8/20/2019 The Fundamentals: Volume 9, Chapter 6: Divine Efficacy of Prayer
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-fundamentals-volume-9-chapter-6-divine-efficacy-of-prayer 1/18
•
•
•
•
•
CHAPTE .R VI
DIVINE EFFICACY OF PRAYER
•
BY ARTHUR E. PIERSON
All the greatest ne ,eds, h
1
ot.t~1
of the Churc ·h. and of tl1e
world,
n1ay
be included in one: the need of a higher stand ard
of godliness;
and the
all -embrac ing secret
of
a truly godly
life is close and constant contact with the un s
1
een Go,d; th~t
contact is. learned and
practised, as
nowh ,ere els·e,
i·n tJ1e
s.ecret
lJlace of sttpplication and inte rcession.
Our Lord's first lesson in
the
school of prayer
was,
and
still is: ''ENTE R INTO THY CLOSET'' (Matt. 6:6). The
''c·lose.t''
is
the closed place,
·where , w·e
a1e
shut
in
a1one with
God, where the human sp irit waits t1pon an unseen Presence,
learns to recognize Him who is .a Spirit, and cu tivates His
acquaintance, fellowship, and f riendsl1ip. .
Eve rything else,
there£ ore, depends
upon
prayer. To the
praying soul the ,re bec
1
omes possible th . · faith which is the
grasp of the human spi1.
t
upon the rea ities and
verities
of
the unseen world .. To the praying
soul
there
becomes
possible
and natural the obedience which is the daily walk of the
disciple with
the
unseen God.
To
the praying soul there
becomes possible the patience, which is the hab it of waiting
for re:sults yet unse
1
en and ho ·pes ye,t unrealize
1
d.. To the
praying
sou ·1 there
becomes
possi 'ble ,
the
Jove
that,
Jike a
celestial
flood,
drowns out evil
tempers
and hate£
ul
disposi~
tions, and introduces us to a new world of gentle
and
gen
erous frames.
To
the p
1
rayi .ng soul
there
becom
1
es
po,tsible
an ,d
increasingly real the holiness which is personal conformity to
an an .seen Divine
im,age and ideal , and
the ·
in.nermost
secre :
of a heavenly bliss.
Those
who y·earn
fo .r
revivals
natura :ly
lay
much
stress
8/20/2019 The Fundamentals: Volume 9, Chapter 6: Divine Efficacy of Prayer
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-fundamentals-volume-9-chapter-6-divine-efficacy-of-prayer 2/18
Divine Efficacy of P ·~ayer
67
on preaching. But what is preaching without praying Ser
mons are but pulpit performances, learned essays, rhetorical
orations, popular lectures, or it may be political harangue s,
until God gives, in answer to earnest prayer, the preparation
of the heart, and the answer of the tongue. It is only he
who prays that . can truly preach. Many a sern1on that has
shown no intellectual genius and has violated all homiletic
rules and standards has had dynamic spiritual force. Some- '
how
it
has moved men, n1elted them, moulded them. The
tnan whose lips are tou ched by God's living coal fro1n off the
altar n1ay even stam1ner, but his hearers soon find out tfiat
he is on fire with one consu1ning passion to save souls.
;We need saints
in
the pew as well as in the pulpit and
saint ship everywhere is fed and nourished on prayer. The
n1an of business who pray s, lea rns to abide in his calling with
God; hi$ secular affairs and tran sactions become sacred by
being brought into the searchlight of God's prese nce. His
own business becomes his Father's business. He does not
tran1ple on God's com1nands in order to make money, nor
does he drive his trade and traffic throu gh the sacred limits
of the Lord's day, or defr aud his custom .ers, "breaking God's
law
for
a
dividend."
Praying souls becom e preva.iling saints. Tho se who get
farthest on in the school of pray er and learn most of its hid
den secrets often develop sort of prescience which comes
nearest to the prophetic spirit, the Holy Spirit showing
then1
'' thing s to come." They seen1, like Savonarola, to know sotne ..
thing of the purpose of God, to anticipate His plans , and to
forecast the history of their own titnes. The great suppl i
cato.rs have been also the seers.
There is no higher virtue in a church than that
it
sho uld
be a praying chur ch, for it is prayer that makes eternal reali-
ties both prominent and dominant . A church and a pastor
m y have any one of the current, popular types of "religious"
8/20/2019 The Fundamentals: Volume 9, Chapter 6: Divine Efficacy of Prayer
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-fundamentals-volume-9-chapter-6-divine-efficacy-of-prayer 3/18
•
•
•
68
The Fundamentals
life, and
sottls may n,ot be s:aved;
bu·t, as the lat
1
e
Dr ,.
Ski~ner,
of New York, used t
1
say: ''If th·e peculiar
type
of
piety
is that
which
is
inspired
by
a
sense of the po,wers of the
world
to come, sinners
will
be
saved
and saints
edified. E'Ven
he
,vorld
that
now is
will feel the
power of
such piety.
Praying
fe ,eds missio1is at hom1
nd
.abro,ad .. It
promotes
giving.
