[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

see how clearly the Lord sets this before us in verse 23: 'Whosoever shall not doubt in
his heart, but shall believe that what he saith cometh to pass, he shall have it.' This is the
blessing of the prayer of faith of which Jesus speaks.
'Believe that ye have received.' This is the word of central importance, of which
the meaning is too often misunderstood. Believe that you have received! now, while
praying, the thing you ask for. It may only be later that you shall have it in personal
experience, that you shall see what you believe; but now, without seeing, you are to
44
believe that it has been given you of the Father in heaven. The receiving or accepting of
an answer to prayer is just like the receiving or accepting of Jesus or of pardon, a
spiritual thing, an act of faith apart from all feeling. When I come as a supplicant for
pardon, I believe that Jesus in heaven is for me, and so I receive or take Him. When I
come as a supplicant for any special gift, which is according to God's word, I believe
that what I ask is given me: I believe that I have it, I hold it in faith; I thank God that it
is mine. 'If we know that He heareth us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the
petitions which we have asked of Him.'
'And ye shall have them.' That is, the gift which we first hold in faith as bestowed
upon us in heaven will also become ours in personal experience. But will it be needful
to pray longer if once we know we have been heard and have received what we asked?
There are cases in which such prayer will not be needful, in which the blessing is ready
to break through at once, if we but hold fast our confidence, and prove our faith by
praising for what we have received, in the face of our not yet having it in experience.
There are other cases in which the faith that has received needs to be still further tried
and strengthened in persevering prayer. God only knows when everything in and
around us is fully ripe for the manifestation of the blessing that has been given to faith.
Elijah knew for certain that rain would come; God had promised it; and yet he had to
pray the seven times. And that prayer was no show or play; an intense spiritual reality
in the heart of him who lay pleading there, and in the heaven above where it had its
effectual work to do. It is 'through faith and patience we inherit the promises.' Faith
says most confidently, I have received it. Patience perseveres in prayer until the gift
bestowed in heaven is seen on earth. 'Believe that ye have received, and ye shall have.'
Between the have received in heaven, and the shall have of earth, believe: believing praise
and prayer is the link.
And now, remember one thing more: It is Jesus who said this. As we see
heaven thus opened to us, and the Father on the Throne offering to give us whatsoever
we ask in faith, our hearts feel full of shame that we have so little availed ourselves of
our privilege, and full of fear lest our feeble faith still fail to grasp what is so clearly
placed within our reach. There is one thing must make us strong and full of hope: it is
Jesus who has brought us this message from the Father. He Himself, when He was on
earth, lived the life of faith and prayer. It was when the disciples expressed their
surprise at what He had done to the fig-tree, that He told them that the very same life
He led could be theirs; that they could not only command the fig-tree, but the very
mountain, and it must obey. And He is our life: all He was on earth He is in us now;
all He teaches He really gives. He is Himself the Author and the Perfecter of our faith:
He gives the spirit of faith; let us not be afraid that such faith is not meant for us. It is
meant for every child of the Father; it is within reach of each one who will but be
childlike, yielding himself to the Father's Will and Love, trusting the Father's Word and
Power. Dear fellow-Christian! let the thought that this word comes through Jesus, the
Son, our Brother, give us courage, and let our answer be: Yea, Blessed Lord, we do
believe Thy Word, we do believe that we receive.
'LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY.'
45
-----0-----
Blessed Lord! Thou didst come from the Father to show us all His love, and all
the treasures of blessing that love is waiting to bestow. Lord! Thou hast this day again
flung the gates so wide open, and given us such promises as to our liberty in prayer,
that we must blush that our poor hearts have so little taken it in. It has been too large
for us to believe.
Lord! we now look up to Thee to teach us to take and keep and use this precious
word of Thine: 'All things whatsoever ye ask, believe that ye have received.' Blessed
Jesus! it is Thy self in whom our faith must be rooted if it is to grow strong. Thy work
has freed us wholly from the power of sin, and opened the way to the Father; Thy Love
is ever longing to bring us into the full fellowship of Thy glory and power; Thy Spirit is
ever drawing us upward into a life of perfect faith and confidence; we are assured that
in Thy teaching we shall learn to pray the prayer of faith. Thou wilt train us to pray so
that we believe that we receive, to believe that we really have what we ask. Lord! teach
me so to know and trust and love Thee, so to live and abide in Thee, that all my prayers
rise up and come before God in Thee, and that my soul may have in Thee the assurance
that I am heard. Amen.
46
TWELFTH LESSON.
'Have faith in God;'
Or, The Secret of believing Prayer.
'Jesus, answering, said unto them, Have faith in God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall
not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that what He saith cometh to pass; he shall have it. Therefore I
say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye have received them, and ye
shall have them.'--MARK xi. 22-24.
HE promise of answer to prayer which formed our yesterday's lesson is one of the
Tmost wonderful in all Scripture. In how many hearts it has raised the question:
How ever can I attain the faith that knows that it receives all it asks? [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]