PREVAILING PRAYER:
_WHAT HINDERS IT_?
BY
D. L. MOODY.
CHICAGO:
F. H. REVELL, 148 AND 150 MADISON STREET.
_Publisher of Evangelical Literature._
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1884, by
FLEMING H. REVELL,
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
_ALL RIGHTS RESERVED._
Printed and bound by J. L. REGAN & CO., Chicago.
PREFATORY NOTE.
The two first and essential means of grace are the Word of God and
Prayer. By these comes conversion; for we are born again by the Word of
God, which liveth and abideth forever; and whosoever shall call upon
the name of the Lord shall be saved.
By these also we grow; for we are exhorted to desire the sincere milk
of the Word that we may grow thereby, and we cannot grow in grace and
in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ except we also speak to Him
in Prayer.
It is by the Word that the Father sanctifies us; but we are also bidden
to watch and pray, lest we enter into temptation.
These two means of grace must be used in their right proportion. If we
read the Word and do not pray, we may become puffed up with knowledge,
without the love that buildeth up. If we pray without reading the Word,
we shall be ignorant of the mind and will of God, and become mystical
and fanatical, and liable to be blown about by every wind of doctrine.
The following chapters relate especially to Prayer; but in order that
our prayers may be for such things as are according to the will of
God, they must be based upon the revelation of His own will to us; for
of Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things; and it is only by
hearing His Word, in which we learn His purposes toward us and towards
the world, that we can pray acceptably, praying in the Holy Ghost,
asking those things which are pleasing in His sight.
These Addresses are not to be regarded as exhaustive, but suggestive.
This great subject has been the theme of Prophets and Apostles, and of
all good men in all ages of the world; and my desire in sending forth
this little volume is to encourage God’s children to seek by prayer “to
move the Arm that moves the world.”
[Illustration: D. L. Moody. signature]
CONTENTS.
PAGE
CHAPTER I.
THE PRAYERS OF THE BIBLE 7
CHAPTER II.
ADORATION 19
CHAPTER III.
CONFESSION 25
CHAPTER IV.
RESTITUTION 41
CHAPTER V.
THANKSGIVING 51
CHAPTER VI.
FORGIVENESS 59
CHAPTER VII.
UNITY 71
CHAPTER VIII.
FAITH 79
CHAPTER IX.
PETITION 90
CHAPTER X.
SUBMISSION 102
CHAPTER XI.
ANSWERED PRAYERS 111
Prayer.
Prayer was appointed to convey
The blessings God designs to give;
Long as they live should Christians pray,
For only while they pray they live.
And shall we in dead silence lie,
When Christ stands waiting for our prayer?
My soul, thou hast a Friend on high;
Arise and try thy interest there.
If pain afflict, or wrongs oppress;
If cares distract, or fears dismay;
If guilt deject, if sin distress;
The remedy’s before thee--Pray!
Depend on Christ, thou canst not fail;
Make all thy wants and wishes known.
Fear not; His merits must prevail;
Ask what thou wilt; it shall be done!
--_Joseph Hart._
PREVAILING PRAYER.
CHAPTER I.
THE PRAYERS OF THE BIBLE.
Those who have left the deepest impression on this sin-cursed earth
have been men and women of prayer. You will find that PRAYER has been
the mighty power that has moved not only God, but man. Abraham was a
man of prayer, and angels came down from heaven to converse with him.
Jacob’s prayer was answered in the wonderful interview at Peniel, that
resulted in his having such a mighty blessing, and in softening the
heart of his brother Esau; the child Samuel was given in answer to
Hannah’s prayer; Elijah’s prayer closed up the heavens for three years
and six months, and he prayed again and the heavens gave rain.
The Apostle James tells us that the prophet Elijah was a man “subject
to like passions as we are.” I am thankful that those men and women who
were so mighty in prayer were just like ourselves. We are apt to think
that those prophets and mighty men and women of old time were different
from what we are. To be sure they lived in a much darker age, but they
were of like passions with ourselves.
We read that on another occasion Elijah brought down fire on Mount
Carmel. The prophets of Baal cried long and loud, but no answer came.