'Parsimon ,y i.s
stifled in the
atm .osphere
of
God's
pres
ence. Gifts are multiplied
and
magnifi ,ed
when
the
giver is
consecrated. When
disciples begin
to
pray for souls they
begin to
yearn over them and
to
be
willing
to make sacrifices
·for t.h·e·ir s.alvation. Tl,.e key
tl1at
1
Can
t1nlock the ·
treasury
of
God,s pro ·mi ses l1as marve ·tous power
1lso to unlock
·the tr ·eas
ures
1
f
hoarded wea ltl1, and makes even the ,abundance of deep
poverty to
abou nd
into tl1e
riches
of
liberality till the
wid -ow's
mites dro ·p into the
Lo1·d's
hands
even
mor
1
e frequently
than
•
th ,e m'illion s of 1nercl1.ant prin
1
ces.. No
man
can br ,eathe freely
in the atmo ,sphe,re of p1·ayer whil ·e he stifles benevol ,ent im-
pulses.
The
giving
of
money
prepares
for the
giving
of self,
and thus prayer malces tnissionary workers as w,ell
as
mis
sio·n.ary givers and suppor ·ters .
F
1
ew,, even amo1·gst ·t.he m
1
ost d
1
evo11t, h.ave ever fully felt
'h.ow
f.ar workers
in
''th ,e
mi11e
of
l1eathendom''
depend
on
those
who ''hold the
ropes. James Gilmour,
who,se
rare
and
radiant spirit so
impressed
the rude
Mongolians,
said that,
u11prayed for, he wottld
feel
Iil<e a
diver in the river bottom
with
no air to
breathe, or like a fire·mar1 on a
blaz.i11gbuilding
with no water in his empty l1ose ·
Prayer is
1iot to b·e
thoitgli t
tJie
less
of beca.itSe we are SO
often dr·ive1i to the throne of gra ce as a last resort. It i
part of the philosophy of prayer
that it
shall
reveal
its
full
efficacy only when and where alt
beside
fails us.
He re,
as in
all
1
lse,
it
is
only
at the: end of self ' w'·th a.ll itsl inv·entions,
that
we fi11d he beginning of
1
God witl1 all
His interpositions.
A prayi1ig heart is tlte one thing
tliat
tlie devil
cantiot
•
•
8/20/2019 The Fundamentals: Volume 9, Chapter 6: Divine Efficacy of Prayer
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-fundamentals-volume-9-chapter-6-divine-efficacy-of-prayer 4/18
Divine Efficacy of Prayer
69
easily cou-11.terfeit.
t is easy enough to imitate praying lips ,
so that hypocrites and Pharisees feign devoutness. But only
God can open in the heart s depths those springs of suppli
cation that often find no channel in language, but flow out in
groanings which cannot
be
uttered.
It is not worth while to waste much time in defending or
advocating prayer. Experi1nent makes argument needle ss.
This is not so n1uch a science to be mastered y
study as an
art to be learned by practice. Like the Bible, prayer is self
evidencing. It is a mysterious union of Divine and human
elements not easy of explanation; but to him who pray s and
puts God to the test along the lines of His own precepts and
p romises, God proves how real a force prayer is
in
His moral
universe.
Th~ best
way to prop up prayer is to practice it.
The pivot of piety, therefore is prayer. A pivot is of
double use,
it
acts as a
fastener
and
as
a center; it holds
other parts in place, and it is the axis of revolution. Ptayer
likewise, keep s one steadfas t in faith and helps to all holy
activity. Hence, as surely as God is lifting His people to a
higher level of spirituality, and 1noving them to a more un
selfish and self-denyi ng service , there will be new emphasis
laid by them upon supplication, and especially upon interces
s10n.
The revival of the pray ing-spirit is not only first in order
of development, but it is first in order of importance, for
without it there is no advance. Generally, if not unifonnly,
prayer is both starting-point and goal to every movement in
which are the ,elements of permanent progress. Whenever
the
Church s sluggishnes s
is
aroused and the world s wicked
ness arrested, somebody ha s been praying. If the secret his
tory of all true spir itual advance could be written and read ,
there would
be
found some intercessors who, like Jo b, Samuel ,
Daniel, Elijah, Paul and James; like Jonathan Edwards, Wil
liam Carey, George Miiller, and Hudson Taylor,
have
been
8/20/2019 The Fundamentals: Volume 9, Chapter 6: Divine Efficacy of Prayer
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-fundamentals-volume-9-chapter-6-divine-efficacy-of-prayer 5/18
•
70
The Fund amentals
led to shut tl1en1selves in the secret pl.ace with God, and have
labore ,d fervently i.n
p:raye1·,.
And
as
t.he s,ta.rtin .g-p,oint i.s thu s
found in supplication and intercession, so the final outcome
must be that God's people shall have learned to pray;
Other
" 'ise there will be rapid reaction and disa st rous relapse fro1n
tl1e bett ,er co·nditi
1
0llS S,ect11·ed ..
PRAYER PUTS MEN IN 1'0UCI-I
WITH
GOD
•
Tl1ere is
a
Divine
philosopl1y
behind thi .s fact. The great
est need is to keep in close touch with
God;·
·the g1·eate.st risk
is ·the loss ,of the s,e11se of tl1e Divine. In a world wl1e1·e
every appeal is to the phys ical senses and through them, real ..
ity is in dire ct proportion to the power and freedom of con
tact. What we see, heat.. ta ste, touch or smell what is ma
terial and
sens,ible
\iV
1
e can
ll
1
0t
doubt. The
pre s,en t
and
ma-
te1·ial ab.so
1
rb
1
s attention a11d ,appears real, solid,, s,ubstantia];
but the f utu1·e, the i1nmate1 .al, the invisible, the spiritual, seem
vague, distant,
illusi v·e,
imaginary.
