“…ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss…” James:2,3
If there is one thing that salvation in Christ is, it is a call to prayer, to communion with Christ in prayer by the Spirit. When Christ died on Calvary, He did so in this manner, and completely, so that the lost soul could be saved from the burden and power of sin, and also be freed from the control and domination of the god of this world who had kept him in blindness and ignorance of eternal Life in Christ. Salvation in Christ was His liberating, freeing the sinner to KNOW Him. Pentecost was the great declaration of God that the Spirit of God had been poured out upon all men, both Jew and Gentile, so that each believer in Christ, born of the Spirit, could enter, not only into the outer courts of the temple of God, but into the Holy of Holies, that central and certain place of true communion with God. It is there, in the quietness and aloneness with God, and only because of the sacrifice of Christ in His precious blood, that the believer can come with great assurance to worship. Beyond the access given to the believer by God in Jesus name, is the provision of the Spirit of God to strengthen him, leading him in prayer. There also is the Great High Priest, Christ Himself, coming along side to reassure the believer before the Father, and to encourage him in prayer. All has been provided in this complete salvation in Christ so that the believer can commune with Him and pray effectively in order for the kingdom of God to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.
But first, let us deal with hindrances to prayer, which keep the believer from praying, and then, praying effectively. The first hindrance in prayer is selfishness, that natural disposition of the “old man” which thinks himself in some shape or form not in need of prayer, or if praying, believing that he can do it by himself. Prayer begins with selflessness, and Christ centeredness.
The second hindrance is a wrong sense of unworthiness. It was J.S.B. Monsell who wrote: “Fear not to enter His courts in the slenderness of the poor wealth thou wouldst reckon as thine; Truth in its beauty, and love in its tenderness, These are the offerings to lay on His (Christ’s) shrine.” What is Monsell saying here? It is not what I “have” to offer God, but what, by the grace and mercy of God, I can receive from Him in order to worship, pray, love, and serve Him. This is why David wrote in the Psalms: “For Thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it. Thou delightest not in burnt-offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, O God Thou wilt not despise.” (51:16,17)
A third hindrance to prayer is a wrong vision of it, and thus, a lesser importance given to it. When God calls a man to pray, He calls him to enter into His very presence, His Holy, Everlasting presence, there to behold His beauty, wonder, and to inquire in His temple. It is a call to nearness to God, in a place in mind and heart where there is receptivity to all that God desires to give in answer to prayer. It is also place and attitude where the believer is called to enter into the great works of God, the reaching of the world for Christ, and the establishment of His banner as far as the gospel is preached. Not only is Christ’s bride called upon to lean upon Him, and learn from Him, all that He desires to give in life, love, and light, but she is called to go forth with Him into battle, into the harvest of souls, and the bringing forth of His kingdom.
Prayer is the practical choice and outworking of faith, where Christ is specifically sought and found.
Dear Father, Teach us to pray. In Jesus’ name, Amen.