The God of Elijah heard and answered his prayer. Let us remember that
the God of Elijah still lives. The prophet was translated and went up
to heaven, but his God still lives, and we have the same access to Him
that Elijah had. We have the same warrant to go to God and ask the fire
from heaven to come down and consume our lusts and passions--to burn up
our dross, and let Christ shine through us.
Elisha prayed, and life came back to a dead child. Many of our children
are dead in trespasses and sins. Let us do as Elisha did; let us
entreat God to raise them up in answer to our prayers.
Manasseh, the king, was a wicked man, and had done everything he could
against the God of his father; yet in Babylon, when he cried to God,
his cry was heard, and he was taken out of prison and put on the throne
at Jerusalem. Surely if God gave heed to the prayer of wicked Manasseh,
He will hear ours in the time of our distress. Is not this a time of
distress with a great number of our fellow-men? Are there not many
among us whose hearts are burdened? As we go to the throne of grace,
let us remember that GOD ANSWERS PRAYER.
Look, again, at Samson. He prayed; and his strength came back,
so that he slew more at his death than during his life. He was a
restored backslider, and he had power with God. If those who have been
backsliders will but return to God, they will see how quickly God will
answer prayer.
Job prayed, and his captivity was turned. Light came in the place
of darkness, and God lifted him up above the height of his former
prosperity--in answer to prayer.
Daniel prayed to God, and Gabriel came to tell him that he was a man
greatly beloved of God. Three times that message came to him from
heaven in answer to prayer. The secrets of heaven were imparted to him,
and he was told that God’s Son was going to be cut off for the sins of
His people. We find also that Cornelius prayed; and Peter was sent to
tell him words whereby he and his should be saved. In answer to prayer
this great blessing came upon him and his household. Peter had gone up
to the house-top to pray in the afternoon, when he had that wonderful
vision of the sheet let down from heaven. It was when prayer was made
without ceasing unto God for Peter, that the angel was sent to deliver
him.
So all through the Scriptures you will find that when believing
prayer went up to God, the answer came down. I think it would be a
very interesting study to go right through the Bible and see what has
happened while God’s people have been on their knees calling upon him.
Certainly the study would greatly strengthen our faith--showing, as it
would, how wonderfully God has heard and delivered, when the cry has
gone up to Him for help.
Look at Paul and Silas in the prison at Philippi. As they prayed and
sang praises, the place was shaken, and the jailer was converted.
Probably that one conversion has done more than any other recorded
in the Bible to bring people into the Kingdom of God. How many have
been blessed in seeking to answer the question--“What must I do to
be saved?” It was the prayer of those two godly men that brought the
jailer to his knees, and that brought blessing to him and his family.
You remember how Stephen, as he prayed and looked up, saw the heavens
opened, and the Son of Man at the right hand of God; the light of
heaven fell on his face so that it shone. Remember, too, how the face
of Moses shone as he came down from the Mount; he had been in communion
with God. So when we get really into communion with God, He lifts up
His countenance upon us; and instead of our having gloomy looks, our
faces will shine, because God has heard and answered our prayers.
I want to call special attention to Christ as an example for us in all
things; in nothing more than in prayer. We read that Christ prayed
to His Father for everything. Every great crisis in His life was
preceded by prayer. Let me quote a few passages. I never noticed till
a few years ago that Christ was praying at His baptism. As He prayed,
the heaven was opened, and the Holy Ghost descended on Him. Another
great event in His life was His Transfiguration. “As He prayed, the
fashion of His countenance was altered, and His raiment was white and
glistering.”
We read again: “It came to pass in those days that He went out into a
mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.” This is
the only place where it is recorded that the Savior spent a whole night
in prayer. What was about to take place? When He came down from the
mountain He gathered His disciples around Him, and preached that great
discourse known as the Sermon on the Mount--the most wonderful sermon
that has ever been preached to mortal men. Probably no sermon has done
so much good, and it was preceded by a night of prayer. If our sermons
are going to reach the hearts and consciences of the people, we must be
much in prayer to God, that there may be power with the word.
In the Gospel of John we read that Jesus at the grave of Lazarus lifted
up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, I thank Thee that Thou hast
heard Me; and I know that Thou hearest Me always; but because of the
people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that Thou hast
sent Me.” Notice, that before He spoke the dead to life He spoke to
His Father. If our spiritually dead ones are to be raised, we must
first get power with God. The reason we so often fail in moving our
fellow-men is that we try to win them without first getting power with
God. Jesus was in communion with His Father, and so He could be assured
that His prayers were heard.
