'Riding the Waves With God' by Michele Storkson

Introduction
by Perry D. Storkson
My beautiful and precious wife, Michele, was recently asked to write a post for the 'Sisters' blog from our church, LifeChurch.tv.  She was asked to write on the topic of 'embracing your season'. Michele had never written a post before, so she was humbly hesitant to accept the challenge and it took awhile to convince her; but, after some nudging from her family, this is what she submitted.  It is an engaging and encouraging article and, once you've read it, you will understand why I am so proud of this amazing woman and so incredibly blessed to be her man!
PDS
Edmond, OK

Riding the Waves With God

August 17, 2015 / lcsisters

by Michele Storkson




When I was younger, I lived near the beach and spent a lot of time there—even surfed a bit.  It wasn’t uncommon for the water to be very quiet maybe not smooth, but rolling and peaceful.  Then, the big waves would come. They’d come in sets, and we’d paddle hard and fast to be the one to catch the best wave of the day!

Sometimes though, I’d get knocked off my board by a big wave that would throw me violently under the water and tumble me until I couldn’t tell which way was up! I’d struggle to get to the surface and gasp some air, just to get hit by another wave and tumbled all over again. This would continue repeatedly and, with each successive wave, I’d become more exhausted trying to fight against the current until, finally, the set would end and I could get back to the surface and, most importantly, back in control. That’s when I’d climb back on my board, turn around, and paddle back out to wait for the next set because with experience, I had learned that, while scary and unsettling at times, finishing a ride came with an awesome feeling of accomplishment—even victory!

Now that life has put a few years and six children between me and my surfboard, I’ve come to realize that, like those waves, life’s trials can knock me out of control and leave me gasping for air, exhausted and fighting for strength, getting knocked down over and over, and feeling like the ‘set’ will never end.

Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever been at that place—a season when the trials just keep coming and coming and you feel burdened and exhausted? It’s a really hard place to be and an even harder place to find strength, especially when you’re someone who, like me, has trouble finding peace while I’m tumbling around ‘under the waves.’

I went through one of those seasons a couple years ago when one of our adult kids made, what we knew would be a significantly painful, life-changing decision, and when we tried to give them guidance, they estranged themselves from us. Then, some months later, another one of our adult kids also disowned us for similar reasons. As if that weren’t enough, not long after this second painful event, my husband lost his job. These three ‘waves’ knocked me down and left me gasping for air, feeling like our family was coming apart, and longing for nothing more than peace in our home and the love of my children.

During this difficult time, I cried out to God, and I mean cried. Have you ever found yourself crying out for the healing power of the Holy Spirit? That’s the place I was in, where I just couldn’t see past my circumstances.I thought things would never get better and felt like my heart would never stop hurting.

I can remember feeling so worn and just wanting the hurt to stop; my heart just ached and ached.  I remember praying, “Why, Lord, why?” I felt like I had tried so hard to follow His ways and be a good parent, but the waves just kept crashing down. I remember feeling so tired of it, but not knowing what to do! I couldn’t change anything about the circumstances at all! I had no control over it.

My heart was utterly broken, but in spite of all that pain, God reminded me that He is in control and that He really does know what He is doing.

I thought I already knew that, but apparently I needed a reminder! That reminder came to me in the form of a very simple message one Sunday, and, to this day, I have what our pastor said handwritten on a piece of paper  on the wall above my desk. It reads:

“Prayer reminds me that I’m not in control, and it keeps me close to the One who is.”
Such an amazing statement!  It’s so simple, but that is exactly what God used to lead me to an understanding of how to embrace the painful season I was in as well as to help me understand that it was just that—a season; a set of waves that would eventually come to an end.

Through prayer, The Lord reminded me of His ever-present Holy Spirit, and I began to seek Him in far deeper ways than ever before.

Through prayer, He reminded me that it’s not about what I do, it’s about what He wants even if I don’t like or understand His timing or the circumstances. He knows what He’s doing!

Through prayer, the Holy Spirit breathed new life into my tired, saddened heart and “renewed in me the joy of His Salvation!”

Eventually, that set of waves did come to an end and with that end came a new strength and a new perspective of faith that God had given me through His Faithfulness. This enabled me to climb back on my board, turn around, and get back into enjoying the amazing life and family He has blessed me with.

