THE PRAYER OF FAITH
October
9, 1915.
My
dear Friends,
The
Scriptures speak of several kinds of prayer. There is intercession and there is
supplication, there is labour in prayer and there is the prayer of faith; all
perhaps the same fundamentally, but they present various aspects of this great
and wonderful theme. It would not be unprofitable to study the differences
between these various scriptural terms. . . .
Speaking
generally, however, there is a distinction we all know; it is the distinction
between general prayer and definite prayer. By definite prayer I mean prayer
after the pattern of Matt. xxi. 21, 22 ; John xv. 7, etc., where a definite
petition is offered up and definite faith exercised for its fulfillment. Now
faith must be in exercise in the other kind of prayer also, when we pray for
many and varied things without knowing the will of God in every case. I may pray
much in this general way, for instance, about the European War, but I cannot
offer much definite prayer, as I do not know the purposes of God sufficiently
well to do so.
In
general prayer I am limited by my ignorance. But this kind of prayer is the duty
of us all (i Timothy ii. i, 2) however vague it has to be. I may know very
little, in detail, about the object of my prayer, but I can at any rate commend
it to God and leave it with Him. It is good and right to pray, vaguely, for all
people, all lands, all things, at all times. But definite prayer is a very
different matter. It is in a special sense ' the prayer of faith ‘.
A definite request is made in definite faith for a definite answer. Let
me pass on to you
Take
the case of a Canadian emigrant as an illustration. Allured by the prospect of
golden grain he leaves England for the Canadian West. He has a definite object
in view. He knows very well what he is going for, and that is wheat.
He
thinks of the good crops he will reap and of the money they will bring him-much
like the child of God who sets out to pray the prayer of faith. He has his
definite object too. It may be the conversion of a son or daughter; it may be
power in Christian service; it may be guidance in a perplexing situation, or a
hundred and one other things- but it is definite. To consider the points of resemblance between the cases
of the prospective Canadian farmer and the believing Christian:
I.
THE BREADTH
OF THE TERRITORY
Think of the unlimited scope for the farmer in Canada. There are literally millions of acres waiting to be cultivated. No need, there, to tread on other people's toes! Room for all-vast tracts of unoccupied land just going to waste, and good land too. And so it is with us, surely. There is a vast, vast field for us to go up and claim in faith. There is enough sin, enough sorrow, enough of the blighting influence of Satan in the world to absorb all our prayers of faith, and a hundred times as many more. ' There remaineth yet very much land to be possessed.'
2.
GOVERNMENT
ENCOURAGES EMIGRATION
Think
also of the efforts the Canadian Government are making to encourage emigration.
All the unoccupied land belongs to it, but settlers are so badly needed that
they are offered every inducement-emigration offices established, sea-passages
and railway fares reduced and grants of land made free! And God is no less
urgently inviting His people to pray the prayer of faith; 'ASK-ASK-ASK'-He is
continually saying to us. He offers His inducement too:
'Ask
and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.' All the unoccupied territory
of faith belongs to Him. And He bids us to come and occupy freely. 'How long are
ye slack to go in to possess the land?'
3.
FIXED LIMITS
Yet this aspect of the truth must not be over-emphasized. Blessed fact though it be that the land is so broad, it can easily be magnified out of due proportion. The important thing is, not the vastness of the territory, but how much of it is actually assigned to us? The Canadian Government will make a grant of 160 acres to the farmer-emigrant, and no more. Why no more? Because they know very well that he cannot work any more. If they were to give him 160 square miles instead of 160 acres he would not know what to do with it all. So they wisely limit him to an amount of land equal to his resources.
And
it is much the same with us when praying the prayer of definite faith. The very
word 'definite' means 'with fixed limits'. We are often exhorted, and with
reason, to ask great things of God. Yet there is a balance in all things, and we
may go too far in this direction. It is possible 'to bite off', even in prayer,
'more than we can chew'. There is a principle underlying 2 Cor. x. 13 which may
apply to this very matter (see R.V. margin). Faith is like muscle which grows
stronger and stronger with use, rather than India rubber which can be stretched
to almost any desired length. Overstrained faith is not pure faith, there is a
mixture of the carnal element in it. There is no strain in the 'rest of faith'.