Practically
tl1e unseen l1as
littl ,e or ' 110, reality an ,d influence with the vast majority of
1nanki ·nd. Even
th.e
t1nseen
G·od
Him.self'
is
to
1
most me n les,s
a verity than tl1e comn1onest object of vi sion; to many He,
~the
highe st verity, is
really
vanity, while the world's vanities
are practically the higl1est veritie s.
God's gr
1
eat C
1
orrective for this mo
1
St disastrous inver sion
and perversion of the true relation of things is prayer. ''Enter
int ,o thy
1
clos ,et.'' T'here .all is silence, secrecy, solitude , se
clusion. Within that l1o y of holies the disciple is left alon
1
e -
all others shut out, that
tl1e
suppliant 1nay be sl1ut in ivith
God. The silence is in 01~der o the hearing of
t'he
still, s1nall
voice that is d1·ow11ed n. wor]dl ,y clamo
1
r., and w·hich
ever1
a
httman voice may cause ·to be unl1e.ard or indistinct. The
secrecy is in order to a meeting with Him who seeth in secret
and is b.est seen in secret. The solitttde is for the
purp ,ose
of ,
being alone with One
who can
fully
impress
with His
pres-
•
•
8/20/2019 The Fundamentals: Volume 9, Chapter 6: Divine Efficacy of Prayer
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-fundamentals-volume-9-chapter-6-divine-efficacy-of-prayer 6/18
-
l
•
Divine Efficacy o,f
P1.,ayer
71
e11.e only
when there
is no
ot11er
p·resence to ,d,ive1·t tho ·ught ,
f he
place of seclusion
with
God
is the
one
school
where we
lear n
that
He is, and is tl1.e rewarder of tl1ose that diligently .
seek Him . The clos et is ''not only the oratory, it is the ob-
se,,.vato1,y, not for
pr ,ay
1
er
only,
but for prospect the wide-
1·eachi·ng,
clea.r-seeing, out]ool< upon ·tl~e ete ·111al Tl1e de,cline
•
of prayer is therefore the decay of piety; and, for prayer
to cease altogether, would be sp·ir itual d
1
eath,
for it
is to
every child of God the
breatl1
of li fe.
We cannot
too
stro ·ng1y
emphasize thi s
fact,
that
to keep in
close,
toi,cl~
with God in
tlie sec·ret
c,hambe·r
o,f Hi s presence
is the g1 eat f ·undamental unde ·rlying piwpose of prayer.. To·
speak
with
God is
a priceless privileg
1
e; but
what
sha .11
be
said of having and hearing ~Iim
speak
with us We can
tel .l Him
nothing
He
does
not know;
but
He
can tel1
us
what
we do not know, no imagination ·ha s ev,e·r, conceive :d, no re
se,arch ever unveiled. ,.fhe highe st of all possib le attainn1ent s
is tl1e knowledge of God, and this is the practica l
mode of
His
revelat ,ion
o,f· Himself.
Ev
1
en His l1oly Word
needs
to
be
read in the light o.f His own presence
if
it is to
be under
sto11., The praying soul hears God 1peak.. ''And
wh.en
Moses
was gone
into
the
tab ,ernacle
of the congregation to speak
with Him, then he heard tlze
voice
of On,e spieaking unto him
f
1·omoff the mer ,cy se,at tl1at was upon
the
ark of
t
1
estim ,ony -
from between the two cherubim, and He spake unto him''
(Num . .
7
:89).
Whe re there is this close touch with God, and this clear
insight into His name which is His nature, and into His
Wo1·d
whi ,ch is His
wil.1
made
kn,own,
there will be,
a
new po
1
wer: t
1
0 ,
walk with Him in holiness, and work with Him in serv icelf
''He mad
1
e known His , ways · unto
Mos,es,
His ,acts unto the .
c·hi'ld,ren of Israel.' ' Th ,e mass
1
of th
1
e
peo'p
1
le·
stood afar
0
1
ff
and saw
His deeds,
su~h as the overthrowing of
Pharaoh's
hoslts in
the , 'R
1
ed
Sea ;
but Moses
dr1w
near
int
1
0
1
the
thi,ck
•
•
8/20/2019 The Fundamentals: Volume 9, Chapter 6: Divine Efficacy of Prayer
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-fundamentals-volume-9-chapter-6-divine-efficacy-of-prayer 7/18
•
•
72
•
darkness wh
1
er,e God was, and in that thick
darkne :ss
he found
a light such
as never
shone elsewhere_. and in
that light
he reacl
God's
secret pla11s
and
purposes and interpreted
His wondrous
ways
of working. , ·
All practical
power
over sin
and over
men
depends
on
maintaining
this
secret communion
Elijah was
bidden,
first,
''go, hide thyself, , and th ,en,. ''go shew
thyself.''