Our pastor also said:
“Never let the presence of a storm keep you from the presence of God.”  
Now, when the next sets of waves come, and they WILL come, we can know that in His Strength, we can ride those waves and once again realize the awesome feeling of victory when the set is over!
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”  James 1:2-4

SISTERS CHALLENGE:
Sisters, seek the Lord; He is where the healing is! He will bring back your joy, bring you peace, and draw you closer to Him as you seek Him and experience His healing power.

Getting It Right

"What's wrong with me Coach?  I don't get it; I've been doing so good for so long and now nothing's working!"  The rising young star was desperate, sensing his dream for a Division-1 scholarship slipping through his fingers.  "I work hard!  I never miss practice! I'm trying Coach, I'm really trying!  Why is everything going so wrong?!"

If you've ever played or coached any sport seriously, you've heard these words, or even more likely, you have said them yourself.  However, even if you've never played sports, these words strike a familiar chord in the heart of each one of us, because the feelings being expressed and the underlying cause and effect are common to the lives of every person.

So, what's the coach going to say?  What would you say?  "Suck it up kid; it's all part of learning. Just keep working hard doing what you're doing; it'll all work out eventually.  Remember, winners never quit and quitters never win. Now get your butt back out there and tough it out."

It hurts me to write that because, as a father of 6, I have too many times responded to my own kids' cries for help in much the same way.  I mean, it sounds like good 'coach-talk' and all, but the truth is, when a coach (or parent, sibling, boss, friend, pastor, etc.) says something like this, or even when we say it to ourselves, it clearly reveals one of two facts; either the coach doesn't care enough to invest the time necessary to find the cause of the problem, or the coach doesn't know enough about the game (or the player) to be able to give any better advice and he or she is too proud to admit it.  Either way, the player loses.

The scenario playing out above is obviously analogous to many, many events and seasons in all of our lives and the effect is easy to see; but what about the cause?  Is "toughing it out" really going to address the reason for the struggle?  How do we respond in a way that addresses the cause?

Sticking with the sports theme, I'll quote the great Vince Lombardi - "Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect."  In other words; don't just keep working hard, doing what you're doing, because there may be something wrong with the way you're doing it.  First, you've got to make sure you're doing it right.

There are different ways to approach this process, depending on your context. One way is to dissect the effect (the problem); pealing it back, layer by layer, until the cause is revealed, then address the cause and determine how to prevent it from happening again.  This in a nutshell describes the science of 'root-cause analysis', which is a very effective tool in the business world.  However, on a more personal level, or in a more urgent context, the process of root-cause analysis is often too time-consuming to be of any practical value.

Another more efficient approach to resolving a problem is the one that every GOOD coach knows and teaches: stop what you're doing, get back to focusing on the basics, then move forward.  In applying this simple response, the cause will be self-identified, the resolution to the problem will become clear, and the basic foundation for everything from that point on will be strengthened.

This truth extends into all areas of our lives; personal, career, relationships, finances, you name it.  There is nothing in our lives that cannot be improved by the careful turning of our attention to the most basic principles and practices that support us and that guide our every action and decision.

C.S. Lewis said - "We all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive."

Do you think ol' Clive and Vince knew each other?  Probably not (opposite sides of The Pond you know), but they both said essentially the same thing, because they were both essentially wise men.  Both of them knew, accepted and understood that the quintessential source of wisdom is the Bible, and they applied it actively and intentionally to their lives and careers.  Were they perfect specimens of wisdom?  Absolutely not, they were flawed men; sinners who made mistakes like the rest of us.  However, history has ascribed greatness to these men, and with good reason.

But what about the rest of us mere mortals?  What about those oh-so-many times when we ask ourselves, "Why does this keep happening to me?"  If you've read this far, you know what's coming next, that's right: Get back to basics.  But how?  What does that look like?

If you already know God and accept the Bible as the basis and source of all wisdom, then you know that the answer is in there.  But don't stop reading now; I'll get to you in a minute.

If you have not accepted the Bible, or you have not decided to trust God, then you're on your own, free to keep trying it your own way; just don't be surprised when your situation doesn't improve and "Why does this keep happening to me?" becomes your life slogan.  However, even if you have not accepted either God or the Bible, the answer is still in there, free for the taking; all you have to do is be willing to look for it.

Have you had enough of doing it your way?  Are you tired of asking "Why does this keep happening to me?"  What have you got to lose?  Let's get started!

For devout Christians and doubters alike, the process is the same: getting back to basics starts with opening the Bible and reading it as a matter of daily, personal discipline.  If you are new to the Bible, it is a good idea to start with the New Testament.  If you don't have access to a Bible, go to www.Bible.com, there you can read and explore God's Word in whatever language or translation you prefer.  You can also download the YouVersionBible App to your smartphone or tablet and take it with you anywhere!