It asks for definite blessing as God may lead; it does not hold back through
carnal timidity, nor press ahead too far through carnal eagerness.
In
my own case here (at Tantsah) I have definitely asked the Lord for several
hundred families of Lisu believers. There are upwards of two thousand Lisu
families in the district altogether. It might be said, 'Why do you not ask for a
thousand? ' I answer quite frankly, because I have not faith for a thousand. I
have faith-or I would rather say I believe the Lord has given me faith-for more
than one hundred families, but not for a thousand. So I accept the limits the
Lord has, I believe, given me. Perhaps God will give me a thousand; perhaps,
too, He will lead me to commit myself to this definite prayer of faith later on.
Someone
has said that the Lord promises us bread, but He gives us bread and butter. This
is in accordance with Eph. iii. 20: 'Above all that we ask or think.' But we
must not overload faith: we must be sane and practical. Let us not claim too
little in faith, but let us not claim too much either. Remember the Canadian
emigrant's 160 acres. Consider,
too, how the Dominion Government exercises authority in the matter of location.
The Government has a say as to the where as well as the how much of the
emigrant's claim. He may not wander all over the prairie at his own sweet will,
and elect to settle down in any place he chooses. Even in regard to the position
of his farm he must consult the Government.
Do
we always do this in our prayers and claims? Do we consult the Heavenly
Government at the outset, or do we pray 'the first thing that comes?' Do we
spend much time waiting upon God to know His will, before attempting to embark
on His promises? That this is a principle upon which God works, He has informed
us very plainly, in i John v. 14, 15. I cannot but feel that this is a cause
(not the only cause) of many unanswered prayers. Jas. iv. 3 has a broad
application, and we need to search our hearts in its light. I read a testimony
of Dr. Stuart Holden's, not long ago, in which he said that one of the greatest
blessings of his life had been his unanswered prayers. And I can say the same in
my measure. Unanswered prayers have taught me to seek the Lord's will instead of
my own. I suppose we have most of us had such experiences. We have prayed and
prayed and prayed, and no answer has come. The heavens above us have been as
brass. Yea, blessed brass, if it has taught us to sink a little more of this
ever-present self of ours into the Cross of Christ. Sometimes our petition has
been such a good one, to all appearances, but that does not insure it being of
God. Many 'good desires' proceed from our uncrucified selves. Scripture and
experience certainly agree that those who live nearest to God are the most
likely to know His will. We are called to be 'filled with the knowledge of His
will' (Col. i. 9). The 'secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him; and He
will show them His covenant'. We need to know more of the fellowship of Christ's
death. We need to feed on the Word of God more than we do. We need more
holiness, more prayer. We shall not, then, be in so much danger of mistaking His
will.
The
wonderful promise of John xv. 7 is prefixed by a far reaching 'if'. I wonder if
that verse might not be paraphrased: 'If ye abide NOT in Me and My words abide
NOT in you, DO NOT ask whatsoever ye will (for) it shall NOT be done unto you.'
Perhaps if we examined ourselves more thoroughly before God we might even
discover, in some cases, that the whole course of our life was not in accordance
with His will. What right would a man have, in such a case, to expect his
prayers to be answered? But is not this the fact with regard to much 'good
Christian work?' 'Get your work from God' is a needed injunction. How often
Christian
leaders make their own plans, work hard at them, and then earnestly ask God's
blessing on them. How much better, as Hudson Taylor felt, to wait on God to know
His plans before commencing! Much Christian work seems to have the stamp of the
carnal upon it. It may be 'good' it may be successful outwardly-but the Shekinah
Glory is not there.
Now
all this applies to the prayer of faith. We must have the assurance that we are
in the right place, doing the right work. We must be sure that God is leading
us, when we enter upon specific prayer. It does not follow that because
We may be certain He has further
service, further burdens of
faith and prayer to give us when we are ready for them. And He will lead.