We read again, in the twelfth of John, that He prayed to the Father. I
think this is one of the saddest chapters in the whole Bible. He was
about to leave the Jewish nation and to make atonement for the sin of
the world. Hear what He says: “Now is My soul troubled, and what shall
I say? Father, save Me from this hour; but for this cause came I unto
this hour.” He was almost under the shadow of the Cross; the iniquities
of mankind were about to be laid upon Him; one of His twelve disciples
was going to deny Him and swear he never knew Him; another was to sell
Him for thirty pieces of silver; all were to forsake Him and flee. His
soul was exceeding sorrowful, and He prays; when His soul was troubled,
God spake to Him. Then in the Garden of Gethsemane, while He prayed,
an angel appeared to strengthen him. In answer to His cry, “Father,
glorify Thy Name,” He hears a voice coming down from the glory--“I have
both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”
Another memorable prayer of our Lord was in the Garden of Gethsemane:
“He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down and
prayed.” I would draw your attention to the recorded fact that four
times the answer came right down from heaven while the Savior prayed to
God. The first time was at His baptism, when the heavens were opened,
and the Spirit descended upon Him in answer to His prayer. Again, on
the Mount of Transfiguration, God appeared and spoke to Him. Then
when the Greeks came desiring to see Him, the voice of God was heard
responding to His call; and again, when He cried to the Father in the
midst of His agony, a direct response was given. These things are
recorded, I doubt not, that we may be encouraged to pray.
We read that His disciples came to Him, and said, “Lord, teach us to
pray.” It is not recorded that He taught them how to preach. I have
often said that I would rather know how to pray like Daniel than to
preach like Gabriel. If you get love into your soul, so that the
grace of God may come down in answer to prayer, there will be no
trouble about reaching the people. It is not by eloquent sermons that
perishing souls are going to be reached; we need the power of God in
order that the blessing may come down.
The prayer our Lord taught his disciples is commonly called the Lord’s
Prayer. I think that the Lord’s prayer, more properly, is that in the
seventeenth of John. That is the longest prayer on record that Jesus
made. You can read it slowly and carefully in about four or five
minutes. I think we may learn a lesson here. Our Master’s prayers were
short when offered in public; when He was alone with God that was a
different thing, and He could spend the whole night in communion with
His Father. My experience is that those who pray most in their closets
generally make short prayers in public. Long prayers are too often not
prayers at all, and they weary the people. How short the publican’s
prayer was: “God be merciful to me a sinner!” The Syrophenician woman’s
was shorter still: “Lord help me!” She went right to the mark, and she
got what she wanted. The prayer of the thief on the cross was a short
one: “Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy Kingdom!” Peter’s
prayer was, “Lord, save me, or I perish!” So, if you go through the
Scriptures, you will find that the prayers that brought immediate
answers were generally brief. Let our prayers be to the point, just
telling God what we want.
In the prayer of our Lord, in John xvii, we find that He made seven
requests--one for Himself, four for His disciples around Him, and two
for the disciples of succeeding ages. Six times in that one prayer
He repeats that God had sent Him. The world looked upon Him as an
imposter; and He wanted them to know that He was heaven-sent. He speaks
of the world nine times, and makes mention of His disciples and those
who believe on Him fifty times.
Christ’s last prayer on the Cross was a short one: “Father, forgive
them for they know not what they do.” I believe that prayer was
answered. We find that right there in front of the Cross, a Roman
centurion was converted. It was probably in answer to the Savior’s
prayer. The conversion of the thief, I believe, was in answer to that
prayer of our blessed Lord. Saul of Tarsus may have heard it, and the
words may have followed him as he traveled to Damascus; so that when
the Lord spoke to him on the way, he may have recognized the voice.
One thing we do know; that on the day of Pentecost some of the enemies
of the Lord were converted. Surely that was in answer to the prayer,
“Father, forgive them!”
Hence we see that prayer holds a high place among the exercises of a
spiritual life. All God’s people have been praying people. Look, for
instance, at Baxter! He stained his study walls with praying breath;
and after he was anointed with the unction of the Holy Ghost, sent
a river of living water over Kidderminster, and converted hundreds.
