When Jesus came up out of the waters of the Jordan, he was praying. Before choosing his apostles, he prayed all night to God. He was praying at the time of his transfiguration. On occasions he had no time to rest, sometimes no time so much as to eat; yet he never failed to find time to pray. Late in the night, early in the morning "a great while before day," he was out in the solitude praying. He did not content himself with simply raising his heart in the midst of the multitudes, but he must get away from the crowd, away even from his disciples, to be alone with God. They were not always the calm, easy kind of prayers; for at times the burdens upon him became so heavy and the urgency of his needs rose to such height that "he offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears." That was in the days of his flesh. But now his is even more a ministry of prayer. There at the right hand of God he pleads and intercedes; and he is able, therefore, "to save to the uttermost them that draw near unto God through him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them."

      The followers of Jesus, imbued with the influence of his spirit, placed what might seem to us an extravagant weight on prayer. The Book of Acts often mentions their praying and often implies it. After they returned to Jerusalem, they continued steadfastly in prayer while awaiting "the promise of the Father." The first converts, taught by the apostles, continued steadfastly in prayer. (Acts 2:42, 46, 47.) They prayed at their first persecution. (Acts 4:23-31.) The apostles gave themselves steadfastly to prayer and to the ministry of the word. (Acts 6:4-6.) At their prayer the converts of Samaria received the Holy Spirit. And so on. It is [46] pray, pray, pray. The Epistles make equally as much of it. In Colossians, for instance, we have within four short chapters ten references to prayer and thanksgiving. The time would fail me if I would attempt to enumerate the things taught us about prayer. But this much we see, that the emphasis God placed upon prayer was a very extraordinary one, and that in his mind it holds a very great and important place--just as in ours it holds a small one.

      It may be because we can not reason out how it can do any good (for we are great reasoners, and loath to accept anything we cannot see through); it may be that, in reaction to some sectarian teachings, we have unduly minimized God's part and unduly magnified the activity of man, so that it seems to us that "doing" is a long way more important than praying, and we have hardly a place left for prayer; it may be because we lack the boldness and faith to approach the throne of grace on the ground of the shed blood--be it for this or for that, prayer has greatly gone into decadence. Evidently some change of spirit has come upon us since the days of the apostles. Will not obedience bring results? it is asked. Then what essential place does prayer fill? And is not God eager to save sinners? Then what could our prayers add to his willingness? And can any sinner be saved without obedience to the gospel? Then what is more useless than praying for him? Better be at work trying to get him to obey. Now it is certainly not intended that we should do nothing but pray. But we might well note that God was understood, in apostolic days even, to be eager to save men; nevertheless Paul writes "that . . . prayers . . . be made for all men;" for "this is good . . . in the sight of God, our Saviour; who would have all men to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth." (1 Tim. 2:1-4.) And it was as much necessary [47] then that men go and preach, yet Jesus said: "Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he send forth laborers into his harvest." And even an inspired apostle depended on the prayers of the Christians that a door might be opened to him to preach the gospel, that utterance might be given him, "to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel." (Eph. 6:19, 20.) True, "prayer is no substitute for duty;" but neither is "duty" a substitute for prayer. For, "Except Jehovah build the house, they labor in vain who build it." We need more prayer, more prayer! And first of all, to ask, "Lord, teach us to pray"--not "how to pray" so much as "to pray"--that we may find it practicable and sweet to spend very much time in the presence of God.

[TAG 46-48]