

The aim of Satanic power is to cut off communication with God. To accomplish this aim he deludes the soul with a sense of defeat, covers him with a thick cloud of darkness, depresses and oppresses the spirit, which in turn hinders prayer and leads to unbelief—thus destroying all power (instead of seeing Hebrews 11:1).

Praying without faith is like trying to cut with a blunt knife—much labor expended to little purpose. For the work accomplished by labor in prayer depends on our faith: “According to your faith,” not labor, “be it unto you.”

Come, my soul, thy suit prepare,
Jesus loves to answer prayer;
He Himself has bid thee pray,
Therefore will not say thee nay.
Thou art coming to a King,
Large petitions with thee bring;
For His grace and power are such
None can ever ask too much.

Ask God for anything, but let Him judge as to the manner, measure, and timing of the giving.

Satan, the Hinderer, may build a barrier about us, but he can never roof us in, so that we cannot look up.

George Muller was conscious of being too busy to pray as he ought. His outward action was too constant for inward reflection, and he saw that there was risk of losing peace and power and that activity even in the most sacred sphere must not be so absorbing as to prevent holy meditation on the Word and fervent supplication. The Lord said first to Elijah, “Go, hide thyself”; then, “Go, show thyself.” He who does not first hide himself in the secret place to be alone with God, is unfit to show himself in the public place to move among men.

You and I, in the last analysis, are what we are when we are alone. I confess that in a sense it is easier for me to preach from a pulpit than it is to sit alone in my study; it is probably easier for more people to enjoy the presence of our Lord in the company of other Christians than when alone. Paul would have us enjoy what he himself was enjoying. He had a love for the Lord that rendered him independent of all that was happening.

When a man is speaking to God, he is at his very acme. It is the highest activity of the human soul, and therefore it is at the same time the ultimate test of a man’s true spiritual condition. There is nothing that tells the truth about us as Christian people so much as our prayer life. Everything we do in the Christian life is easier than prayer.

Some women spend hours preparing physically for church. What would happen if we all spent the same amount of time preparing spiritually for church with prayer and meditation?

If I had spent more time alone with God rather than preaching and planning how I was going to change the world, I would be a very different man.