Luther and his companions were men of such mighty pleading with God,
that they broke the spell of ages, and laid nations subdued at the
foot of the Cross. John Knox grasped all Scotland in his strong arms
of faith; his prayers terrified tyrants. Whitefield, after much holy,
faithful closet-pleading, went to the Devil’s fair, and took more
than a thousand souls out of the paw of the lion in one day. See a
praying Wesley turn more than ten thousand souls to the Lord! Look at
the praying Finney, whose prayers, faith, sermons and writings, have
shaken this whole country, and sent a wave of blessing through the
churches on both sides of the sea.
Dr. Guthrie thus speaks of prayer and its necessity: “The first true
sign of spiritual life, prayer, is also the means of maintaining it.
Man can as well live physically without breathing, as spiritually
without praying. There is a class of animals--the cetaceous, neither
fish nor sea-fowl--that inhabit the deep. It is their home, they never
leave it for the shore; yet, though swimming beneath its waves, and
sounding its darkest depths, they have ever and anon to rise to the
surface that they may breathe the air. Without that, these monarchs of
the deep could not exist in the dense element in which they live, and
move, and have their being. And something like what is imposed on them
by a physical necessity, the Christian has to do by a spiritual one. It
is by ever and anon ascending up to God, by rising through prayer into
a loftier, purer region for supplies of Divine grace, that he maintains
his spiritual life. Prevent these animals from rising to the surface,
and they die for want of breath; prevent the Christian from rising to
God, and he dies for want of prayer. ‘Give me children,’ cried Rachel,
‘or else I die.’ ‘Let me breathe,’ says a man gasping, ‘or else I die.’
‘Let me pray,’ says the Christian, ‘or else I die.’”
“Since I began,” said Dr. Payson when a student, “to beg God’s blessing
on my studies, I have done more in one week than in the whole year
before.” Luther, when most pressed with work, said, “I have so much
to do that I cannot get on without three hours a day praying.” And
not only do theologians think and speak highly of prayer; men of all
ranks and positions in life have felt the same. General Havelock rose
at four o’clock, if the hour for marching was six, rather than lose
the precious privilege of communion with God before setting out. Sir
Matthew Hale says: “If I omit praying and reading God’s Word in the
morning, nothing goes well all day.”
“A great part of my time,” said McCheyne, “is spent in getting my heart
in tune for prayer. It is the link that connects earth with heaven.”
A comprehensive view of the subject will show that there are nine
elements which are essential to true prayer. The first is Adoration;
we cannot meet God on a level at the start. We must approach Him as
One far beyond our reach or sight. The next is Confession; sin must be
put out of the way. We cannot have any communion with God while there
is any transgression between us. If there stands some wrong you have
done a man, you cannot expect that man’s favor until you go to him and
confess the fault. Restitution is another; we have to make good the
wrong, wherever possible. Thanksgiving is the next; we must be thankful
for what God has done for us already. Then comes Forgiveness, and then
Unity; and then for prayer, such as these things produce, there must
be Faith. Thus influenced, we shall be ready to offer direct Petition.
We hear a good deal of praying that is just exhorting, and if you did
not see the man’s eyes closed, you would suppose he was preaching.
Then, much that is called prayer is simply finding fault. There needs
to be more _petition_ in our prayers. After all these, there must come
Submission. While praying, we must be ready to accept the will of God.
We shall consider these nine elements in detail, closing our inquiries
by giving incidents illustrative of the certainty of our receiving,
under such conditions, Answers to Prayer.
The Hour of Prayer.
“Lord, what a change within us one short hour
Spent in Thy presence will prevail to make!
What heavy burdens from our bosoms take;
What parched grounds refresh as with a shower.
“We kneel--and all around us seems to lower;
We rise--and all, the distant and the near,
Stands forth in sunny outline brave and clear;
We kneel: how weak!--we rise: how full of power!
“Why, therefore, should we do ourselves this wrong,
Or others--that we are not always strong?
That we are ever overborne with care;
That we should ever weak or heartless be,
Anxious or troubled, while with us is prayer,
And joy, and strength, and courage, are with Thee?”
_Trench._