Those who
abide in
the
secret place with God come
forth
to show them-
selves
mighty
to conquer evil, and
strong to work
and
to
war for God. They are
permitted
to read the secrets of
His
covenant;
they know
His
will ; they
are
the meek
whom
He guides
in
judgment and teache s
His way. Tl1ey are
His
prophets, who speak
for
Him
to others ; because they watch
the signs of the
times, discern H is tokens, and
read
His
sig-
nals W ,e some ·times count as mystics
tl10
se
who, li'ke
Savon -
arola and Catherine
of Siena,
claim to have communications
from God; . to have revelations of a definite plan of God for
His
Churcf1,
or
for
themselves as individuals, like the '
re-
f1ormer of E ,rfurt,
the
founder of the Bristol Orphanages,
or
the leader of the
China Inland Mission.
But may
it
not be
that if we
stum 'ble at these
expe·1·iencesit is because
we
do not .
have
them
our ,selve s ?
Have
not
m,any
0
1
£
the$e
m·en
and
women
afterward
proved b
1
y
their
lives .
that they
vvere
not
mistaken, and
·that
God l1as led them
by a
:way· that no ot ~1er
e ye cou ld trac ,e ?
P'RAYER. IMP .ARTS GOD'S POWER
•
In favor
,o,f
1
close
contact
witl1
the l.iving
Go,d· in
pr.aye,r,
there is another reason that rises perhaps to a still higher
level.
Prayer
not only puts us in touch with God, and gives
knowledge
of Him and His
ways,
but
it
imparts to ,
us
His
power. It is the touch
which
bring s virtue out of Him. It
is
the hand upon
the
pole of
a celestial battery, which
charges
us with: His secret life, energy, efficiency,.,
Things
whicl1
•
8/20/2019 The Fundamentals: Volume 9, Chapter 6: Divine Efficacy of Prayer
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-fundamentals-volume-9-chapter-6-divine-efficacy-of-prayer 8/18
Divine Efficacy of Prayer 73
are impossible with man are possible with God, and with a
man in whom God is. Prayer is the secret of imparted power
from God, and nothing else can take its place. Absolute
weakness foHows the neglect of secre t communion with God
and the weakness is the more deplorable, because
it
is of ten
unconscious an_d unsuspected, especially when one has never
yet known what true power is.
We
see men of prayer quietly achieving
resul ts of
the
most surprising char acter. They have the calm
of
God, no
hurry,
or
worry, or flurry; no anxiety, or care, no exciteme nt
or hustle or bustle--they do great things for God, and, like
John the Baptist, are great in I-Iis eyes, yet they are little in
their own eyes; they carry great loads, and yet
ar e
not weary
nor faint; they face great crises, and yet are not troubled.
And those who know not what treasures
of
wisdom
nd
strength and courage and power are hidden in God's pa
vilion wonder how it is. They try to account for all this by
something in the 1nan-his talent, or tact, original methods, or
favoring circumstances. Perhaps they try to imitate such
career by securing the patronage of the rich and mighty, or
by dependence on organization, or fleshly energy---or what
n1en call determination to succeed -they bustle about, labor
incessantly, appeal for money and co-operation, and work out
an apparent success, but there is none of that power of God
in
it which cannot be imitated. They con1pass thems .elves
about with sparks, but there is no fire of God; they build up
a great structure, but
it
is wood, hay, stubble; they n1ake a
great noiset but God is not in the clamor.
Nothing is at once so undisputable and so over-awing as
the way in which a few men of God have lived in Him and
He in them. The fact is, that in the disciple's life the fun
damental law is, Not I, but Christ in me. In a grand ly
true sense there is but one
Worker
one Agent, and He Di
vine; and all other so-called workers are instru1nents, and
8/20/2019 The Fundamentals: Volume 9, Chapter 6: Divine Efficacy of Prayer
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-fundamentals-volume-9-chapter-6-divine-efficacy-of-prayer 9/18
74
The Fundamentals
instruments only, in His hands. The first quality of a true
·ustrument is passivity. An active instrument ·would defeat
.its own purpose; all its activity must be dependent upon the
111anwho uses it. Sometimes a machine becomes unco ntroll
able, and then it not only becomes useless, but it
becomes
dangerous, and works damage and disaster. What would a
man do with a plane, a knife, an axe, a saw, a bow, that had
any will of its own and moved of itself? Does it mean noth
ing when, in the Word of God, we meet so frequently the
symbols of passive service-the rod, the staff, the saw, the
hamn1er, the sword, the spear, the threshing instrument, the
flail; and, in the New Testament, the vessel? Does it mean
that in proportion as a· man is lJ.JilfulGod can not use him;
that the first condition of service is that the human will is to
be lost in
God s so
that it presents
no
resistance
to His,
no
persi,stence
beyond or apart from I-Iis, and even ventures to
offer no
assistance
to His? George Miiller well taught that
we are to wait to know whether a certain work is God s; then
whether
it
is ours, as being com1nitted to us; but, even
then,
we need to wait for God s way and God s tinie to do His own
work, otherwise we rush precipitately into that which He
means us to do, but only at His signal; or else, perhaps, we
go on doing when He calls a halt. Many a true servant
of God has, like Moses, begun before his Master was ready,
or kept o working when his Master s time was past.
INTERCESSION
There is one aspect of prayer to which particular atten
tion needs to be called, because
it
is strongly emphasized in
the Word, and because it is least used in our daily life, namely,
intercessi.on.