So, now that you've got a Bible in front of you, what next?  Pray. Pray before you read, ask the Author of Life to reveal to you what He wants to say to you at this time, then shut-up and listen for Him to speak to you through what you read.  Now, I'm not suggesting that you will hear an audible voice, but when God speaks to you through His written Word, you will know it in your heart as clearly as if you had heard it with your ears!

Next, continue through your day in an attitude of prayer, discussing with God what you have read.  This does NOT mean that you have to be on your knees or have your eyes closed all day (try explaining that to your boss or the cop that just pulled you over!); it simply means carrying on a private, personal conversation with God as you go about your normal routine.  Talk with God as if you are talking with a friend, but remember to do more listening than talking.

Finally, apply what you learn.  Intentionally submit your will to that of your Creator and find peace in what He says and does, because it is going to be amazing!

If you are new to the Bible, these will be the first steps in laying the foundation for the rest of your life.  However, if you have been a Christian for a while, or maybe you were raised in a Christian home and have wandered off the path, then this means breaking down the walls and preconceptions you have built and clearing away the debris; your spiritual foundation is still there, you just need to uncover it and sweep it clean.

Whether you are laying a new foundation, or cleaning up an old one; if you are reading this, you are at a very remarkable place in your life and facing a truly life-changing opportunity; the opportunity to start building a new life with Christ as the Cornerstone, so what are you waiting for?

"All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NLT)

PDS
Edmond, OK
13-JUN-2013

The Scriptures and Prayer

Profiting From The Word, by Arthur W. Pink, is one of the most concise, insightful and convicting works on Christian living that I have ever read. I pray you will be blessed, inspired and challenged by this excerpt on the topic of prayer. 

Many thanks to the folks at Providence Baptist Ministries for making this important little book available online.  They have a remarkable online library...check it out!

PDS

Profiting From The Word
by A.W. Pink

4. The Scriptures and Prayer

Profiting From The Word by A.W. Pink - Chapter 4 

---

A prayerless Christian is a contradiction in terms. Just as a still-born child is a dead one, so a professing believer who does not pray is devoid of spiritual life. Prayer is the breath of the new nature in the saint, as the Word of God is its food. When the Lord would assure the Damascus disciple that Saul of Tarsus had been truly converted, He told him, "Behold, he prayeth" (Acts 9:11). On many occasions had that self-righteous Pharisee bowed his knees before God and gone through his "devotions," but this was the first time he had ever really prayed. This important distinction needs emphasizing in this day of powerless forms (2 Tim. 3:5). They who content themselves with formal addresses to God know Him not; for "the spirit of grace and supplications" (Zech. 12:10) are never separated. God has no dumb children in His regenerated family: "Shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto Him?" (Luke 18:7). Yes, "cry" unto Him, not merely "say" their prayers.

But will the reader be surprised when the writer declares it is his deepening conviction that, probably, the Lord’s own people sin more in their efforts to pray than in connection with any other thing they engage in? What hypocrisy there is, where there should be reality! What presumptuous demandings, where there should be submissiveness! What formality, where there should be brokenness of heart! How little we really feel the sins we confess, and what little sense of deep need for the mercies we seek! And even where God grants a measure of deliverance from these awful sins, how much coldness of heart, how much unbelief, how much self-will and self-pleasing have we to bewail! Those who have no conscience upon these things are strangers to the spirit of holiness.

Now the Word of God should be our directory in prayer. Alas, how often we have made our own fleshly inclinations the rule of our asking. The Holy Scriptures have been given to us "that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Tim. 3:17). Since we are required to "pray in the Spirit" (Jude 20), it follows that our prayers ought to be according to the Scriptures, seeing that He is their Author throughout. It equally follows that according to the measure in which the Word of Christ dwells in us "richly" (Col. 3:16) or sparsely, the more or the less will our petitions be in harmony with the mind of the Spirit, for "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh" (Matt. 12:34). In proportion as we hide the Word in our hearts, and it cleanses, moulds and regulates our inner man, will our prayers be acceptable in God’s sight. Then shall we be able to say, as David did in another connection, "Of thine own have we given thee" (1 Chron. 29:14).

