An Unknown Christian

The Kneeling Christian

Chapter 1
God’s Great Need

“GOD Wondered.” This is a very striking thought!
The very boldness of the idea ought surely to arrest the
attention of every earnest Christian man, woman and child.
A wondering God! Why, how staggered we might well be if we
knew the cause of God’s “wonder”! Yet we find
it to be, apparently, a very little thing. But if we are
willing to consider the matter carefully, we shall discover
it to be one of the greatest possible importance to every
believer on the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing else is so
momentous — so vital — to our spiritual welfare.

God “wondered that there was no intercessor”
(Isa. lix. 16) — ‘none to interpose” (R.V.,
marg.). But this was in the days of long ago, before the
coming of the Lord Jesus Christ “full of grace and
truth” — before the outpouring of the Holy Spirit,
full of grace and power, “helping our infirmity,”
“Himself making intercession for us” and in us
(Rom. viii. 26). Yes, and before the truly amazing promises
of our Savior regarding prayer; before men knew very much
about prayer; in the days when sacrifices for their sins
loomed larger in their eyes than supplication for other
sinners.

Oh, how great must be God’s wonder today! For how few
there are among us who know what prevailing prayer really
is! Every one of us would confess that we believe in
prayer, yet how many of us truly believe in the power of,
prayer? Now, before we go a step farther, may the writer
most earnestly implore you not to read hurriedly what is
contained in these chapters. Much — very much — depends
upon the way in which every reader receives what is here
recorded. For everything depends upon prayer.

Why are many Christians so often defeated? Because they
pray so little. Why are many church-workers so often
discouraged and disheartened? Because they pray so little.

Why do most men see so few brought “out of darkness
to light” by their ministry? Because they pray so
little.

Why are not our churches simply on fire for God? Because
there is so little real prayer.

The Lord Jesus is as powerful today as ever before. The
Lord Jesus is as anxious for men to be saved as ever
before. His arm is not shortened that it cannot save: but
He cannot stretch forth His arm unless we pray more — and
more really.

We may be assured of this — the secret of all failure is
our failure in secret prayer.

If God “wondered” in the days of Isaiah, we need
not be surprised to find that in the days of His flesh our
Lord “marvelled.” He marvelled at the unbelief of
some — unbelief which actually prevented Him from doing
any mighty work in their cities (Mark vi. 6).

But we must remember that those who were guilty of this
unbelief saw no beauty in Him that they should desire Him,
or believe on Him. What then must His “marvel” be
today, when He sees amongst us who do truly love and adore
Him, so few who really “stir themselves up to take
hold of God” (Isa. Ixiv. 7). Surely there is nothing
so absolutely astonishing as a practically prayerless
Christian? These are eventful and ominous days. In fact,
there are many evidences that these are “the last
days” in which God promised to pour out His Spirit —
the Spirit of supplication — upon all flesh (Joel ii. 28).
Yet the vast majority of professing Christians scarcely
know what “supplication” means; and very many of
our churches not only have no prayer-meeting, but sometimes
unblushingly condemn such meetings, and even ridicule them.

The Church of England, recognizing the importance of
worship and prayer, expects her clergy to read prayers in
Church every morning and evening.

But when this is done, is it not often in an empty church?
And are not the prayers frequently raced through at a pace
which precludes real worship? “Common prayer,”
too, often must necessarily be rather vague and indefinite.

And what of those churches where the old-fashioned weekly
prayer-meeting is retained? Would not “weakly” be
the more appropriate word? C. H. Spurgeon had the joy of
being able to say that he conducted a prayer-meeting every
Monday night “which scarcely ever numbers less than
from a thousand to twelve hundred attendants.”

My brothers, have we ceased to believe in prayer? If you
still hold your weekly gathering for prayer, is it not a
fact that the very great majority of your church members
never come near it? Yes, and never even think of coming
near it. Why is this? Whose fault is it?

“Only a prayer-meeting” — how often we have
heard the utterance! How many of those reading these words
really enjoy a prayer-meeting? Is it a joy or just a duty?
Please forgive me for asking so many questions and for
pointing out what appears to be a perilous weakness and a
lamentable shortcoming in our churches. We are not out to
criticize — far less to condemn. Anybody can do that. Our
yearning desire is to stir up Christians “to take hold
of” God, as never before. We wish to encourage, to
enhearten, to uplift.

We are never so high as when we are on our knees.

Criticize? Who dare criticize another? When we look back
upon the past and remember how much prayerlessness there
has been in one’s own life, words of criticism of
others wither away on the lips.

But we believe the time has come when a clarion call to
the individual and to the Church is needed — a call to
prayer.

Now, dare we face this question of prayer? It seems a
foolish query, for is not prayer a part and parcel of all
religions? Yet we venture to ask our readers to look at
this matter fairly and squarely. Do I really believe that
prayer is a power? Is prayer the greatest power on earth,
or is it not? Does prayer indeed “move the Hand that
moves the world”?

Do God’s prayer-commands really concern Me? Do the
promises of God concerning prayer still hold good? We have
all been muttering “Yes — Yes — Yes” as we read
these questions. We dare not say “No” to any one
of them. And yet — !