This word, with what underlies it, has a very unique use
and meaning in Scripture. It differs from supplication, first
in this, that supplication has mainly . reference to the sup-
8/20/2019 The Fundamentals: Volume 9, Chapter 6: Divine Efficacy of Prayer
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-fundamentals-volume-9-chapter-6-divine-efficacy-of-prayer 10/18
Divitie
Efii 'cacy
of Praye'r
75
pliant and his own supply; and again, because interce ssion
not only
concertis
others, but largely i.mplies the need of
direct
Divine interpositi .on. Th ,e1·e are
1na11y
praye1·s t'hat, i11 their
an.swer;, :allo,w
our co-o,pe1·ation
and imply
our
activity .. When
we pray, '' ,Give us . this day our daily bread, we go to, worta
to
earn
th ,e
breaµ f .or ,¥hich W·e
pray. Tl1at is
God's law.
When we ask God to deliver us from the evil one; we expect
to be sob,er and vigilant, and resist the
adversary.
This is
right;
bt1t
our
activity ·
in
many
0
1
tl1er
matte rs
hinder ,s the .
full dis.play o,f
Go,d's,
p
1
owe1·, and h·enc,e a1so
01ur impre,ssion
of His working. The deepest co,nvictions of God's p1~ayer
answering are ther ef ,ore wro11ght in cases w·here, in the nature
of things, we are p1·ecluded f
ro1n
all
activity in
promoting
the result. .
The w .ord
o,f God
teaches
1~s
tha.t i1itercession
wiit,Ji
,God
is most necessar·y in cases wlie1' e ,ma1: is
most
po·we,rless.
Elij al1 is ]1eld befor ,e, us as a g1~eat intercessor, and the one
example ,giv·en is his
praye1·
for rai 11. Yet in this case he
could only pray; there vvas
nothing else
he
could
do
to un
lock tl1e l1eavens after three years and a l1alf of drought. And
is, there
11ot
a touch ,of Div .ine
poetry
in t 'he
f
or1n
in
which
the
answe1· can1
e
?
The
ri.sing·
cloud
tool<
t'h
1
e
shape
of ''
a,
man's
Jia1ttd', as tl1oug·h to
assure
.tl1e
prophet
how
God
s.aw
and heeded the .supplia~nt
l1and
rais ,ed to
Him
in praye1· .
Daniel
w,as powerless
to
move the
king or reverse his
decr ,ee ;
,all he could do was
to
''desire
mercies
of
tl1e God
of heaven
concerning
tl1is secret;''
a11d it was
·because he coul ,d do
notl·1-
.ing else,
could
·no
1
t,
even
gites.s
at
th,e
interpretation,
inasm·uch
as he knew not even tl1e dream tl1at it became abso,Jutely
sure, when both the
d1ea1n
and its meaning wer ·e maqe
- known, that 1God had interposed , and so even the heathen
king himself saw,
felt
a11d
confes -sed.
A],l
tl1rou.gh
his:toi'y
certa .in crise,s h.ave aris ·en w·he.n tlte
help of n1an was ut ·terly vai11. To , the f,~rma,]
1
Christi,an;, the,
•
•
8/20/2019 The Fundamentals: Volume 9, Chapter 6: Divine Efficacy of Prayer
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-fundamentals-volume-9-chapter-6-divine-efficacy-of-prayer 11/18
•
•
•
•
\
I• ,
/6
The Fundamen·t al8
carnal disc:ip]e, the
Unbelieving
SO'Ul, this fa
1
Ct, that th
1
er
1
e IS
noth ,ing
that
man c,ou1d
d,o, makes
p
1
rayer s,eem
almo,st
a
fo,lly,
perhaps ,a f ar
1
ce,, a wast .e of br
1
eath . But to1th
1
ose wh,o best
I
· know
God,
ma,n' s extr ,e1nity is God·
s
opportunity, and human
helplesS11es
S
become s not a reason fo,r the
sil1ll,C
1
1
0f de,,pair,
but
the
a,rgument for
praying in
faitl1. Invariably
thos ,e,
who ,se
faith in praye ,r is supernati1rally strong are those who have
most pro ved that God has
wrou ,ght,
b,y their conscious
1
com~
pul sory
cessati on of all
tl1eir
o,vn efforts
as
va,in
,and
h,opele,ss.
George 'M iiller set out to p
1
rove to a half -believing Chu,rcl1
and
an
unbelieving world
tl1at God
does directly
answer
pray .er; and to do thi s he purpo sel,y abstained from
all
the
ordinary and
otl1e1"wise
legitimate met'l1ods of appeal, , or of
acti ve
effort
to
secur ,e
the hou si11g,clothing
and
feeding
1
of
thousa ,nd s
of
o r,phans.
Hu,d,son
Taylor u11dertook to
put
missionarie s
into Inland
Cl1ina by
dependence solely upon
God, asking no C 0
1
JJections and
even r
1
efus ,ing
them in con-
' nectio11 wit,h p,ubl ic
me eti,ngs,
lest
sucl1
meet ,ings should be
constru ,ed as appeals f 0
1
r l1e1p. He ,a11
1
d hi ,s co-worl<,e:1·s ac
customed themselves
to lay
all wants b
1
efore
the , Lor
1
d,
and , to expect the answe1
4
,
and
ans\\rer
alvvays,
c,am
1
e
and
still
comes. The
study
of
missio11a11'
history
reveals
the
£,act
that,
at the very tim es when, i11
utter
despair of any
l1elp
bttt God's
there has been believing prayer, the interposition of God has
bee11111ot
conspicuously
se,en 110
1
w could it be
most conspic-
t1ous except amid such condition s ?