Thus the purity and power of our prayer-life are another index by which we may determine the extent to which we are profiting from our reading and searching of the Scriptures. If our Bible study is not, under the blessing of the Spirit, convicting us of the sin of prayerlessness, revealing to us the place which prayer ought to have in our daily lives, and is actually bringing us to spend more time in the secret place of the Most High; unless it is teaching us how to pray more acceptably to God, how to appropriate His promises and plead them before Him, how to appropriate His precepts and turn them into petitions, then not only has the time we spend over the Word been to little or no soul enrichment, but the very knowledge that we have acquired of its letter will only add to our condemnation in the day to come. "Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves" (James 1 :22) applies to its prayer-admonitions as to everything else in it. Let us now point out seven criteria.

1. We are profited from the Scriptures when we are brought to realize the deep importance of prayer. It is really to be feared that many present-day readers (and even students) of the Bible have no deep convictions that a definite prayer-life is absolutely essential to a daily walking and communing with God, as it is for deliverance from the power of indwelling sin, the seductions of the world, and the assaults of Satan. If such a conviction really gripped their hearts, would they not spend far more time on their faces before God? It is worse than idle to reply, "A multitude of duties which have to be performed crowd out prayer, though much against my wishes." But the fact remains that each of us takes time for anything we deem to be imperative. Who ever lived a busier life than our Saviour? Yet who found more time for prayer? If we truly yearn to be suppliants and intercessors before God and use all the available time we now have, He will so order things for us that we shall have more time.

The lack of positive conviction of the deep importance of prayer is plainly evidenced in the corporate life of professing Christians. God has plainly said, "My house shall be called the house of prayer" (Matt. 21:13). Note, not "the house of preaching and singing," but of prayer. Yet, in the great majority of even so-called orthodox churches, the ministry of prayer has become a negligible quantity. There are still evangelistic campaigns, and Bible-teaching conferences, but how rarely one hears of two weeks set apart for special prayer! And how much good do these "Bible conferences" accomplish if the prayer-life of the churches is not strengthened? But when the Spirit of God applies in power to our hearts such words as, "Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation" (Mark 14:38), "In every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God" (Phil. 4:6), "Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving" (Col. 4:2), then are we being profited from the Scriptures.

2. We are profited from the Scriptures when we are made to feel that we know not how to pray. "We know not what we should pray for as we ought" (Rom. 8:26). How very few professing Christians really believe this! The idea most generally entertained is that people know well enough what they should pray for, only they are careless and wicked, and so fail to pray for what they are fully assured is their duty. But such a conception is at direct variance with this inspired declaration in Romans 8:26. It is to be observed that that flesh-humbling affirmation is made not simply of men in general, but of the saints of God in particular, among which the apostle did not hesitate to include himself: "We know not what we should pray for as we ought." If this be the condition of the regenerate, how much more so of the unregenerate! Yet it is one thing to read and mentally assent to what this verse says, but it is quite another to have an experimental realization of it, for the heart to be made to feel that what God requires from us He must Himself work in and through us.

"I often say my prayers,
But do I ever pray?
And do the wishes of my heart
Go with the words I say?
I may as well kneel down
And worship gods of stone,
As offer to the living God
A prayer of words alone"

It is many years since the writer was taught these lines by his mother—now "present with the Lord"—but their searching message still comes home with force to him. The Christian can no more pray without the direct enabling of the Holy Spirit than he can create a world. This must be so, for real prayer is a felt need awakened within us by the Spirit, so that we ask God, in the name of Christ, for that which is in accord with His holy will. "If we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us" (1 John 5:14). But to ask something which is not according to God’s will is not praying, but presuming. True, God’s revealed will is made known in His Word, yet not in such a way as a cookery book contains recipes and directions for preparing various dishes. The Scriptures frequently enumerate principles which call for continuous exercise of heart and Divine help to show us their application to different cases and circumstances. Thus we are being profited from the Scriptures when we are taught our deep need of crying "Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1), and are actually constrained to beg Him for the spirit of prayer.

3. We are profited from the Scriptures when we are made conscious of our need of the Spirit’s help. First, that He may make known to us our real wants. Take, for example, our temporal needs. How often we are in some external strait; things from without press hard upon us, and we long to be delivered from these trials and difficulties. Surely here we "know" of ourselves what to pray for. No, indeed; far from it! The truth is that, despite our natural desire for relief, so ignorant are we, so dull is our discernment, that (even where there is an exercised conscience) we know not what submission unto His pleasure God may require, or how He may sanctify these afflictions to our inward good. Therefore, God calls the petitions of most who seek for relief from external trials "howlings," and not a crying unto Him with the heart (see Hos. 7:14). "For who knoweth what is good for man in this life?" (Eccles. 6:12). Ah, heavenly wisdom is needed to teach us our temporal "needs" so as to make them a matter of prayer according to the mind of God.

