THE CONDITIONS OF PREVAILING PRAYER
Delivered on Tuesday, May 21, 1850, at the
Tabernacle, Moorfields.
The Penny Pulpit, No. 1,559. [First in a series of three “Lectures on
the Conditions of Prevailing Prayer.”]
“Ask, and it will be given
to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone
who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be
opened.” (Matt. 7: 7- 8) “You ask and do not receive, because you ask
amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” (James 4:3)
These two passages of Scripture may seem to
contradict each other, yet they don’t.
Matthew affirms that all prayer is heard and answered. “For everyone who asks receives, and he who
seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” (Matt 7:8)
James says that some ask, and do not receive; and explains why. Yet, I repeat, these Scriptures do not
contradict each other. When it says,
that “everyone who asks receives,” we understand that there is a right asking
and a wrong asking. James says, “You
ask, and receive not, because you ask amiss”;
(James 4:3) which tells us that there are certain conditions for asking
properly, and there is such a thing as asking amiss. There are few people who have not, at one time or another, felt
like they have stumbled over these passages.
So much is said in Scriptures about God answering, while so much is
prayed for that is not answered, that it confuses many minds. It used to be a stumbling block for me. For a long time, I could not understand how
such unqualified assertions, like those made by Matthew, could be consistent
with the fact that so much prayer remained unanswered.
My mistake was twofold:
1. I expected all prayer to
be answered literally; overlooking the fact that God often answers prayer
according to the spirit when He does not answer it precisely according to the
letter. We have an illustration of this
in the case of Paul when he prayed to be delivered from the thorn in his
flesh. This “thorn in the flesh was
given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure”
because of the abundance of revelations which had been committed to him. Christ had a particular purpose in giving
him this thorn in the flesh, whatever it might have been. It appeared that Paul was distressed about
it; and he sought Christ to remove it.
His purpose was not selfish. He
thought that it was interfering with his usefulness. Now, Christ did not grant his petition literally, yet He granted
the spirit of it. He said, “My grace is
sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness;” (II Cor 12:7)
informing Paul that he had this thorn in the flesh for a good reason; that it
should not prove harmful, or stand in the way of his influence, but that His
grace would be “sufficient” for him.
Paul now says that he would rather boast in his infirmities so that the
power of Christ might rest upon him.
(v.9) In short, instead of persisting and desiring to have the thorn
removed, he gloried in it, that the power of Christ might rest upon him,
assured that the thing he feared would not come upon him. This was all he wanted. He did not want the thorn removed, if by
removing the thorn it would injure his usefulness. Let this illustrate what I mean.
I said I stumbled, and many others have also stumbled, because they did
not understand that prayer is frequently answered, not according to the letter,
but according to the true spirit. The
substance and essence is granted, although not in the way that was expected.
2. Another mistake I fell into, and which I
suppose is common among intelligent men, was, that I overlooked the fact that
there are certain conditions expressed in the Bible, which must be met if we expect
prayer to be answered. Also, there is a
distinction between what we commonly regard as prayer, and what God regards as
prayer. As soon as my attention was
directed to that question, I was satisfied that the problem was not that the
Bible wasn’t true, nor was it that God was a hearer and not an answerer of
prayer. I realized that God had pointed
out certain conditions upon which He would answer prayer, either directly or
indirectly, and we shouldn’t expect an answer, except under those conditions.
No doubt, God often listens to a cry of
distress without regard to the character of the petitioner, or whether he has
any character at all. In other words, I
suppose he often hears animals moaning in distress and comes to their aid; he
hears the young ravens when they cry; he even hears human beings. What I mean is, He can do it, and He is
disposed to do it when He can do it without affecting His relations with the universe. This, however, is not prayer; it is merely
the cry of anguish. God comes to the
relief of such whenever He can properly do it.
I don’t want to confuse those who have this in their minds; no doubt,
there is a cry of distress, but I must speak about the kind of prayer that is
heard and answered. In hearing a cry of
distress, without regard to the character, motives, or designs of the petitioner,
it is a mere manifestation of God’s benevolence, and has nothing to do with any
promise that He would bear and answer such petitions.