Every church ought to be a
pray
1
er circle;·
but
this
will
not
be so
1
long ,as we wait for tl1e wh,ole
Churcl1,
as a body, to
move
togetl1er. Tl1e mass o,f profe ,ssing Christians have too little
hol ,d
0
1
n God to
en,ter
l1ea,rtily int ,o
su
1
ch
l10
1
ly agreemen 't'.
To
all
who ye:arn
for a revival of the p
1
rayer-spirit we sugges t
that , in
e,very
co,igrega tion a
p1-ayer
circle ,be
fo r1ne
d, without
regard to
num ,bers.
Let a,ny pastot .. unite with l1imself
any
man or
woman
in
whom
he
discerns
mark s of peculiar spi1·itttal
8/20/2019 The Fundamentals: Volume 9, Chapter 6: Divine Efficacy of Prayer
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-fundamentals-volume-9-chapter-6-divine-efficacy-of-prayer 12/18
Divine Efficacy of Prayer
77
life and power and without publicity or any direct effort to en
large the little .company begin with such to lay before God any
matt.er demanding special Divine guidance and help. Without
any public invitation which might draw unprepared people
into a formal association-it will be found that the Holy
Spirit will enlarge the circle as He fits others or finds others
fit to enter it-and thus quietly and without observation the
little company of praying souls will grow as fast as God means
I
it shall. Let a record be kept of every definite petition laid
before God-for such a prayer circle should be only with
reference to very definite matters-and as God interposes and
answers follow let the record of His interposition be care
fully kept that it may become a new inspir ation both to
praise and to believing prayer. Such a resort to united
intercession we have ourselves known to transform a whole
church remove dissensions rectify errors secure harmony
and unity and promote Holy Spirit ad1ninistration and spir
itual
life
and growth beyond all oth er possible devices.
If in
any church the pastor is unhappily not a man who could or
would lead in such a movement let two or three disciples who
feel the need and have the faith meet and begin perhaps
by praying for
him.
In thi s matter there should
e
no wait
ing for anybody else;
if
there be but one believer who has
power with God let such a one begin intercessory prayer. God
will bring to the side of such an intercessor in His own
time and way others whom He has made ready to act as
supplica tors.
Not long since in a church in Scotland a minister sud
denly began to preach with unprecedented power. The whole
_ congregation was aroused and sinners marvelously saved. H e
himself did not understand the new enduement. In a dream
of the night it was strangely suggested to him that the who le
blessing was traceable to one poor old woman who was sto e
deaf
but who came regularly to chu rch and being unable to
8/20/2019 The Fundamentals: Volume 9, Chapter 6: Divine Efficacy of Prayer
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-fundamentals-volume-9-chapter-6-divine-efficacy-of-prayer 13/18
8 The Fundamentals
hear a word, spent all the time in prayer £or the preacher and
individual hearers. In the biography of Charles G. Finney
sjmilar facts are recorded of Father Nash, Abel ClearY, and
others.
Examples might be multiplied indefinitely . But the one
thing we would make prominent is this: God is summoning
His
people to prayer. He wills that men pray everywher ,
lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting ; that, first
of all
supplication, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks
be made for all n1en. ( 1 Tin1. 2: 8.) If this be done first of
all,
,every other most blessed result
will
follow. God waits t
be asked . In Him are the fountains of blessing and He puts
at
the disposal
of
His praying saints
all
their abundance; they
are, however, sealed fountains to the ungod ly and the unbe
lievin g. There is one key tha t always unlocks even heaven's
gates; one secret . that puts connecting channels between those
eternal fountains and ourselves. That key, that secret, is
prevailing prayer.
God has no greater controversy with His people today
than this, that with boundless promises to believing prayer
there are so few who actually give themselves unto interces
sion. This is represented as being a matter even of Divine
wonderment :
A nd there is none that calleth upon Thy name,
That stirreth up hims elf to take hold of Thee (Isa. 64:7).
The very fact that so many disciples, and in so many
parts
of
the world, are form ing prayer circles
or
unions
1s
itself a great incentive to increased and united prayer.
TRUE PRAYER
Our Lord taught a great lesson in Matthew 18 19. He
said: If two of you shall agree [symphonize] on earth
as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for
them of My Father which is in heaven. · The agreement re-
8/20/2019 The Fundamentals: Volume 9, Chapter 6: Divine Efficacy of Prayer
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-fundamentals-volume-9-chapter-6-divine-efficacy-of-prayer 14/18
I
Divine Efficacy of Pra yer 79
ferred to is not that of a mere human covenant, nor even
sympathy; it is symphony Symphony is agreemen t of sounds
in a musical chord, and depends upon fixed laws of harmony.
It can not be secured by any arbitrary arrangement. One
cann ot lay his fingers accident ally or carele;sly upon the keys
of a musical instru ment an d produce symphony of sounds.
uch touch may evoke only intolerable discord, unless regu-
lated by a knowledge of the principles of harm ony. Nay,
there is even a deeper necessity, namely, that the
keys
touched
shall themselve s be
in tune with the urhole instrument.