Perhaps a few words need to be added to what has just been said. Temporal things may be scripturally prayed for (Matt. 6:11, etc.), but with this threefold limitation. First, incidentally and not primarily, for they are not the things which Christians are principally concerned in (Matt. 6:33). It is heavenly and eternal things (Col. 3:1) which are to be sought first and foremost, as being of far greater importance and value than temporal things. Second, subordinately, as a means to an end. In seeking material things from God it should not be in order that we may be gratified, but as an aid to our pleasing Him better. Third, submissively, not dictatorially, for that would be the sin of presumption. Moreover, we know not whether any temporal mercy would really contribute to our highest good (Ps. 106:18), and therefore we must leave it with God to decide.

We have inward wants as well as outward. Some of these may be discerned in the light of conscience, such as the guilt and defilement of sin, of sins against light and nature and the plain letter of the law. Nevertheless, the knowledge which we have of ourselves by means of the conscience is so dark and confused that, apart from the Spirit, we are in no way able to discover the true fountain of cleansing. The things about which believers do and ought to treat primarily with God in their supplications are the inward frames and spiritual dispositions of their souls. Thus, David was not satisfied with confessing all known transgressions and his original sin (Ps. 51:1-5), nor yet with an acknowledgment that none could understand his errors, whence he desired to be cleansed from "secret faults" (Ps. 19:12); but he also begged God to undertake the inward searching of his heart to find out what was amiss in him (Ps. 139:23, 24), knowing that God principally requires "truth in the inward parts" (Ps. 51:6). Thus, in view of I Corinthians 2: 10-12, we should definitely seek the Spirit’s aid that we may pray acceptably to God.

4. We are profited from the Scriptures when the Spirit teaches us the right end in praying. God has appointed the ordinance of prayer with at least a threefold design. First, that the great triune God might be honored, for prayer is an act of worship, a paying homage; to the Father as the Giver, in the Son’s name, by whom alone we may approach Him, by the moving and directing power of the Holy Spirit. Second, to humble our hearts, for prayer is ordained to bring us into the place of dependence, to develop within us a sense of our helplessness, by owning that without the Lord we can do nothing, and that we are beggars upon His charity for everything we are and have. But how feebly is this realized (if at all) by any of us until the Spirit takes us in hand, removes pride from us, and gives God His true place in our hearts and thoughts. Third, as a means or way of obtaining for ourselves the good things for which we ask.

It is greatly to be feared that one of the principal reasons why so many of our prayers remain unanswered is because we have a wrong, an unworthy end in view. Our Saviour said, "Ask, and it shall be given you" (Matt. 7:7): but James affirms of some, "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts" (James 4:3). To pray for anything, and not expressly unto the end which God has designed, is to "ask amiss," and therefore to no purpose. Whatever confidence we may have in our own wisdom and integrity, if we are left to ourselves our aims will never be suited to the will of God. Unless the Spirit restrains the flesh within us, our own natural and distempered affections intermix themselves in our supplications, and thus are rendered vain. "Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31), (yet none but the Spirit can enable us to subordinate all our desires unto God’s glory.

5. We are profited from the Scriptures when we are taught how to plead God’s promises. Prayer must be in faith (Rom. 10:14), or God will not hear it. Now faith has respect to God’s promises (Heb. 4:1; Rom. 4:21); if, therefore, we do not understand what God stands pledged to give, we cannot pray at all. The promises of God contain the matter of prayer and define the measure of it. What God has promised, all that He has promised, and nothing else, we are to pray for. "Secret things belong unto the Lord our God" (Deut. 29:29), but the declaration of His will and the revelation of His grace belong unto us, and are our rule. There is nothing that we really stand in need of but God has promised to supply it, yet in such a way and under such limitations as will make it good and useful to us. So too there is nothing God has promised but we stand in need of it, or are some way or other concerned in it as members of the mystical body of Christ. Hence, the better we are acquainted with the Divine promises, and the more we are enabled to understand the goodness, grace and mercy prepared and proposed in them, the better equipped are we for acceptable prayer.