But there is a kind of prayer to which God
stands pledged to give an answer. It is
that kind of prayer that I propose talk about this evening. I especially want to discuss some of the
conditions of prayer that God has revealed to us. Let me read a passage to illustrate what I mean, “Beloved, if our
heart does not condemn us then we have confidence toward God; and whatsoever we
ask, we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things
that are pleasing in His sight”. (I
John 3: 21- 22) Now, what do we have
here? We understand that the word
“heart”, refers to our conscience, because it is our conscience that condemns
us. If our conscience condemns us, God
is greater than our conscience, and must condemn us even more. If God can condemn us, His dominion is
greater and much more searching than even our conscience. But the phrase, “if our heart does not condemn
us”, also implies that if we do not keep a conscience void of offense towards
God and man, we cannot expect answers to our prayers. If we have sins of omission and sins of commission, anything that
our conscience condemns, our conscience admonishes us that God is not pleased
with us, and therefore, we cannot expect an answer to our supplications. This is not directly stated, but it is
clearly implied in our text. “If our
heart condemns us,” God much more condemns us.
This means, that if our hearts don’t condemn, then we may expect an
answer to prayer; but if our hearts condemn us, we cannot, and we should not,
expect an answer to our petitions. It
is clear, therefore, that:
1. A clear conscience, a conscience void of
offense, is a revealed condition of prevailing prayer. When people get involved in anything that
their consciences disapprove of, or where they live in any neglect or
commission in any state of mind where their conscience condemns them, and God
condemns them even more, how can they expect to prevail with God? Why, they are living in such a way that
their own consciences affirm that they are not devoted to God!
The Psalmist says, “If I regard iniquity in
my heart, the Lord will not hear me” (Psalm 66:18). Here we have the fact clearly stated.
2. The rejection not only of outward sins
but also the rejection of sins of the heart is an indispensable condition of
prevailing prayer. In the first passage
I read, it is only implied that, if we do not keep a conscience void of
offense, if we do not reject the sins both of our heart and life, we cannot expect
God to hear us. In the second passage,
this is clearly stated “if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not
hear me”. What does this mean? Why, the condition is if you have iniquity
in your heart. What are sins of the heart?
Every form of selfishness belongs to the heart, as does all sin, or, properly
speaking, all self-seeking. God says
that He will not hear you. Won’t this
account for the fact that many do what they call “praying”, without prevailing
with God?
3. A spirit of universal obedience is
another revealed condition of prevailing prayer. It is written, “One who turns away his ear from hearing the law,
even his prayer shall be an abomination” (Proverbs 28:9). The word “law”, that is used here includes
the whole revealed will of God, and it includes whatever God reveals as His
will to men. “Turning away,” implies an
unwillingness to obey, a spirit of disobedience. Now, here we are told that whoever is in this state of mind is
unwilling to obey God and “even his prayer shall be an abomination”. It’s also good to ask what the phrase “to
turn away his ear” means in this passage.
Neglecting to listen to what God says is turning away the ear; refusing
or neglecting to obey what God requires, is turning away the ear; everything
similar to this is implied in turning away the ear. Wherever people pretend to obey God in some things, while in
other things they disobey Him, this is turning away the ear. Universal obedience, a state of mind that
wants to do whatever God’s known law requires, is therefore, a necessary
condition of prevailing prayer.
4. Being and abiding in Christ is another
revealed condition of prevailing prayer.
“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you
desire, and it shall be done for you.”
(John 15:7) It is also said, “If
anyone does not abide in Me”, that is, in Christ, “he is cast out as a branch
and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they
are burned”. (John 15:6) Surely, when someone does not abide in
Christ, they cannot be expected to be in a state of mind to prevail with God.
Therefore, that unless you
abide in Christ, you cannot prevail in prayer with God. Then, what does it mean
to abide in Christ? It is, to live and
walk in the spirit, to have Christ dwelling in us and we so dwelling in Him,
that His Spirit will influence us. In
other words, it is yielding ourselves completely up to Him in confidence,
embracing Him in faith, and so completely abiding in and committing ourselves
to Him, that we are brought under His influence.
Now, unless we are so united to Christ by
faith, that God regards us as being in Christ, and receiving things for
Christ’s sake, and through Christ, we cannot expect to prevail with Him.
This is taught throughout the Bible. We must be so united to Him by faith, that
we truly walk in the Spirit of Christ.
He says that if we are in this state, whatever we ask, He will give
us. How can this be? It must be very important for us to be in
Him because when we are in Him, and His word abides in us, we’ll have whatever
we ask. This is certainly a very extensive
promise. “If you abide in Me, and My
words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for
you.” (John 15:7)
“You will ask what you
desire,” plainly implies that people who are in Christ, in the sense meant
here, are in such a state of mind that they would never ask anything of Christ,
the true spirit of which it is not proper for Him to grant. Christ would not dare make such a promise,
unless He knew that if a person really dwelt in Him, in this sense, he would
only ask what could be consistently granted.