Abraham would never have been a pattern of faith, if he had remained in Ur of
the Chaldees. Nor will we ever have a faith worth calling faith unless we press
forward in the footsteps of Him Who said, ‘Follow Me’.
4.
THE CLAIM ENDORSED
Turn
to the emigrant again. He has come to an agreement with the Canadian Government.
He falls in with their terms; he accepts their conditions; he agrees to take
over the land allotted to him. So he presents his claim at the proper quarter,
and it is at once endorsed. Could anything be simpler? Nor need our claim in the
presence of God be any less simple. When we once have the deep, calm assurance
of His will in the matter, we put in our claim, just as a child before his
father. A simple request and nothing more. No cringing, no beseeching, no tears,
no wrestling. No second asking either. The parable of the unjust judge was never
meant to teach that we are to wring an answer by main force from an unwilling
God. One real asking is enough for a life-time.
In
my case I prayed continually for the Tengyueh Lisu for over four years, asking
many times that several hundreds of families might be turned to God. This was
only general prayer, however. God was dealing with me in the meantime.
(Of
course I do not mean to suggest that anyone else would necessarily be led along
just the same line. Does God ever deal with two different people in exactly the
same way?) Then near the end of November last year (1914) when staying 'with Mr.
and Mrs. Geis down at Myitkyina in Burma, this same petition came to me as a
definite burden. You know how a child is sometimes rebuked by his parents for
asking something in a wrong way—perhaps in the case of a child, for asking
rudely. The parent will say, ' Ask me properly '. That is just what God seemed
to be saying to me then: ‘Ask Me properly.’ As much as to say, ‘You have
been asking Me to do this for the last four years without ever really believing
that I would do it: now ask IN FAITH.'
I
recognized the burden clearly. And it was an actual burden : it burdened me. I
went to my room alone one afternoon and knelt in prayer. I knew that the time
had come for the prayer of faith. And then, fully knowing what I was doing and
what it might cost me, I definitely committed myself to this petition in faith.
I 'cast my burden upon
the Lord’ I rose from my knees with the deep, restful conviction that I had
already received the answer. The transaction was done. And since then (nearly a
year ago now) I have never had anything but peace and joy (when in touch with
God) in holding to the ground already claimed and taken. I have never repeated
the request and never will: there is no need. The asking, the taking and the
receiving, occupy but a few moments (Mark xi. 24). The past can never be undone,
never need be redone. It is a solemn thing to enter into a faith-covenant with
God. It is binding on both parties. You lift up your hand to God, perhaps even
literally ; you definitely ask for and definitely receive His proffered gift;
then do not go back on your faith, even if you live to be a hundred.
5.
GET TO WORK
To
return once more to the Canadian farmer. He has put in his claim; the land has
been granted; the deed made out and sealed with the Official seal. Is that the
end then? No! only the beginning!
He
has not attained his object yet. His object is a harvest of wheat, not a patch
of waste land; and there is a vast difference between the two. The Government
never promised him sacks of flour all ready for exportation—only the land
which could be made to yield them. Now is the time for him to roll up his
sleeves and get to work. He must build his homestead, get his live stock, call
in labourers, clear the ground, plough it and sow his seed. The Government says
to him in effect, 'We have granted your claim: now go and work it.’
This
is why it is so difficult to attain to a definite faith in God for a definite
object. We often have to strive and wrestle in prayer (Eph. vi. 10, etc.) before
we attain this quiet, restful faith. And until we break right through and join
hands with God we have not attained to real faith at all.
Faith
is a gift of God (Rom. xii. 9); -if we stop short of it we are using mere
fleshly energy or will-power, weapons of no value in this warfare. However, once
we attain to a real faith, all the forces of hell are impotent to annul it. What
then? They retire and muster their forces on this plot of ground which God has
pledged Himself to give us, and contest every inch of it. The real battle begins
when the prayer of faith has been offered. But, praise the Lord! we are on the
winning side. Let us read and re-read the tenth chapter of Joshua, and never
talk about defeat again. Defeat, indeed! No, Victory! Victory! Victory!