Some of God’s promises are general rather than specific; some are conditional, others unconditional; some are fulfilled in this life, others in the world to come. Nor are we able of ourselves to discern which promise is most suited to our particular case and present emergency and need, or to appropriate by faith and rightly plead it before God. Wherefore we are expressly told, "For what man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God" (1 Cor. 2: 11, 12). Should someone reply, If so much be required unto acceptable praying, if we cannot supplicate God aright without much less trouble than you indicate, few will continue long in this duty, then we answer that such an objector knows not what it is to pray, nor does he seem willing to learn.

6. We are profited from the Scriptures when we are brought to complete submission unto God. As stated above, one of the Divine designs in appointing prayer as an ordinance is that we might be humbled. This is outwardly denoted when we bow the knee before the Lord. Prayer is an acknowledgment of our helplessness, and a looking to Him from whom all our help comes. It is an owning of His sufficiency to supply our every need. It is a making known our requests" (Phil. 4:6) unto God; but requests are very different from demands. "The throne of grace is not set up that we may come and there vent our passions before God" (Wm. Gurnall). We are to spread our case before God, but leave it to His superior wisdom to prescribe how it shall be dealt with. There must be no dictating, nor can we "claim" anything from God, for we are beggars dependent upon His mere mercy. In all our praying we must add, "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt."

But may not faith plead God’s promises and expect an answer? Certainly; but it must be God’s answer. Paul besought the Lord thrice to remove his thorn in the flesh; instead of doing so, the Lord gave him grace to endure it (2 Cor. 12). Many of God’s promises are promiscuous rather than personal. He has promised His Church pastors, teachers and evangelists, yet many a local company of His saints has languished long without them. Some of God’s promises are indefinite and general rather than absolute and universal; as, for example Ephesians 6:2, 3. God has not bound Himself to give in kind or specie, to grant the particular thing we ask for, even though we ask in faith. Moreover, He reserves to Himself the right to determine the fit time and season for bestowing His mercies. "Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth . . . it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger" (Zeph. 2:3). Just because it "may be" God’s will to grant a certain temporal mercy unto me, it is my duty to cast myself upon Him and plead for it, yet with entire submission to His good pleasure for the performance of it.

7. We are profited from the Scriptures when prayer becomes a real and deep joy. Merely to "say our prayers each morning and evening is an irksome task, a duty to be performed which brings a sigh of relief when it is done. But really to come into the conscious presence of God, to behold the glorious light of His countenance, to commune with Him at the mercy seat, is a foretaste of the eternal bliss awaiting us in heaven. The one who is blessed with this experience says with the Psalmist, "It is good for me to draw near to God" (Ps. 73:28). Yes, good for the heart, for it is quietened; good for faith, for it is strengthened; good for the soul, for it is blessed. It is lack of this soul communion with God which is the root cause of our unanswered prayers: "Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart" (Ps. 37:4).

What is it which, under the blessing of the Spirit, produces and promotes this joy in prayer? First, it is the heart’s delight in God as the Object of prayer, and particularly the recognition and realization of God as our Father. Thus, when the disciples asked the Lord Jesus to teach them to pray, He said, "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven." And again, "God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba [the Hebrew for "Father"], Father" (Gal. 4:6), which includes a filial, holy delight in God, such as children have in their parents in their most affectionate addresses to them. So again, in Ephesians 2:18, we are told, for the strengthening of faith and the comfort of our hearts, "For through him [Christ] we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father." What peace, what assurance, what freedom this gives to the soul: to know we are approaching our Father!

Second, joy in prayer is furthered by the heart’s apprehension and the soul’s sight of God as on the throne of grace — a sight or prospect, not by carnal imagination, but by spiritual illumination, for it is by faith that we "see him who is invisible" (Heb. 11:27); faith being the "evidence of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1), making its proper object evident and present unto them that believe. Such a sight of God upon such a "throne" cannot but thrill the soul. Therefore are we exhorted, "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (Heb. 4:16).

Thirdly, and drawn from the last quoted scripture, freedom and delight in prayer are stimulated by the consciousness that God is, through Jesus Christ, willing and ready to dispense grace and mercy to suppliant sinners. There is no reluctance in Him which we have to overcome. He is more ready to give than we are to receive. So He is represented in Isaiah 30:18, "And therefore will the Lord wait, that He may be gracious unto you." Yes, He waits to be sought unto; waits for faith to lay hold of His readiness to bless. His ear is ever open to the cries of the righteous. Then "let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith" (Heb. 10:22); "in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God," and we shall find that peace which passes all understanding guarding our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:6, 7).