It is VERY important that we should understand what this means. These are amazing passages! He says, “If you abide in Me, and My words
abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you”. Does He mean, that the person abiding in Him
should ask anything whatever, and it should be granted? Or does he mean, that you will always ask
according to His will; that, in that state of mind, you would never ask
anything contrary to the revealed will of God; that the true spirit of your petitions
would always be according to His will?
If He did not mean this, Christ could not
make such a promise. He makes the
promise without any limitation. “Ask
what you desire.” This must imply that
they will not have the will to ask anything contrary to the revealed will of
Christ, and that those who are really in Christ and abiding in Christ, are
taught by the Spirit of God to pray in a much higher sense than people are
generally aware of. “Likewise the
Spirit also helps in our weaknesses.
For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit
Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what
the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints
according to the will of God.” (Romans
8:26-27) Here, it is revealed how the
saints are led to pray.
Those that abide in Christ and walk and live
in His spirit are led to pray for things according to God’s will. In other words, we are led to pray for those
things that God would grant.
Now, if we really are in Christ, and abide
in Him, and His words abide in us in the sense He must mean here, the spirit of
our prayers will always be according to His will. He may, therefore, with the utmost safety, promise to grant all
that we would ask. Christ did not mean
to say that every such prayer would be granted to the letter, but that our
hearts would be in such a state, living in the spirit of prayer and we would be
so led that the spirit of our prayers would always be granted. But this clearly implies that there are some
people who are not in such a state that they can expect answers to their
prayers.
If a man does not abide in Christ, and
Christ’s words do not abide in him, his prayer is not in the spirit that Christ
Himself would pray in, and therefore, his prayer won’t prevail. The first Sunday I preached here, I preached
on two petitions in the Lord’s Prayer, and then I clearly established the state
of mind in which we could sincerely offer this prayer. Now, this state of mind is undoubtedly a
condition of prevailing prayer. To be
in a state of mind where you can sincerely offer the Lord’s Prayer is a condition
of prevailing prayer.
5. A passionate desire is a condition of
prevailing prayer. It is one thing to
say a prayer, and another thing to be motivated by a strong desire. Prayer, when prevalent, is a strong desire
of the heart to have a certain blessing.
What would you think of an individual who petitions the government of
this country for something, and immediately becomes careless about it; and even
almost forgets what he had been asking for?
Yet, doesn’t this resemble the prayer of some people?
Those who pray in the spirit of prayer, pray
with a strong desire. The Holy Spirit
is said to make intercession for the saints, in groanings that cannot be
uttered.
6. A willingness to have our prayers
answered is an indispensable condition of prevailing prayer. People often pray when they really don’t
want to have their prayers answered. They
often ask things of God, which they don’t want answered except under their own
conditions. They want God to answer
them their way, and they don’t want Him to answer His own way. Now, unless they are willing to let God answer them His own way and let God use the
best means, according to Him, to answer them, they can’t expect their prayers
to prevail.
Men often ask things that can’t be done
without desperate measures, which would greatly agonize, distress, and as far
as this world’s goods are concerned, ruin the fortunes of those who pray for
them. If we seek things from God, we
must be willing to submit the matter to Him, that they may be given to us in
any way that seems good to Him. If we
ask for more faith, or to be perfected in love, we must, of course, be willing
to let God apply His own methods to remove whatever stands in the way of the answer;
that He should take away whatever idol we have and do whatever is necessary in
order to answer our requests. Sometimes
people pray, when in their hearts, they add conditions. They want God to humble them, if He can do
it without disgracing them, or destroying their property. They would let God sanctify them, if it can
be done without affecting their selfish indulgences. However, prayers like this cannot be granted without removing
obstacles; and to pray acceptably, we must be willing to part with a right hand
or to put out a left eye, if these things stand in the way of God granting our
request.
For example, suppose a person prays to be
made holy. He must be willing to be
made holy; and if there is any stumbling-block in his way, any besetting sin,
any un-dealt with appetite, any passion, any tendency, he must be willing to
give it up. If he is unwilling, and
insists that the blessing must be granted on his own terms, then he is not
praying acceptably. Again, the man who
would pray acceptably for God to make him holy, must love his enemies. The man who would pray for holiness, and yet
continue practicing certain forms of sin, is tempting God, because he is to
unwilling to give up his idols and be crucified to the world. People must be willing to be, to do and to
allow, whatever is implied in having their prayers answered or whatever is
indispensable to having them answered, or they do not pray acceptably. If they were to examine the matter, they
would often find the difficulty is in themselves. They are praying for things that they know they need, but are
really adding on so many conditions and reservations that their prayer cannot
be accepted.
