"But I give myself unto prayer." -Psalm 109:4
Lying tongues were busy against the reputation of David, but he did not defend himself; he moved the case into a higher court and pleaded before the great King Himself. Prayer is the safest method of replying to words of hatred. The Psalmist prayed in no coldhearted manner. He gave himself to the excercise, throwing his whole soul and heart into it and straining every sinew and muscle, as Jacob did when wrestling with the angel. Only in this way will any of us have success at the throne of grace. As a shadow has no power because there is no substance in it, even so a supplication in which a man's proper self is not thoroughly present in agonizing earnestness and vehement desire is utterly ineffective, for it lacks that which would give it force. "Fervent prayer," says an old divine, "like a cannon planted at the gates of heaven, makes them fly open." The common fault with most of us is our readiness to yield to distractions. Our thoughts go roving hither and thither and we make little progress towards our desired end. Like quicksilver our mind will not hold together, but rolls off this way and that. How great an evil this is! It injures us, and what is worse, it insults our God. What would we think of a petitioner, if, while having an audience with a prince, he were playing with a feather or catching a fly. Continuance and perseverance are intended in the expression of our text. David did not cry once and then relapse into silence; his holy clamor was continued until it brought down the blessing. Prayer must not be our chance work, but our daily business-our habit and vocation. As artists give themselves to their models, and poets to their classical pursuits, so must we addict ourselves to prayer. We must be immersed in prayer as in our element,and so pray without ceasing. Lord, teach us so to pray that we may be more and more prevalent in supplication. -Spurgeon Morning and Evening 15 Jan |
