XVIII. Answers to Prayer. And when we cried unto the Lord God of our fathers, the Lord heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression : and the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt.-Deut. xxvi. 7, 8. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God; and He did hear my voice out of His temple, and my cry did enter into His ears. 2 Samuel xxii. 7. O Thou that hearest prayer.-Psalm lxv. 2. I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto Him, and were lightened; and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.-Psalm xxxiv. 4-6. Verily God hath heard me; He hath attended to the voice of my prayer. Psalm lxvi. 19. He will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when He shall hear it, He will answer thee.-Isaiah xxx. 19. And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.-Isaiah lxv. 24. Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.—Jeremiah xxxiii. 3. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered.-Joel ii. 32. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Matthew vii. 7, 8. For the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him. Romans x. 12. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee; for My strength is made perfect in weakness.-2 Corinthians xii. 8, 9. O God, for ever near! We humbly will rejoice; For well we know that Thou art here, And listening to our voice. Up to Thy mercy-seat 'Tis good for us to go; For there Thou dost Thy people meet Rich blessings to bestow. ABNER W. BROWNE, 1844 Beyond our utmost wants, His love and power can bless : To those who seek His face, He grants More than they can express. JOHN NEWTON, 1779. We, ignorant of ourselves, Beg often our own harms, which the wise powers Deny us for our good; so find we profit By losing of our prayers. SHAKESPEARE. ANSWERS TO PRAYER. Answered Prayers.-Answered prayers cover the field of providential history, as flowers cover western prairies. Answered prayers hover around the communion tables of our churches in seasons of revival, as we have seen great flocks of birds descend into a meadow. ....Answered prayers have visited sick rooms like angels, to restore to life; or, if Infinite Wisdom had appointed to the sick to die, the sting of death has been turned to the song of victory. THEODORE L. CUYLER, D.D., Thoughts for Heart and Life, p. 33. Answers according to Faith.-We all have our necessities of one kind or another, and every child of God has many things about which he has need to speak to God. And our gracious God speaks here to each one of His children: "Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it,"- —now ask much at My hands, look for much from Me, bring great requests before Me. I am God, and not man; it is the very joy and delight of My heart to give abundantly.... If we were allowed freely to make our requests before the Sovereign, we should be ashamed, or ought to be, to make only trifling requests. But the mighty ones of the earth are as nothing compared to Jehovah; and, if we would give joy to the heart of God, we must ask great things at His hand, and expect great things from Him. This is taught us in the figurative expression, "Open thy mouth wide ;" and the promise is, " I will fill it."1 Let anyone act according to the exhortation, and most assuredly God will fulfil the promise. Let us look about, and see when in any measure we have been able to act according to this word, whether God was not as good as His word. GEORGE MULLER, Jehovah Magnified, pp. 138, 139. On what Principle answers to Prayer are given.-The mode of the answer rests with God. If He sees it will strengthen faith, 1 Psalm 1xxxi. 10. Q and, taking all bearings into view, fulfil His will, He may answer it directly, according to the form of the request. If He sees that this would encourage worldly-mindedness, or hinder any of His broader purposes, He will send a secret response into the heart. One thing we may always know beforehand, if the earthly advantage holds a higher place in our desires than spiritual purity or God's truth, it is no prayer of faith, and carries in its own nature the forewarning, that, even for our own sake, we must be denied. F. D. HUNTINGDON, D.D., Sermons for the People, p. 41. Answers after Death of Petitioner.-If the answer does not come when you are living, you shall get it when you are dead. In prayers men sow what afterwards grows above their graves. It is eighteen hundred years since Jesus prayed, "I will that those whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am;"1 and that prayer is answered in every chamber from which a dying saint takes his flight to glory. T. GUTHRIE, D.D., The Way to Life, p. 256. Buried Prayers. We know that some seeds spring so soon almost as they are committed to the ground, but others lie buried for months; nor, in some cases, is it till years elapse that they germinate and rise, to teach us that what is dormant is not dead. Such it may be with our prayers. Ere that immortal seed has sprung, the hand that planted it may be mouldering in the dust —the seal of death on the lips that prayed. But though you are not spared to reap the harvest, your prayers are not lost. They bide their time, God's "set time." For in one form or another, in this world or the next, who sows in tears shall reap in joy. T. Guthrie, D.D., The Way to Life, p. 259. Answers should lead to Renewed Prayer.-Two children of the Rev. Philip Henry were at one time dangerously ill; and, after praying earnestly for their recovery, Mr. Henry said, "If the Lord will be pleased to grant me this my request concerning my children, I will not say as the beggars at our door used to do, 'I'll ▲ John xvii. 24. never ask anything of him again;' but, on the contrary, He shall hear oftener from me than ever; and I will love God the better as long as I live." Answers to Prayer.-Prayer, like Jonathan's bow, returns not empty. Never was faithful prayer lost at sea; no merchant trades with such certainty as the praying saint; some prayers indeed have a longer voyage than others, but they return with the richer lading at last. GURNAL. Answers Received but not Recognised.-Look once again, poor heart, into thine own bosom, and see whether thou findest not some strength sent into thee which thou didst overlook before. This may be, yea, is very ordinary in this case when God answers our prayer not in the letter, or when the thing itself is sent; but it comes in at the back door, while we are expecting it at the fore; and truly thus the friend thou art looking for may be in thine house! GURNAL. Certainty of Answers to Prayer, and Uncertainty as to Method. -It is impossible that God should not hear the prayers which with faith are made in Christ, though He give not according to the measure, manner, and time we dictate, for He will not be tied. In such sort dealt God with the mother of St. Augustin; she prayed to God that her son might be converted, but as yet it could not be ; then she ran to the learned, entreating them to persuade and advise him thereunto. She propounded unto him a marriage with a Christian woman, that thereby he might be drawn and brought to the Christian faith; but all would not do as yet. But when our Lord God came thereto, He came to purpose, and made of him such an Augustin, that he became a great light to the Church.1 LUTHER'S Table Talk, cccxxxiii. 1 See also "Unanswered Prayers, a Token," etc. |