I wish I had the time to
share with you many particular cases that I have personally seen of people who
began to question whether God was really willing to hear prayer, and whether
prayer was as important as the Bible suggests it is; but as time went on they
came to understand that the problem was not God. They were unwilling for God to give them what they sought, on
those terms that God chose to do so.
Many people pray that they may be Christians, but all the time they are
unwilling to be Christians, and when they come to the right idea of what it is
to be a Christian, they realize that they are entirely unwilling to have their
prayers answered.
I remember the case of a young lady, who
claimed she really wanted to become a Christian. She had prayed a lot, and had done everything that she thought
she possibly could; and finally, after making all these pretenses, one day she
retired to her chamber to pray because she was distressed and her soul was in
agony. She knelt down, but before she opened her mouth it was shown her what
was implied in becoming a Christian.
Living a holy life! Certain
things were revealed to her so strongly concerning what was necessary to be, to
do, and to suffer, in order to be a Christian, that she said it seemed as if
God Himself had put it right in front of her face, “Do you want every obstacle
to be removed?” Furthermore, it seemed
clear, that if she would ask sincerely, her prayer would be granted. However, as soon as she saw what was really
implied, she stood up and walked away, and would not ask. She saw she did not have heart to commit to
that prayer. It often happens, that
people continue praying, doubting whether God is willing to answer their
prayer, and are ready to accuse Him of being unfaithful. But sooner or later, they see that, within
themselves, they are not really willing to receive the true spirit of the thing
that they seek.
7. Unselfishness is a condition of
prevailing prayer. James says, “You ask
and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your
pleasures”. I don’t mean by this
absence of self-interest that nothing should be sought, but just the
opposite. We should desire, but it
should be for the right reason. Suppose
an individual prays for his own sanctification, why does he desire it? Is it merely for the pleasure or the honor
of being sanctified? What does he want
to be sanctified for? Isn’t it to
remove the trouble and disgrace that accompanies sin? Isn’t it so he may enter the perpetual sunshine, happiness, and
joy of God’s peace? Is this the
reason? Does he seek it for his own
particular benefit, for some selfish reason?
No wonder, then, if he asks this way, that his prayer is not
answered. He asks selfishly. Suppose you are wounded to the heart at a
world around you that is living in sin.
If your desire is to glorify God and your eye is focused on this, you’ll
want to hold up the true light of the gospel so men may understand what it is,
so their souls may be enlightened, and they might be saved. If this is your desire, and you have no
ulterior motives, than you are sympathizing with God, and you are asking the
blessing for the same reason that God would give it you. Again, do you sympathize with God’s motives,
plans, and designs! If people ask for
blessings, they must sympathize with God in this respect. They must ask for a reason for which God can
consistently give. It must not be such
a reason that God would blush to acknowledge that such a prayer was even offered;
but a reason that will justify Him in the sight of every moral agent in the universe.
A selfish prayer, therefore, will have no
influence with God. It would disgrace
Him to answer it. Prayers must be free
from selfishness. We must rise above
mere selfish considerations, and view the great reason why God answers
prayer. If people would pray, for
example, for their own holiness and sanctification, it should be because they
sympathize with God’s view of sin. They
must be willing to be holy, whatever fiery trials the attainment and
maintenance of holiness may lead them through.
Men take a wrong view of this matter by thinking that sanctification has
no trials. However, it often tests and
tries men, in order that they and everyone else may see what God has done for
them.
When God gives great blessing, He does not
intend that they should be hide it under a bushel. When He gives us great grace, He always places us in a position
to try us. If we do not pass through seasons
of trial, how would anybody know that God has given us great grace? Now, are you willing to be sanctified, no
matter what the cost may be? Are you
willing to give up all iniquity in every form, no matter what the consequences
may be, so that God may be glorified?
8. You must also have the right motives when
praying for others, as well as when praying for yourselves. For instance, you must have the right
motives when you are interceding for your children, your husbands, or your
wives. I remember the case of a woman
who had a husband who was unrepentant.