Two
conditions , then , are needful; first, that a skilful hand shall
put the whole instrument in tune; and then that an equally
skilful hand shall touch keys which are capable of producing
together what is called a true chord.
This language evinces Divine design. He is teaching
a grea t lesson on the mystery of prayer, which likewise
demands two great conditions ; first, that the praying sonl
hall be in harmony with God Hiinself; and then that tho c:e
who unite in prayer shall, because of such unity with
Him, be in harmony with each other. There must be, there -
fore, back of all prevailing supplication and intercession One
who,
with
infinite
skill,
tunes the
keys
into
accord
with
His
own ear; and then touches them, · like a master musician, so
that they respond together to H is will and give forth th e chord
which is in His mind.
No true philosophy of prayer can ever be framed which
does not include these conditions. Many have false concep-
tion of
what prayer is. To them it is merely asking for
what one wants. But this may be so far from God's stand-
ard as to lack the first essentials of prayer. It may be ask-
ing something to consume it upon our own lusts. We are to
ask
in the name''
of Christ. But that is not simply
using
His name in prayer. The name is the nature; it expresses
the character, and is equival ent to the person. To ask in
8/20/2019 The Fundamentals: Volume 9, Chapter 6: Divine Efficacy of Prayer
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-fundamentals-volume-9-chapter-6-divine-efficacy-of-prayer 15/18
80
The Fundamentals
Christ's name is to come to God, as identified with the very
person of Christ. A wife makes a purchase in her husband's
name. Literally, she uses his name, not her own. She says,
I am Mrs.
A ,
which means, I am his ' wife,
identified with his personality, character, wealth, commer
cial credit, and business standing. To go to God in Christ's
name is to claim identity with Christ as a member of His
body, one with Him before the Father, and having in Him
a right to the Father's gifts, a right to draw on the Father's
infinite resources.
Again, we are told that, if we ask anything ''according
to His will, He hear eth us. But what is asking according
to His will but ceasing to ask according to our own self
will ? Here the impulse is not human, but essentially Di
vine. It implies a knowledge of His will, an insight into
I-Iis
own mind, and
a
sympathy with His purpose. Now
is this possible unless by the Holy Spirit we are brought
into such fellowship with God as that He can guide us in
judgment and yearning, and teach us His way? He is in
deed able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we
ask or think,'' but it is according to His power which work
eth in us. If that power work not
in
us first, how can
it work
for
us, in an swered prayer?
In order to gain higher results, wrought for the Church
or the world, in answer to supplication, there must first be
deeper results wrought in the believer by the Holy Spirit.
In other words, there mu.st be a higher type of personal holi-
ness if there is to be a high r measure of power in prayer.
The carnal mind does not fall into harmony with God, does
not even see and perceive His mind, and hence the carnally
n1inded disciple can not discern the will of God in prayer ,
but is continually hindered and hampered by mistaking self
in1pelled petitions
for divinely inspired prayers, confoundi ,ng
what self-will craves with what is spiritually needful and
Scripturally warranted.
8/20/2019 The Fundamentals: Volume 9, Chapter 6: Divine Efficacy of Prayer
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-fundamentals-volume-9-chapter-6-divine-efficacy-of-prayer 16/18
Divine Efficacy of Prayer
81
God is calling His people to a revival of fa,ith in the Divine
efficacy of prayer.
Our Lord teaches us that
the
prayer
of
faith has the
power of a fiat or a Divine decree. God said sublimely, "Let
light
be "
and light was.
The
Lord Jesus Christ says:
"If
ye have faith as a grain
of
mustard seed"-in which, how
ever small, is the possibility and potency of li
e- ye shalJ
say to this mountain, Be ~hou removed; or to this syca
more tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and it shall obey
you." This is the language not of petition, but of decree.
It
is, in some sort, a laying hold on Omnipotence, so that
nothing is impossible to the pr aying soul.
When we reach such heights of teaching and compare them
with the low level of our Iife we are st ruck dumb with amaze
tnent, first at the astounding pos sibilities of faith, as put be
fore us, and then at the equally astounding impossibilit~es
which unbelief substitutes for the offered on1nipotence of
supplication. When we think of the possible heights of inter
cession we seen1 again to hear the saintly McCheyne crying
out: "Do
everything in earnest J
If
it is worth doing,
then
do it with all your might. Above all, keep 1nuch in th e
presence of G-od; never see the face of man till you have
seen His face." That is the preparation
of
prayer, prevail
ing first with God to enable us to prevail with man. Jacobi
must have been thinking along these lines when he said: My
watchword, and that of my reason, is not I, but One who is
more and better than I; One who is entirely different from
what I am-I mean God. I neither am, nor care to be, if
He
is not " It is prayer that
1nakes
God real-the highest
reality and verity; and that sends us back into the world with
the conviction and consciou sness that He i~, and is in us,
mighty to work in us, and through us, as instruments, so
that nothing shall be Impossible to the instrument, because
of the Workman, back of it, who holds and wields the weapon.