Has it ever occurred to you that our Lord never gave an
unnecessary or an optional command? Do we really believe
that our Lord never made a promise which He could not, or
would not, fulfil? Our Savior’s three great commands
for definite action were: —

Pray ye
Do this
Go ye!

Are we obeying Him? How often His command, “Do
this,” is reiterated by our preachers today! One might
almost think it was His only command! How seldom we are
reminded of His bidding to “Pray” and to
“Go.” Yet, without obedience to the “Pray
ye,” it is of little or no use at all either to
“Do this” or to “Go.”

In fact, it can easily be shown that all want of success,
and all failure in the spiritual life and in Christian
work, is due to defective or insufficient prayer. Unless we
pray aright we cannot live aright or serve aright. This may
appear, at first sight, to be gross exaggeration, but the
more we think it over in the light Scripture throws upon
it, the more convinced shall we be of the truth of this
statement.

Now, as we begin once more to see what the Bible has to
say about this mysterious and wonderful subject, shall we
endeavor to read some of our Lord’s promises, as though
we had never heard them before. What will the effect be?

Some twenty years ago the writer was studying in a
Theological College. One morning, early, a fellow-student
— who is today one of England’s foremost missionaries
— burst into the room holding an open Bible in his hands.
Although he was preparing for Holy Orders, he was at that
time only a young convert to Christ.

He had gone up to the University “caring for none of
these things.” Popular, clever, athletic — he had
already won a place amongst the smart set of his college,
when Christ claimed him. He accepted the Lord Jesus as a
personal Savior, and became a very keen follower of his
Master. The Bible was, comparatively, a new book to him,
and as a result he was constantly making
“discoveries.” On that memorable day on which he
invaded my quietude he cried excitedly — his face all
aglow with mingled joy and surprise — “Do you believe
this? Is it really true?” “Believe what?” I
asked, glancing at the open Bible with some astonishment.
“Why, this — ” and he read in eager tones St.
Matthew xxi. 21, 22: “‘If ye have faith and doubt
not . . . all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer,
believing, ye shall receive.’ Do you believe it? Is it
true?” “Yes,” I replied, with much surprise
at his excitement, “of course it’s true — of
course I believe it.”

Yet, through my mind there flashed all manner of thoughts!
“Well, that’s a very wonderful promise,” said
he. “It seems to me to be absolutely limitless! Why
don’t we pray more?” And he went away, leaving me
thinking hard. I had never looked at those verses quite in
that way. As the door closed upon that eager young follower
of the Master, I had a vision of my Savior and His love and
His power such as I never had before. I had a vision of a
life of prayer — yes, and “limitless” power,
which I saw depended upon two things only — faith and
prayer. For the moment I was thrilled. I fell on my knees,
and as I bowed before my Lord what thoughts surged through
my mind — what hopes and aspirations flooded my soul! God
was speaking to me in an extraordinary way. This was a
great call to prayer. But — to my shame be it said — I
heeded not that call.

Where did I fail? True, I prayed a little more than
before, but nothing much seemed to happen. Why? Was it
because I did not see what a high standard the Savior
requires in the inner life of those who would pray
successfully?

Was it because I had failed to measure up my life to the
“perfect love” standard so beautifully described
in the thirteenth chapter of the first Epistle to the
Corinthians?

For, after all, prayer is not just putting into action
good resolutions “to pray.” Like David, we need
to cry, “Create in me a clean heart, O God” (Psa.
li.) before we can pray aright. And the inspired words of
the Apostle of Love need to be heeded today as much as ever
before: “Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, we have
boldness toward God; and [then] whatsoever we ask, we
receive of Him” (I John iii. 21). “True — and I
believe it.” Yes, indeed, it is a limitless promise,
and yet how little we realize it, how little we claim from
Christ. And our Lord “marvels” at our unbelief.
But if we could only read the Gospels for the first time,
what an amazing book it would seem! Should not we
“marvel” and “wonder”? And today I pass
on that great call to you. Will you give heed to it? Will
you profit by it? Or shall it fall on deaf ears and leave
you prayerless?

Fellow-Christians, let us awake! The devil is blinding our
eyes. He is endeavoring to prevent us from facing this
question of prayer. These pages are written by special
request. But it is many months since that request came.

Every attempt to begin to write has been frustrated, and
even now one is conscious of a strange reluctance to do so.
There seems to be some mysterious power restraining the
hand. Do we realize that there is nothing the devil dreads
so much as prayer? His great concern is to keep us from
praying. He loves to see us “up to our eyes” in
work — provided we do not pray. He does not fear because
we are eager and earnest Bible students — provided we are
little in prayer. Someone has wisely said, “Satan
laughs at our toiling, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles
when we pray.” All this is so familiar to us — but do
we really pray? If not, then failure must dog our
footsteps, whatever signs of apparent success there may be.

Let us never forget that the greatest thing we can do for
God or for man is to pray. For we can accomplish far more
by our prayers than by our work. Prayer is omnipotent; it
can do anything that God can do! When we pray God works.
All fruitfulness in service is the outcome of prayer — of
the worker’s prayers, or of those who are holding up
holy hands on his behalf. We all know how to pray, but
perhaps many of us need to cry as the disciples did of old,
“Lord, teach us to pray.”

O Lord, by Whom ye come to God,
The Life, the Truth, the Way,
The path of prayer Thyself hast trod;
Lord, teach us now to pray.