I questioned her as to how she prayed, and she told me that she had
prayed for a long time, that she had not given up and did not mean to give up,
but that she did not know why her prayer was never answered. I then asked her, why she bothered to pray
for her husband? She said, “Oh! I would enjoy myself so much better. It would be altogether much more comfortable
for me.” Everything she said clearly
showed that it was for her own comfort she wanted her husband converted. I could get nothing else out of her but
this. Therefore, I told her that it was
no wonder her prayers were not answered, while she was so perfectly selfish,
and did not enter into God’s reasons at all.
Now, parents often pray for their children in the same spirit. It is merely a selfish end they have in
view. They don’t pray because they sympathize
with God concerning them.
A situation was told to me at a place where
there was a revival of religion. The
minister was going out in the morning to visit some inquirers, and he called on
a very influential person in the area, who said to him, “What would you think
of a man praying for the Holy Spirit day after day, and his prayer remains
unanswered?” “Why”, said the minister,
“I’m afraid he’s praying for the wrong reasons.” “What reasons should he have?”
“What reasons do you have? Do
you want to enjoy your money more, and be happier? The devil might have a reason like this.” The minister then quoted the words of the
Psalmist, “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with Your
generous Spirit. Then I will teach
transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You.” (Psalms 51:12-13) He turned away from the minister, and he said later, that he was
so angry that his first thought was that he hoped that he might never see him
again. He immediately saw that his
prayer had always been selfish. He was
struck with this, yet so great was his pride, that when he discovered that he
had always been selfish, that he had never had a true idea of religion or
prayer in his mind, that he was perfectly selfish, and nothing less than a
hollow-hearted professing Christian, he prayed to God to take his life. He felt that he would rather die, he would
even rather go to hell, than, after maintaining the position he had in the
Church, that the people should find out that he had been deceiving and deceived. Soon afterwards, he was converted, and then
he clearly saw where he had been. The
fact that we ask and don’t receive is because we ask amiss, that we “may spend
it on our pleasures”. This is a great
truth, which many people would do well to ponder instead of accusing God, as
they do, of not giving them what they ask.
Faith is also an indispensable condition of
prevailing prayer. As you all very well
know, this is clearly affirmed in the Bible,
“You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened
your hearts as in a day of slaughter.
You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist
you. Therefore, be patient, brethren,
until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit
of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter
rain.” In other words, it is often
affirmed and everywhere it is always implied.
9. Pray in the name of Christ. This is so often implied in the Bible, that
I shouldn’t have to quote any passages.
Let us ask what praying in the name of Christ means. How should
we use Christ’s name? Perhaps I
better not go into details here. It’s
too extensive for the few remarks that I can give it. Sometime soon, I will discuss this in more detail than I can
tonight. There is a lot of error among
professing Christians concerning this.
Many don’t understand what it means.
They don’t, therefore, make such use of Christ’s name as to
prevail. Christ’s name, properly used,
is as prevalent in the mouth of His people, as in His own. If used, as God intended it to be used, it
is just as prevalent in their hands as in His own. Suppose Baron Rothschild were to lend a man in this city, his
name; and suppose that such an individual were to go to the Bank, and can’t
borrow any money because he is so poor!
If he had Baron Rothschild’s signature, which is well known at the Bank,
how can this happen? Does he go as if
he is poor? Too poor to have such a
name prevail for him? Not him! Indeed!
He can borrow any amount of money he pleases. His own poverty is no obstacle at all in his way. However, we must move on. This is a
condition of prevailing prayer.
10. Perseverance is another condition of
prevailing prayer, and to be in the spirit of prayer we must persevere. We have some striking examples of this in
the Bible. For instance, take the cases
of Jacob, Moses, Elijah, Daniel, and the Syro-Phoenician woman. Your spirit,
though distressed, should not become disheartened. When individuals really have the spirit of prayer, and set
themselves to prevail with God, they are not disheartened because they do not
prevail immediately, but follow up petitions with petitions, turning them over
and over.
For example, take the case of Jacob. (See Gen 32) How interesting were the circumstances under which he is
represented as prevailing with God! He
wrestled all night. It must have
appeared to him, as if God was determined not to answer him. It seemed as if God was resisting him. The circumstances were these: Jacob, because
of his conduct towards his brother, had fled from his country, and remained in
exile for a long time, until God promised him that He would go with him and
bless him.
