“And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye search for Me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the Lord; and will turn away your captivity.” Jeremiah 29:13,14
During the ministry of the Lord Jesus, He spoke a great deal concerning prayer. He spoke of the manner of prayer, the condition of the heart to pray, the essence of prayer, but also of the certainty of prayer. What is meant by the certainty of prayer? It is because of the fact that we are called to pray by faith, as we cannot see God with our physical eye, that we might question whether God hears us, receives us and literally, answers us. Though we might start in our quest to understand this certainty of prayer with what prayer IS, it is important to see what true prayer is NOT. Prayer is not a “shot in the dark,” a hopeful or “chance-laden” request that we might have audience with God. The first thing in prayer is God Himself, that He IS, not only existing but present and fully aware of all things seen and unseen. In speaking to His disciples on the matter of prayer, Jesus brought them face to face with the fact that God is the Father of the believer. That truth opens up an entirely different perspective of God, not only that He is Almighty God, the thrice-holy God who inhabits eternity, but one who has a relationship with His child, whom He loves, never to be rejected, abandoned, or cast away. So, the believer is not to be hesitant, or persuaded by the enemy that he cannot come to God his Father, but be fully convinced that he is accepted in Christ before throne of God. He believes no only in the certainty of God’s presence, but also in his acceptance in Christ the beloved.
Another aspect of prayer that strengthens the heart to lay hold upon God, is the elevated truth of God, those truths often used in the worship of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is also our own. He is the same one whom Isaiah spoke of, and described by His name: “…Wonderful, Counsellor. The Mighty God, the everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (9:6) It is as the concept of God, according to the truth of God, expands by the revelation of Him to the heart by the Spirit, that prayer takes on another dimension, that of the “impossible with man, becoming possible with God.” The believer begins to see that God in prayer lifts man up above himself, his sin, his helplessness and weakness, to again lay hold upon God for that which is worthy of Him, giving Him always the preference to declare what He wills, and to do fully what He desires. This whole matter of prayer, its beginning and essence, and its power to work, is embedded in the certainty that there is a God, He is our Father by Christ’s work of redemption, He is waiting in the quiet place to reveal Himself by His word by the Spirit, in response to the seeking heart. Just as certain as God exists and is present, so He does hear and answer prayer, rewarding openly those who truly seek Him.
What shall we say of obstacles to this full assurance of faith, this certainty in prayer which has great reward, not only in answered prayer, but also, the revelation of Christ to the heart? The first great obstacle to prayer is our own selves. This does not mean that we are not to cry unto God when we are in need. However, we are apt to limit God by the littleness, and incompleteness of our thoughts of Him. God is found, as G. Campbell Morgan put it, “…riding best in His own chariot.” God’s truth, not our independently wrong concepts, is that chariot where He is found. Secondly, our enemy, Satan, resists and opposes us by his accusations. Christ’s blood is God’s absolute, abundant provision.
Dear Father, Teach us to pray. In Jesus’ name, Amen.