SECRET PRAYER

“To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” By Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. One day, the disciples of Jesus asked him, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Luke 11:1. Notice the response of Jesus to his disciples, “And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

 

When we offer our prayers to God in faith, He stands ready to answer them. Yet, Christ did not give the Lord's Prayer for men to repeat as a form. He gave it as an illustration of what our prayers should be in order for Him to answer them. Our prayers should be simple, earnest, and comprehensive.

 

For years many have called this prayer, “The Lord’s Prayer,” but it should be called, “The Disciples' Prayer.” This model prayer covers every aspect of prayer. It can be divided into two parts. The first three components of the prayer deal with God’s glory: “Hallowed be Your name,” “Your Kingdom come,” and “Your will be done.” The second three components of the model prayer deal with our need. “Give us this day our daily bread,” “Forgive us our debts,” and “Lead us not into temptation.”

 

John 17 is commonly referred to as Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer, not because he mentions the words ‘High Priest’, but because Jesus uses intercessory language throughout his prayer which of course was the primary function of the High Priest. The job of the High Priest was to represent the people before God, while it was the job of a prophet to represent God to the people.

 

As you offer your family prayer and public prayer to God. Remember, these prayers have their place; but it is secret communion with God that sustains the soul. 

Today, many prayers are offered without faith. To follow the customs and traditions of the Church, many pastors read a set of written prayers. This form of words as their prayers is translated into the lives of the parishioners, who repeat the same prayer. But there is no real conversation with God as a friend. 

 

Form prayers are doubtful, and hesitating; they bring no relief to those who offer them, and no comfort or hope to others. This form of prayer is used, but the spirit is wanting, showing that the petitioner does not feel his need supplied. Neither does God hear these prayers.

 

On the other hand, “The idea that people can talk with God as a friend, instead of only praying to Him in a formal setting, may seem to some a little irreverent, or even impertinent. But in essence, is this not the way Jesus wants us to pray in the model prayer to God?

 

Instead of long drawn-out public prayers, let us learn to pray short and right to the point, asking for just what we need. But when you are in your closet, take all the time you need to pray to God. Learn to pray aloud where only God can hear you. Yet, in public or closet prayer, do not offer make-believe prayers, but earnest, feeling petitions, expressing the hunger of the soul for the Bread of Life. If we prayed more in secret, we would be able to pray more intelligently in public. 

 

By doing this, doubtful, hesitating prayers would cease. And when we engaged with our brethren in public worship, we could add to the interest of the meeting; for we should bring with us some of the atmosphere of heaven, and our worship would be a reality and not a mere form.

This leads to the importance of closet or secret prayer. If the soul is not drawn out in prayer in the closet… it will be manifest in the prayer meeting. The life of the soul depends upon habitual communion with God. Its wants are made known, and the heart is open to receive fresh blessings. 

 

By communing with God in private, we are able to have a spirit of gratitude that flows from our unfeigned lips openly. 

 

Secret prayer sustains the inner life and makes it ready for public service. If you say you love God and do not appreciate private prayer, then your religion is in vain. Because, the heart that loves God will desire to commune with Him, and will lean on Him in holy confidence.

 

As a child of God, it should be your duty to learn how to pray intelligently, expressing your requests with clearness and precision. “What a PRAYER was that which came forth from the lips of Daniel! What humbling of soul it reveals! The warmth of heavenly fire was recognized in the words that were going upward to God. Heaven responded to that PRAYER by sending its messenger to Daniel. In this our day, prayers offered in like manner will prevail with God. "The effectual fervent PRAYER of a righteous man availeth much" (James 5:16). As in ancient times, when PRAYER was offered, fire descended from heaven and consumed the sacrifice upon the altar, so in answer to our prayers, the heavenly fire will come into our souls. The light and power of the Holy Spirit will be ours. . .  That God who heard Daniel's PRAYER will hear ours when we come to Him in contrition.”

 

“PRAYER to the Great Physician for the healing of the soul brings the blessing of God. PRAYER unites us one to another and to God. PRAYER brings Jesus to our side, and gives new strength and fresh grace to the fainting, perplexed soul. By PRAYER the sick have been encouraged to believe that God will look with compassion upon them. A ray of light penetrates to the hopeless soul, and becomes a savor of life unto life. PRAYER has "subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire,"--we shall know what this means when we hear the reports of the martyrs who died for their faith,--"turned to flight the armies of the aliens."

“Again, worldly wisdom teaches that PRAYER is not essential. Men of science claim that there can be no real answer to PRAYER; that this would be a violation of law, a miracle, and that miracles have no existence. The universe, say they, is governed by fixed laws, and God himself does nothing contrary to these laws. Thus they represent God as bound by his own laws; as if the operation of divine laws could exclude divine freedom. Such teaching is opposed to the testimony of the Scriptures. Were not miracles wrought by Christ and his apostles? The same compassionate Saviour lives to-day, and he is as willing to listen to the PRAYER of faith as when he walked visibly among men. The natural co-operates with the supernatural. It is a part of God's plan to grant us, in answer to the PRAYER of faith, that which he would not bestow, did we not thus ask.”

 

Today, “Satan is ever ready to insinuate that prayer is a mere form and avails us nothing. He cannot bear to have his powerful rival appealed to. At the sound of fervent prayer, the hosts of darkness tremble. Fearing that their captives may escape, they form a wall around them, that Heaven's light may not reach their souls. But if in their distress and helplessness they look to Jesus, pleading the merits of His blood, their compassionate Redeemer listens to the earnest, persevering prayer of faith and sends to their deliverance a reinforcement of angels that excel in strength. And when these angels, all-powerful, clothed with the armory of heaven, come to the help of the fainting, pursued souls, the angels of darkness fall back, well knowing that their battle is lost, and that more souls are escaping from the power of their influence...

If you expect salvation for yourself, your family, neighbors, and colleagues, you must pray. Take time. Be not hurried and careless in your prayers. Intercede with God in your closet to work in you a thorough reformation, that the fruits of the Spirit may dwell in you, and that, by your godly life, you may shine as a light in the world...

Take time to pray. And as you pray, believe that God hears you; have faith mixed with your prayers. Let faith take hold of the blessing, and it is yours...

Every petition that is offered to God in faith and with a true heart, will be answered. Such prayer is never lost; but to claim that it will always be answered in the very way and for the particular thing that we desire is presumption. God is too wise to err and too good to withhold any good thing from them that walk uprightly.” Psalms 84:11.

In these days of peril, we need men who will wrestle with God as did Jacob and prevail. May God grant you the spirit of wrestling with Him like Jacob did and prevailed. Genesis 32:24-31. 

As you go through your day today, remember, "When we cannot pray as we would, it is good to pray as we can."

You can send this devotional out to all your contacts. Have a great day. Blessings, Blessings, Blessings 

 

By GARDEN MINISTRY