While he was
returning, he
was told that Esau was coming with large hosts and he had every reason to
believe that Esau would take vengeance on him for his past misconduct. This, of
course, greatly distressed him. He made
every arrangement that a prudent man would naturally make, in order, if
possible, to appease Esau. He sent
people on ahead of him, and then he retired alone to pray. No doubt, Jacob had a great weight on his
mind. He remembered, most likely, how
he had injured Esau when he stole his brother’s birthright, and therefore, he
feared that Esau would take vengeance.
He had God’s promise, and he went aside to plead with God. For a time, the Almighty seemed to resist
him. He struggled, but he could not
overcome. He continued to struggle and
to pray throughout the night. God
seemed to take every way to try him.
Jacob had many confessions to make, and a great deal of breaking down to
undergo, just as in those struggles which some of you can recall from your own
experience, when you set your heart upon obtaining a blessing, and believe some
point is not exactly clear between you and God.
There are times you have felt yourselves
in such agony that the perspiration has poured down you, and even if you had
not obtained the blessing, you did not give up the struggle until you have
finally humbled yourselves. Then you
prevailed. This was the case with
Jacob. He needed to be humbled and broken
down. Probably, until then, he never
saw his conduct towards Esau exactly in the proper light. He struggled; God resisted. Yet he continued to struggle. God touched his thigh, and made him a cripple
to the end of his life. Nevertheless,
when he could no longer wrestle, he still hung on, exclaiming, “I will not let
You go”, though God told him to let go. “I will not let you go,” he says,
“until you bless me.” Did he have a
right to say this? Yes, he did. He had God’s clear promise; therefore, God
would do it. God seemed as if He was
not going to fulfill His promise. This
delay, however, was of great importance.
Jacob’s mind was preparing to receive the blessing in such a manner as
would do good. Jacob would not be
denied. It was as if he had said, “You
have promised, and I will not be denied!”
This is not impudence. He did
not intend that Jacob should be disheartened, although severely tried, as was
necessary.
Jacob not only had a lot to
confess but a lot to promise. There was
a great and a wonderful struggle within.
Now listen, suppose Jacob had not held on, what then? The fact is, he did hold on until the very
end. What a remarkable
answer, when Jacob said, “I will not let you go except you bless me.” God said,
“What is your name”? I suppose Jacob
blushed when he answered that his name was Jacob, which means
‘supplanter’. He confessed his name
meant ‘supplanter’, and he was a supplanter, because he had supplanted his brother
Esau. I am a supplanter! That's my name. What a significant circumstance this was. Jacob was so bold and so vehement, that he
said, “I will not let You go except You bless me”. “What is your name”, said the Almighty, “that you should presume
thus?” “My name,” said he “is
Jacob”. God said, “Your name shall no
longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for as a prince you have power with God and
with men, and have prevailed.” (Genesis
32:28) “No more shall you be called
Jacob” the matter was settled. He was a
supplanter all along. You will remember
from the circumstance of his birth, how he came to be named, how he cried out
and illustrated his name by taking the birthright of his brother. Jacob all along had proved himself to be
correctly named. But after this mighty
exercise of faith, taking hold and keeping hold of God’s promises under all
those discouraging circumstances for these things, God wisely changed his name,
that it may no longer remind him of his past, but it would remind him of his having
had power with God and prevailed.
Take the case of Moses. He stepped forward, as it were, and took
hold of the uplifted hand of the Almighty.
God promised Moses that a certain thing should be done for the people;
but the people had sinned, and gone into idolatry. Then God said, “Let Me alone, so I may consume them in a moment”. (Numbers 16:21) Moses placed himself in a very peculiar position! A lesser man might have been tempted to
simply give up. God had already promised to make of him a great nation. Some men might have said, “Well, if God will
make a great nation from me, let them be consumed; they are rebels, and deserve
destruction”. But Moses said, “What
will the Egyptians say”? Do you see his
concern for God’s honor, and his persevering spirit? God seemed to have anticipated his prayer and forbade it. He did not mean this (He might have meant it
to a man without Moses’ confidence and grace).
He said, “Let Me alone that I may consume them, for they are a rebellious
people”. But no, Moses steps forward
and reasons with God. “What will the
Egyptians say?” What will You do with
Your great name? Will not they say that
You have taken them up into the wilderness on purpose to kill them?” Having asked, “What will the Egyptians
say”? Moses says, “Forgive them, or
blot out my name from the book that You have written”. How beautiful was Moses’ simple heartedness
and confidence in his determination to stand in the gap between God and the people! I shall not keep you any longer now, but I
will continue this subject tomorrow evening.
Amen.