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Subconscious
Religion
Does God Answer Christians Only?
Conflicting Prayers
Subconscious Religion
Praying for Visions of Heaven
Great Prayers
Use of the Bible in Prayer
Conclusions
_By_
RUSSELL H. CONWELL
VOLUME 10
NATIONAL
EXTENSION UNIVERSITY
597 Fifth Avenue, New York
EFFECTIVE PRAYER
Copyright, 1921, by Harper & Brothers
Printed in the United States of America
Chapter I
Does God Answer Christians Only?
What might be the consensus of opinion found in a digest of all the
testimonies of mankind cannot be surmised, but it did not appear that
God was "a respecter of persons" through those years of prayer at the
Baptist Temple. The prevailing belief, however, was that God was more
willing to answer the sincere disciple than he was to heed the requests
of a great sinner. But the fact was also evident that God does answer
the just and the unjust. The assertion of the blind man before the
Pharisees that "God heareth not sinners" was evidently a quotation from
the Pharisees' creed and not a gospel precept. As all have sinned and
come short of the glory of God, no one would be heard if God would not
hear sinners. Jesus was more inclined to heed the requests of John and
Peter than he was to listen to the requests of the sacrilegious
Sadducee. But a repentant Sadducee would not be neglected, and the fact
is apparent that there is a clear distinction between the influence with
God of a righteous man and the influence of a wicked or a frightened
sinner.
Here are a few of the testimonies which have a bearing on this important
subject. One hardened sinner was so convicted of his completely lost
condition that he spent the night in agony, calling on God for
forgiveness. He was determined to fight the battle alone, but his
strength failed and he was certain that he was condemned irrevocably to
eternal punishment. His prayer availed him nothing. When, at last, he
opened his heart to a faithful Christian friend, that friend's prayer
was heard instantaneously, and the seeker knew by an instinct axiomatic
that he was received by the Lord.
There is a general belief that God does hear the pure Christian more
readily than he does the vile reprobate. That belief is founded in the
moral laws universally recognized in human relations. There may also be
a semiscientific reason. The soul which is in tune with the Infinite can
more effectively detect and understand the "sound waves" from the spirit
world than the soul which is out of tune with God. In the mass of the
correspondence about which this book is written there are strong
testimonies to the necessity and attainableness of a practical harmony
with the Spirit of God. One man who has been long a teacher of
psychology wrote that he had made a deliberate test of the matter, and a
condensed report of his experience is here given. He sought "to place
his soul in communion with God." He desired that state of spiritual
harmony with the divine character which would make him sensitive to
every spiritually divine impression. Hence, he prepared himself in this
way: he locked himself in his room and gave himself up to the serious
business of getting into communication with God. He began to count his
sins of commission and earnestly asking forgiveness; he promised the
Lord that he would guard himself against them evermore. He then tried to
comprehend the awful list of sins of omission which for a while made him
hopeless of God's favor. But in deep and prayerful meditation, thinking
long on the great mercy of God and of the propitiation Christ had given,
he felt his soul slowly emerge from the slough of despond. Suddenly a
strange confidence took possession of his soul and a feeling of glad
triumph overcame all doubt of his forgiveness. The assurance that he was
getting into harmony with the Spirit of God became complete. He threw
himself across his bed and "let go of himself," making an absolute
surrender to the spiritual impressions.
Into such a state the apostles and prophets must have entered to feel
the spiritual impulses and see the visions which they recorded. It as an
exaltation of the whole being--a temporarily superhuman experience
which may be the state of the soul when released from the body. The joy
of that hour of oneness with God cannot be described to one who has not
known it. It is higher, purer, more real than other feelings. It is so
unlike any other experience on earth. "The soul is lost in God." The
worshiper is outside and above himself. Life gleams as a cloud glows in
some heavenly morning. Disease, pain, human limitations, care, or
anxiety is nonexistent. A pure peace which passeth all understanding
permeates the whole being. Underneath are the everlasting arms; over him
is the spirit face of Christ. But why should he try to convey an idea of
that growing answer to his prayer? He knows he is with his Lord. But the
less he tries to tell his experience the more confidence his unbelieving
friends will have in his sanity. That such harmony with the divine is
subject to certain laws is seen in the fact that such elevation of soul
is gained only by a full compliance with certain conditions. Some of
these conditions are found by experience to be those which are laid down
in the Scriptures. The seeker must force out of his heart all malice,
jealousy, hate, selfishness, covetousness, unbelief, and give himself up
to the opposite feelings. We must go over wholly to pure intentions,
holy aspirations, truth-living, kindness, forgiveness, love for all,
inflexible adherence to the right, and all in all harmonizing with the
divine disposition. Pure holiness must be sought, without which no man
can please God. All those who give themselves over to such a state of
surrender to God have the full assurance of faith which is promised to
those who love God with all their hearts and with all their minds.
Such servants of God can offer prayer which avail much more than the
frightened call of the worldly minded, egotistic, and selfish enemy of
good people and good principles. God loves all men with an everlasting
affection. But the kind of intensity of his affection for the saint and
the transgressor is quite different. Christ loved the priest and the
Levite in a true sense, but he loved the Good Samaritan more. He can
love and care for his own without encouraging evil. He could not be just
and show no partiality for those who obey him fully. He never fails to
hear the cry of any contrite heart, but even among the disciples John
was especially beloved.