Saturday, December 08, 2012

With Christ in the School of Prayer (16) ... Power of Persevering Prayer

by Dale Shumaker
Spirit Savvy Network
www.spiritsavvy.net

Finding your mission, Empowering your life through prayer,
Becoming a Missionary in the Marketplace
Leading others to be Missionaries in the Marketplace

An all-time Christian Classic on prayer which is a foundational study on prayer that anyone interested in Prayer should read. So, I decided to summarize it chapter by chapter. With Christ in the School of Prayer is a classroom on the Power of Prayer in your Life.

With Christ in the School of Prayer by Andrew Murray,
Chapter 16, the Power of Persevering Prayer:

Of all the mysteries of the prayer world, the need of persevering prayer is one of the greatest.

That the Lord, who is so loving and longing to bless, should have to be petitioned time after time, sometimes year after year, before the answer comes, we cannot easily understand.  It is also one of the greatest practical difficulties in the exercise of believing prayer. When, after persevering supplication, our prayer remains unanswered, it is often easiest to think that we must now cease praying, because God may have His secret reason for withholding His answer to our request.

It knows for certain that not a single believing prayer can fail of its effect in heaven, but has its influence, and is treasured up to work out an answer in due time to him who persevereth to the end.  It knows that it has to do not with human thoughts or possibilities, but with the word of the living God.

To enable us to combine quiet patience and joyful confidence in our persevering prayer,He will avenge them speedily
, the Master says.  The blessing is all prepared; He is not only willing but most anxious to give them what they ask; everlasting love burns with the longing desire to reveal itself fully to its beloved, and to satisfy their needs.

Why must God’s own elect so often, in the midst of suffering and conflict, cry day and night?  ‘He is  long-suffering over them.’

A child so often wants to pick the half-ripe fruit; the husbandman knows to wait till the proper time.

In quiet, persistent, and determined perseverance it continues in prayer and thanksgiving until the blessing come. With the patience that cries day and night until it be revealed.  The speedily of God’s long-suffering is met by the triumphant but patient faith of His waiting child.

The blessing of such persevering prayer is unspeakable.  There is nothing so heart-searching as the prayer of faith.  It teaches you to discover and confess, and give up everything that hinders the coming of the blessing; everything there may be not in accordance with the Father’s will.  It leads to closer fellowship with Him who alone can teach to pray, to a more entire surrender to draw nigh under no covering but that of the blood, and the Spirit.  It calls to a closer and more simple abiding in Christ alone.  

Christian! give God time.

The seed we sow in the soil of heaven, the efforts we put forth, and the influence we seek to exert in the world above, need our whole being:  we must give ourselves to prayer.

Prayer does help, praying always and not fainting will bring the answer.  Only give God time.

More on the Power of Persevering Prayer at
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/murray/prayer.XVI.html
The Christian Classics Ethereal Library has many classic works on prayer and living a Spirit-filled life.

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