8/20/2019 The Fundamentals: Volume 9, Chapter 6: Divine Efficacy of Prayer
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-fundamentals-volume-9-chapter-6-divine-efficacy-of-prayer 17/18
•
•
•
•
•
•
The Fundatn e itals
The po
1
wer of such prayer defies
all
competition or in1i
tation
by
the most perfect fo1·ms of liturgy. Who ca11copy
or canvass the in1pri soned flame of a pric ,eless gem with mere
·brush
and
pigrnen·ts
r
Or
counterfeit
the
pl1otosphere
of
the
· sun with yellow chalk There is a flame
of
God which
Jlrayer lights withi 11; there is a glow and 1.ight and heat in
the life which can be kindled only by a co.al from the g·old,en
altar wh .ich isl bef ore tl·1e thr one. It is only the few who
find
their way
thither and
know
tl1e
enki .ndling po.wer ;
but to
tl1ose few
tl1e Churcr1
a11
1
cl
t l1e
wo.rld
owe mi,gh ty
upheaval s
and outpou ·rin,gs. (Rev. 8.)
1
C.hemi ,cal galvani sm po·SS
1
ess es1
thisl p
1
culiarity, that an
increase of its
pow
1
ers cannot be gai ned
by
increas ,ing
the
1
d'i•
mensions of the Celis of tl1e battery, but can be
by
i·ncreasing
tl1eir
n·umber.
We ·need
more interce sso1·s if
.we
a1e
1
to ha·ve
gr·eatly· incre·ased
power.
The
nutnber
of
1
cells
must
be
in
creased. · M,ore of
1
God's people must learn to pray. The
foes are too many for a f'ew to cope w·ith them, however
empowered of God. The variety of human want and woe,
the scattered m illions of
tl1e
un saved, th
1
e wide territory to
be
covered with intercessio11 all the se
and other
lik ·e
con
siderations demand multi plied
forces.
Each human being
has only a very limited k.nowledge of human n,eed. Our i11-
dividual circle of acquaintance is so comparatively narrow
that eve ·n the most prayerful spirit cannot survey the whole
field ,, But when in all parts of the destitute territory suppli
cators multiply, even t.hese na rr ·olw circle .s,, placed side b
1
y side
and largely overlapping, cover the whole broad field of neecl1
Our own. personal and
li1nited
knowledge and
range
of in~
telligent
sympathy meet and
touch
similar and sympathetic
s,ouls, so that what we
do
not
se,e
0
1
r feel or
pr.ay
for, ap ...
peals. to others of our fell ow discip,les ; and so, in proportion
a·s
th
1
e. i.nterces ,s,ors
multiply,
every i11teres' of
:m,ankind finds
its representatives in the secret place a11dat
the throne. ·
•
8/20/2019 The Fundamentals: Volume 9, Chapter 6: Divine Efficacy of Prayer
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-fundamentals-volume-9-chapter-6-divine-efficacy-of-prayer 18/18
•
•
83
We cannot 11take up
fo1
lack of praying by ,excess o,f wo1 k
ing. In fact working without praying is a sort of practi cal
a·tl1eisn(), foir it le·aves
out
Go
dt
It
·is,
t:he
pray ,er
·t]1at
pre
pares ·for work, that arms us for the warfare, that furnishe s
us for the activity.
It behooves
us, stud ,ying
intently the
p1·omises to prayer, to say
u11to
the L ,ord: ' 'This being
Thy
,vor d, I will hencef
ortl1
live as a 1nan of
pray er
and claim
my privile ge a11cl
s,l
my po,ve.r as
an int ercesso r."
H ere is
tl1e high.est
icle11tification
with the
Son of God.
It
is
almost being · adm itted
to a sort of
fellowship in .fii.s,
tnedi,a·to1·ia worl< .During this d·ispensation His work is
n1ainly interc
1
ession.
He
calls
us to take
a
subordinat e
part
in th
1
e ho,,y office, standi11g, lil<e Phinel1as, betwee n tl1,e living
a11dth
1
e clead ·to stay tl1e plagt1e; like E lijah, betwee n heaven ·
and
eartl1
to unlock heaven 's fl.ood-ga tes
of
ble ssing
and·
com
mand the
fir
1
e
an,d
flood
of
Go
1
d
Is
tl1is tr ·ue? Tl1en
what
ca11be 1nore awful a11claugt 1st than such di,gnity and ma
jesity
of p1·ivile.ge
Ignati11s
,ve lco1nes th e Numidia11 lio11
in the arena , saying: ''I am gra ·in of God ; I m·ust b,e
,grou11ti
betw een
the
teeth of lio11s to
n1al<:e
brea ,d
£or God's
peo1)le.'
He
felt
in
the hour
o,f
1nartyrdom the privilege
of joini11 t
hi .s dyi11g Lord in a s,a
1
crifice t'hat Bus hn ell woul
1
d call
1
''vi
ca1~ous. '
Who will joi11the ·rise11
Lo,·1·d
11 a se·rvi1,e of inte.r·ces
1
sio·n ?
The
greate st
difficulty
in the
way of p
1
ractical conv ·ersion
of
1nen may not
be i11 God's
eyes so mucl1 a
barrier
of ungodli
n,ess amo11g th ,e l1eat·he11as a bar rier of unbelief among Eris
own
1
disciples
The
sixteentl1 centu1·y
\\,as
g1·eat
in
pain ters,
the s,eve11-
teenth in philosop 'hers, the
1
eighteenth in wr'ite·rs, tl1e nine
- teenth in preacher s
and inv ento ,rs ;
God grant that the
twen
tietl1 may be forever historical1y memorable as th
1
e century
•
of
intercessors.
•
•
'