6,
PRAYING THROUGH TO VICTORY
I
repeat that this does not necessarily apply to every kind of prayer. A young
Lisu Christian here is fond of telling an experience of his a few months ago. He
was walking through the fields in the evening when his inside began
unaccountably to pain him. He dropped on his knees and, bowing his head down to
the ground, asked Jesus to cure him. At once the stomach-ache left him. Praise
the Lord! And there are no doubt multitudes of such cases—simple faith and
simple answers. But we must not rest content with such prayer. We must get
beyond stomach-ache or any other ache, and enter into the deeper fellowship of
God's purposes. 'That ye be no longer children’ (Eph. iv. 14). We must press
on to maturity. We must attain to
'the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ', and not remain in God's
kindergarten indefinitely. If we grow into manhood in the spiritual life we
shall not escape conflict. As long as Eph. vi. 10-18 remains in the Bible, we
must be prepared for serious warfare—‘And having done all, to stand’ We
must fight through, and then stand victorious on the battle-field.
(a)
A firm standing on God-given ground, and a constant assertion of faith and
claiming of victory. It is helpful, I find, to repeat passages of Scripture
applicable to the subject. Let faith be continually strengthened and fed from
its proper source—the Word of God.
(b)
A definite fighting and resisting of Satan’s host in the Name of Christ. I
like to read passages of Scripture, such as i John iii. 8, or Rev. xii. 111 in
prayer, as direct weapon against Satan. I often find it a means of much added
strength and liberty in prayer to fight in this way. Nothing cuts like the word
of the living God (Eph. vi. 17, Heb. iv. 12).
(c)
Praying through every aspect of the matter in detail. In the case of my Lisu
work here I continually pray to God to give me fresh knowledge of His will, more
wisdom in dealing with the people, knowledge of how to pray, how to maintain
victory, how to instruct the people in the Gospel, or in singing or in prayer,
help in studying the language, help in ordinary conversation, help in preaching,
guidance as to settling down somewhere as a centre, guidance about building a
house (if necessary), guidance as regards my own arrangements (servant, money,
food, clothes, etc.) help and blessing in my correspondence, opening for the
Word and blessing in other villages, for leaders and helpers to be raised up for
me, for each of the Christians by name, also for every one of my prayer helpers
by name. Such detailed prayer is exhausting, but I believe effectual in regard
to ascertaining the will of God and obtaining His highest blessing.
I
would not ask anyone to join me in the definite prayer for the turning to God of
several hundred Lisu families, unless God gives individual guidance to do so.
Better offer prayer in a more general way than make a definite petition apart
from His leading. I should, however, value highly the prayer-co-operation of any
who felt led to join me in it. What I want, too, is not just an occasional
mention of my work and its needs before the Lord, during the morning or evening
devotions, but a definite time (say half an hour or so?) set apart for the
purpose every day, either during the day-time or in the evening. Can you give
that time to me—or rather to the Lord?
About
a fortnight ago I baptized two Lisu women at the little village of Six Family
Hollow—the wives of the two young Lisu men I baptized last January. I have now
baptized six Christian Lisu altogether, all from that one family. It was my
painful duty only the next day, however, to exclude one of these, a man named
Ahdo, from church fellowship, for an indefinite period. He is the man who first
introduced me to the Lisu in his home and in many of the surrounding villages,
and until the end of last year he acted as my preacher and ‘helper’ when
with me. It appears that he has been continually, during the past few years and
until now—not only in his own village but in other places where he has been
with me—breaking the seventh commandment.
The
Lisu are a very immoral race in any case, but in spite of his Christian
profession he has been even more sinful than most of them. Such things will go
on sometimes, almost indefinitely, no one butt the foreign missionary being
ignorant of them. I had made inquiries about his character, but had not learnt
anything. I baptized him with his younger brother and both parents last January,
but he has not been with me since then. I am glad to say, however, that he seems
quite penitent and never attempted to deny it. We must pray for his restoration.
I have no other special news of the work, just now. I am thinking of visiting
that village (Six Family Hollow) again in a few days, as well as other villages.
Hoping
to write again next month and with earnest prayers for you all,
Yours
in the Lord's service,
J.
0. Fraser.