LORD TEACH US TO PRAY “And Behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David, my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word.” (Matthew15:22-23) During my early years as a Christian I was under the pastorate of a dear man who appeared to glory in the length of his prayers. I remember when he would spend a considerable length of time in prayer during the course of the week he would find a way to work it into his sermon. He would preen his feathers while browbeating the congregation because they did not spend equal time in prayer. About all that accomplished in my own experience was a guilt trip. When I would try to equal his time I could manage no more than fifteen to twenty minutes before running out of anything to pray about. It was an encouraging day for me when engaged in a study of the prayers of the Apostles I was led to consider the brevity of the Apostles prayers. If you will take the scripture for the same consideration you will learn too, that not some, nor most, but all of the prayers of the Apostles are very brief, most of them only one or two verses, and the very longest only seven. Someone said, “Wordy prayers are usually windy ones.” Martin Luther (1483-1546) said, “When you pray let your words be few, but your thoughts and affections many, and above all let them be profound. The less you speak the better you pray.” Another divine of yester-year said, “You should lay no weight on the quantity of your prayers; that is to say, how long or how many they are. These things avail nothing with God, by whom prayers are not measured, but weighed.” The characteristic of true prayer is “Praying in the Holy Ghost (Jude 20). The seed of acceptable devotion must come from heaven’s storehouse. Only the prayer that comes from God can go to God. I’ve tried to teach my people to pray the scriptures! Pray the Psalms! We must shoot the Lord’s arrows back to Him. That desire which He writes upon our hearts will move His heart and bring down a blessing, but the desires of the flesh have no power with Him. “Praying in the Holy Ghost” is praying in fervency, read James 5:16. Cold prayers appeal for no hearing. Those who do not plead with fervency, plead not at all. Prayer can no more be lukewarm than fire can be lukewarm; it must be red hot. It is praying perseveringly. The true suppliant gathers force as he proceeds, and grows more fervent when God delays to answer. The longer the gate is closed, the more earnestly does he use the knocker, and the longer the angel lingers the more resolved is he that he will never let him go without the blessing. Pray humbly, for the Holy Spirit never puffs us up with pride. It is His office to convince of sin, and so to bow us down in contrition and brokenness of spirit. Out of the depts. must we cry, or we shall never behold glory on high. God looks not upon the pomp and eloquence of words, nor the variety of expressions, or length of time; but upon the sincerity and devotion of the heart. Study the prayer of the dear Mother in behalf of her daughter in Matthew 15:22-28. She came to the Lord looking for and needing a crumb as it fell from His table. This was great faith on her part, and it was speedily rewarded. Mothers don’t give up in praying for your children, grandchildren, and your great grandchildren.
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